Like the pond pine tree (Pinus serotina), the Monterey pine tree is serotinous, meaning the nuts need a heat source to be released. Once free from the tree, the seed nuts can be collected and ground into flour or eaten raw. The nuts were a vital food source for early Western settlers; in very harsh winters, the inner bark of the tree could also serve as emergency food, and the tree's needles could be brewed into a tea that was rich in vitamin C. Pine resin (discharge from the tree) was also used well into the 20th century for various medicinal purposes, including treating burns and open wounds.