Pinyon Pine

This is a type of pine tree that profusely inhabits mountainous portions of the southwestern United States and Mexico. We will find them in abundant forests of the Panamint and Amargosa Ranges, along with the juniper plant. Pinyons (also spelled as pinon with a Spanish tilde symbol ~ over the ‘n’ that denotes the ‘nya’ sound) were a chief source of food for the early people of the Death Valley territory, as these folks collected the pinyon nuts every year to store through the winter as part of their food supply.

One way the pinyon pine regenerates itself with the help of a bird called the pinyon jay, which also stores its nuts as food for later use, only the jay puts the nuts in the ground, and those not eaten germinate into new trees. Pinyon pine wood has a unique aroma when burned, which is pleasant to many people. Collecting and burning pinyon wood in the national park forests is not allowed however, so we will have to smell it elsewhere (unless we legally purchase some firewood at an approved campground that allows campfires).