Lodgepole Pine NPS. Lodgepole Pine. Characteristics: Trees in dense stands are tall and straight, with narrow crowns; in open sites their crowns are broader and sometimes resemble a ponderosa pine. These trees can reach 90 feet in height with a trunk diameter of 18 inches. Their needles are 1 to 2 inches long and in bundles of two. The needles are more of a yellow-green olive color than those of other conifers.