- Pine trees grow in a staggering variety of topographic situations. In North America alone, pines grow in south Florida rock lands, boreal forests of the Canadian Shield, and exposed cliffs on ocean shores or timberline mountaintops.
- The regular shedding of pine needles and bark influences the local soil, comprising an important part of those upper woodland layers of litter and duff.
- A stand of pines will deflect prevailing winds upward. Deep within a grove, breezes may be quite reduced in the canopy, but there may be some air movement among the trunks, if the shrub layer is sparse.
- Wildfire is a regular component to many pine ecosystems. Often growing on exposed highlands or as the tallest trees in a wood, pines are frequently scorched by lightning. Many species rely on fire to reduce competition and release their seeds.
- Large birds like eagles and ospreys often choose pines as nesting sites -- especially large standing snags -- while the shade from an isolated tract of pines in grassland country can shelter shrubs and wildflowers.
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