Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), also known as Scotch pine, Scots fir, Irish Giuis, common pine or red fir, is a tree belonging to the pine (Pinaceae) family. It is among the most widely distributed conifer species with a natural range from Western Europe (Scotland) to Eastern Siberia, south to the Caucasus Mountains and as far north to the Scandinavian Peninsula in the Arctic Circle.

Scots pine was among the first European tree species introduced to North America. In Ontario, it was used in an effort to control soil erosion by reforesting abandoned agricultural lands. Scots pine was imported to stabilize the soil system based on recommendations by forestry experts in Europe in the early 1900s. It gained recognition for its ability to survive and help stabilize sites with drier soil and erosion issues. Scots pine now exists as a significant species component in many stands contained in municipal and conservation authority forests in southern Ontario.

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