Austrian Pine

Austrian pine is the dense, dark-needled pine that has been planted as a windbreak, screen, and large landscape specimen across the northern United States for a century. The needles are stiff, dark green, held in pairs, four to six inches long, giving the tree a coarser, bolder texture than most landscape pines. It grows forty to sixty feet with a broad, pyramidal to oval form and develops a flat-topped, wide-spreading crown with age. Native across southern Europe from Austria to Turkey.

In Western Washington, Austrian pine tolerates urban conditions, poor soil, wind, and moderate drought. It is tougher than most pines about site conditions, which is why it was planted so extensively. The problem is Diplodia tip blight, a fungal disease that kills new candle growth in spring, causing stunted, brown, half-extended shoots that progressively thin the canopy over years. Wet spring weather promotes infection, and Western Washington's springs are reliably wet. Fungicide applications at bud swell can protect new growth, but the recurring treatment requirement makes Austrian pine a higher-maintenance choice than it appears. For a large, tough, dark-needled pine where Diplodia can be managed, Austrian pine still has value. For a lower-maintenance alternative, consider Bosnian pine.