The seeds can be shed later the same fall or are sometimes not shed for a few years. Most female cones are found near the top of the tree. Bark Bark alone is not a fully reliable indicator of the type of conifer you have. The surest way to identify conifers is to examine the needles and cones along with the bark. In general the bark of pine trees is smooth on young trees but develops a flaky, reddish-brown colour with age.
White pines can have smooth bark, even when mature.
The bark on spruce trees is generally rough to touch and becomes furrowed and scaly with age. Fir trees have smooth bark that is often grayish when young, but develops a furrowed appearance as it ages. All conifers shed needles - sometimes this shedding is slow, but most commonly it occurs all at once in the fall. Partly for this reason, pine trees will usually appear thinner and less dense than spruce and fir. Size as well as shape can differ from tree to tree depending on the cultural conditions and actual planting site.