Harpers Corner Trail Stop 2

Piñon pines provide shelter even in death.

NPS Photo/Conrad Provan

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Amenities

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Scenic View/Photo Spot

Piñon trees can live a long time, and even after death, an old piñon like this still contributes to the forest. Its wood provides a home for burrowing insects, which in turn are hunted by woodpeckers, nuthatches, and other birds. Falcons or hawks may survey their territory from the high bare branches. When the tree eventually falls, its slow decay will return nutrients to the soil.