Pine trees offer year-round shade, smell good and can live for over 100 years. Although they are common in northern California, they are often confused with larch, spruce and other conifers. Every tree with needles is not a pine, nor does the presence of cones confirm that the tree belongs to the genus "Pinus." However, you can identify the common pine trees of northern California by simple factors such as the color or the needles and the way they are attached to the tree.
Inspect the leaves of the tree. If they are shaped like needles, the tree is in the conifer family and could be a pine.
Look at how the needles are attached to the branches. If the needles are attached in bundles, the tree is a pine.
Count the needles in several bundles. If the average bundle contains four needles, the tree is a pinus quadrifolia, also called a nut pine. Confirm this by looking for golden-brown egg-shaped cones.
Measure the length of the needles. Ten-inch needles in bundles of three identifies a ponderosa pine, northern California's most common pine. Confirm by finding 3- to 5-inch prickly cones.
Look at the color of the needles. If needles are glossy blue-green, attached in bundles of three, the tree is a Monterey pine. Yellow-green needles attached in bundles of three identify a knobcone pine.
Sniff the bark. Dark bark smelling of vanilla or pineapple identifies the Jeffrey pine, if the needles are in clusters of three.
Look to see if the needles are twisted. Twisted needles of under 3 inches in clusters of two suggest the lodgepole pine. Straight needles in groups of two belong to the bishop pine.
Examine the bark of a mature tree. Dark bark broken up into rectangles can identify western white pine. The needles will each have three sides and will occur in bundles of five.
