Editing Pine (section)

== Distribution and habitat ==

{{See also |List of pines by region}}

[[File:Prospectsydneypineforest.jpg |thumb |[[Monterey pine]] in [[Sydney]], Australia. The [[Introduced species|species was introduced]] to the region in the late 19th century.]]

Pines are native to the [[Northern Hemisphere]], and to a few parts from the tropics to [[temperate climate|temperate]] regions in the [[Southern Hemisphere]]. Most regions of the Northern Hemisphere host some [[native species]] of pines; they occupy large areas of [[Boreal forest]], and are found all around the Mediterranean Basin. The northernmost is [[Pinus sylvestris|Scots pine]], reaching just north of 70° N in [[Stabbursdalen National Park]] in Norway;<ref name="l676">{{cite web | title=Stabbursdalen Nasjonalpark | url=https://www.miljodirektoratet.no/globalassets/dokumenter/publikasjoner/brosjyrer/stabbursdalen_np_e_nett-110811.pdf | access-date=2025-01-20}}</ref> [[Google Maps]] shows geolocated images with pines at 70° 09' N.<ref name="googlemaps">{{cite web | title=Google Maps | website=Google Maps | url=https://www.google.com/maps/@70.1497623,24.7826508,3a,75y,28.08h,103.2t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipPdwllA0odNGIsyTKnJq5TX8Fm7bs0MotjZE6AT!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh3.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipPdwllA0odNGIsyTKnJq5TX8Fm7bs0MotjZE6AT%3Dw900-h600-k-no-pi-13.201520415122971-ya117.22682035877082-ro0-fo100!7i7776!8i3888?hl=en&entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDExNS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D | access-date=2025-01-20}}</ref> One species ([[Pinus merkusii|Sumatran pine]]) crosses the equator in Sumatra to 2°S.<ref name="Critchfield">{{cite book |last1=Critchfield |first1=William B. |last2=Little |first2=Elbert L. |title=Geographic Distribution of the Pines of the World |date=1966 |publisher=USDA Forest Service |location=Washington}}</ref> In North America, various species occur in regions at latitudes from as far north as 66° N<ref name="Critchfield"/> to as far south as 12°N.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Singh |first1=Surendra P. |last2=Inderjit |last3=Singh |first3=Jamuna S. |last4=Majumdar |first4=Sudipto |last5=Moyano |first5=Jaime |last6=Nuñez |first6=Martin A. |last7=Richardson |first7=David M. |date=2018-09-21 |title=Insights on the persistence of pines (''Pinus'' species) in the Late Cretaceous and their increasing dominance in the Anthropocene |journal=Ecology and Evolution |volume=8 |issue=20 |pages=10345–10359 |doi=10.1002/ece3.4499 |doi-access=free |issn=2045-7758 |pmc=6206191 |pmid=30398478 |bibcode=2018EcoEv...810345S |bibcode-access=free }}</ref>

Pines may be found in a very large variety of environments, ranging from semi-arid desert to rainforests, from sea level up to {{convert |5200 |m |ft |abbr=on}}, from the coldest to the hottest environments on Earth. They often occur in mountainous areas with favourable soils and at least some water.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://basicbiology.net/plants/gymnosperms/pine-trees |date=30 August 2020 |title=Pine Trees |website=Basic Biology |access-date=2019-10-31}}</ref>

Various species have been introduced to temperate and [[subtropics|subtropical]] regions of both hemispheres, where they are grown as [[timber]] or cultivated as ornamental plants in parks and gardens. A number of such introduced species have become [[naturalisation (biology)|naturalised]], and some species are considered [[invasive species|invasive]] in some areas<ref name=ISSG>{{cite web |url=http://www.issg.org/database/species/impact_info.asp?si=890&fr=1&sts=sss&lang=EN |title=''Pinus ssp''. (tree), General Impact |publisher=Invasive Species Specialist Group |date=13 March 2006 |work=Global Invasive Species Database |access-date=2 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726195335/http://www.issg.org/database/species/impact_info.asp?si=890&fr=1&sts=sss&lang=EN |archive-date=26 July 2011 }}</ref> and threaten native ecosystems.