Pinus contorta
Pinus contorta is also known as lodgepole pine. The tree got its name from the American Indians. These Indians would use the lodgepole pines for their conical tents or tepees. Other common names for the Pinus contorta are: Rocky Mountain logdepole pine, interior lodgepole pine, and tall lodgepole pine. Pinus contorta are widely distributed throughout the Rocky mountains over to the Pacific Coast and up through Canada. The forest in the Western United States and Canada are dominated by lodgepole pines. This is because of the type of habitat that is found in the west. Lodgepole pine grow well on high mountains that have well drained soils. They have long lifespan with rapid growth rates which occur during the spring and summer. Some distinguishing features of Lodgepole pines are:		Figure 1Lodgepole Pine stand in Arapaho NF
	cones:	Non-serotinous and serotinous, egg-shaped, yellow-brown, 2-5 cm long
	needles:	evergreen, in pairs, 3-7 cm
	bark:	light brown and scaly
	average height:	6-24 m
	diameter:	0.3-0.9 m
The key factor for the success of lodgepole pines is fire. Lodgepole pine stands are usually found in forests that has a history of repeated burnings. The reason for this habitat is due to the serotinous cones. Serotinous cones only open in the presences of fire. Therefore Lodgepole pine thrive in areas that have a lot of fires. There are two biotic factors that allow for these fires to occur more readily, the mountain pine beetle and the dwarf-mistletoe. Both of these factors kill the tree which makes the Lodgepole pine more susceptible to fire.