[5] Red pine is a coniferous evergreen tree characterized by tall, straight growth.

[5] The leaves are needle-like, dark yellow-green, in fascicles of two,[6] 12–18 centimetres (4+3⁄4–7 inches) long, and brittle.

[5] Red pine is notable for its very constant morphology and low genetic variation throughout its range, suggesting it has been through a near extinction in its recent evolutionary history.

[10] It occurs from Newfoundland west to Manitoba, and south to Pennsylvania, with several smaller, disjunct populations occurring in the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia and West Virginia, as well as a few small pockets in extreme northern New Jersey and northern Illinois.

[12] The wood is commercially valuable in forestry for timber and paper pulp, and the tree is also used for landscaping.