Editing Pinus rigida (section)

== Ecology ==
Pitch pines provide habitat and food for many wildlife species. They are used for cover and nesting by birds such as the [[pine warbler]], [[wild turkey]], [[red-cockaded woodpecker]], [[great-crested flycatcher]], [[blue jay]], [[black-capped chickadee]], [[black-and-white warbler]], [[Nashville warbler]], and [[chestnut-sided warbler]]. Deer consume seedlings and new sprouts, and small mammals and birds eat the seeds.<ref>{{FEIS |last=Gucker |first=Corey L. |date=2007 |genus=Pinus |species=rigida |type=tree |access-date=2018-07-23}}</ref>

This species occasionally hybridizes with other pine species, such as loblolly pine (''[[Pinus taeda]]''), shortleaf pine (''[[Pinus echinata]]''), and pond pine (''[[Pinus serotina]]''); the last is treated as a [[subspecies]] of pitch pine by some [[botanist]]s.