Pine is the common name for species belonging to the genus Pinus, a member of the family Pinaceae, resinous trees with needle-like leaves. Consisting of about 262 species, this is the largest family of conifers and includes fir, larch, spruce, hemlock, cedar and Douglas fir.

Pine trees are cone bearing evergreens found worldwide, primarily in northern temperate regions. Typically they have woody stems covered in bark, which protects tissues that conduct nutrients and water. When harvested, they provide materials like lumber, turpentine, rosin, paper, pulp, fuel and even food (pine nuts). Pines are gymnosperms, non-flowering plants that produce naked seeds not enclosed in an ovary. In many pine species, winged seeds are distributed from cones by exposure to wind or fire.

Pine trees are susceptible to infestations of wormlike microorganisms called nematodes, which can cause serious economic damage to tree farms. Nematode infections have a wilting effect on the pines by interfering with the movement of water through the water-conducting tissues. Nematodes are transmitted by wood-boring bark beetles and can affect pines throughout the USA, Canada, Mexico, Japan, China, Taiwan and Korea. Since nematodes feed on growing, dying or dead trees, lumber, crates, wood chips, furniture and any other pinewood products that aren't kiln-dried can also transmit nematodes.

In 1819, a ship named the Savannah left its home port in Georgia to achieve fame as the first steam powered ship to cross the Atlantic Ocean. It made the journey in 24 hours with the aid of pinewood fuel.