Also called grey pine and scrub pine (although do not confuse with sister-species
scrub pine Pinus virginiana,
which is also called that).
Part of
🌲︎ pine genus Pinus
in
🌲︎ cedar / fir / hemlock / larch / pine / spruce family Pinaceae
in
🌲︎ conifer order Pinales.
Native to 🇨🇦 Canada, and northernmost 🇺🇸 USA.
🗺 Map (scroll down),
🗺 map (North America, Central America), 
🗺 today + with climate change (eastern 🇺🇸 USA).
In this area (particularly 🇨🇦 Canada AB BC SK, and 🇺🇸 USA AZ CA CO ID MO MT NV NM OR SD UT WA WI WY):
- do not move pine logs, stumps, branches, firewood nor untreated lumber
due to possible infestation by the insect
mountain pine beetle (MPB) Dendroctonus ponderosae,
which carries various species of
🍄︎ fungus / mushroom kingdom Fungi.
Uses by native peoples
(Ethnobotany database)
Pinus hosts caterpillars of 247 species
of butterflies and moths, in some areas.
This plant is also known to be a host for (in areas where invasive)
🐝︎ spotted lanternfly (SLF) Lycorma delicatula.
Jack pine requires 🔥︎ fire to 🌱︎ germinate, to melt the sap in their very-tough seratonous (resin-filled) cones, releasing the seeds. Thus, jack pine forests are often composed of trees all the same age, all 🌱︎🌱︎🌱︎ germinated together after a fire moved through (and perhaps killed their parents).
Jack pine often grows with
aspen/cottonwood/poplar genus Populus
— after a fire, both grow fast and eventually would get shaded out by
spruce genus Picea
and
fir genus Abies,
until again invigorated by the next cycle of fire.
These young fire-invigorated jack pine are essential for nesting of the endangered
🐦︎ Kirtland's warbler Setophaga kirtlandii.
[1]
Cones of jack pine point toward its branch tips.
References
[1]
Rubin, Neal. "Endangered no more, could Kirtland's warbler replace robin as state bird?" The Detroit News. .
Accessed .