White pine is Maine’s state tree, and the pine cone and tassel is the state flower. Beginning in the 1750's, large, straight pines within 10 miles of a navigable waterway in New England were marked with the sign of a broad arrow for use as ship masts for King George's navy. Today, white pine is used for millwork, construction, trim and pulp and is an important marketable tree for Maine's timber industry. Among several pine species in Maine, needle clusters help identify them: white pine has five needles, red pine has two, and pitch pine has three.