Pine trees: those trees people love to hate

Pines are branded "repulsive" trees because of their looks and the mess they create, especially in coastal areas.

For some, pines are the very embodiment of everything unpleasant in the plant world. They are criticised for a silhouette described as "stiff, dry and grim", with trunks that twist and branches that stretch out "desperately". Their foliage, far from vibrant, is seen as a "dull, dirty green". Not even spring gives them a break, as it only brings a "sticky rain of yellow pollen" and pine cones that, in this view, spear into the ground like "small projectiles".

## The assault on the coast

The controversy intensifies when these trees are planted near beaches. Critics argue that, instead of enhancing the natural beauty of the coast with its open light, sand and clear horizon, their presence is "intolerable". The result is a beach "framed by a dark, dense and monotonous mass" that, they say, "steals the light", casts "long shadows" and turns a landscape that should be "bright" into something "closed, oppressive and visually dirty".

## The trail of dirt

Beyond aesthetics, the build-up of pine needles beneath the trees is another bone of contention. These fallen leaves form a "brown, slippery carpet" that, it is pointed out, "kills almost any other vegetation". The ground under a coastal pine forest is described as "always dead, acidic and hostile". And when the wind blows, the needles fly onto the sand, "mixing with it and leaving that permanent sense of neglect". For those who share this opinion, pines, especially those standing by the sea, "ruin a landscape with an almost malign efficiency", acting as the botanical equivalent of an ugly building in front of a beautiful view.