Who owns the white pines?
Britain’s forests had been depleted of trees suitable for use as masts. The alternative was to combine two or more smaller trees, which made for an inferior mast. Early on, under William and Mary, England claimed ownership of all the white pines more than 24 inches in diameter in the American Colonies. In 1722, King George I and the British Parliament strengthened the laws regarding ownership of the white pines to include all trees measuring more than 12 inches in diameter. The new standard, in effect, made all the white pines off limits to the colonists.
