the seed for personal use on BLM and Forest Service land. Single-leaf pinyon is also cultivated as an ornamental tree for native plant, drought tolerant, and wildlife gardens, and for natural landscaping. It is used regionally as a Christmas tree. It is rarely seen in nurseries, because it is difficult to germinate. In 1959, it was designated Nevada's state tree, later to be joined by the Great Basin Bristlecone Pine. Its discovery, by White people, is attributed to American politician and explorer John C. Frémont. Deforestation During the mid-nineteenth century, many pinyon groves were cut down to make charcoal for ore-processing, threatening the traditional lifestyle of the Native Americans who depended on them for food. When the railroads penetrated these areas, imported coal supplanted locally produced charcoal. Following the resulting re-establishment of pinyon woodlands after the charcoal era, many cattle ranchers became concerned that these woodlands provided decreased livestock forage in grazing rangeland. Efforts to clear these woodlands, often using a surplus battleship chain dragged between two bulldozers, peaked in the 1950s, but were subsequently abandoned when no long term forage increase resulted. The habitat destruction of large areas of Pinyon woodlands in the interests of mining and cattle ranching is seen by some as an act of ecological and cultural vandalism. See also Pinyon pines Pinyon-juniper woodland References Sources C. Michael Hogan (2009). Elephant Tree: Bursera microphylla, GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg Ronald M. Lanner (1981). The Piñon Pine: A Natural and Cultural History. University of Nevada Press. . Further reading External links Photo of cones (scroll ¾-way down) Gymnosperm Database: Pinus monophylla USDA Plants Profile: Pinus monophylla monophylla Edible nuts and seeds Trees of the Southwestern United States Trees of the Northwestern United States Trees of the South-Central United States Trees of Baja California Trees of the Great Basin North American desert flora Flora of the California desert regions Flora of Baja California Flora of Arizona Flora of California Flora of Nevada Flora of Utah Flora of Idaho Flora of New Mexico Flora of the Western United States Flora of the Southwestern United States Mojave National Preserve Natural history of the Mojave Desert Plants used in Native American cuisine Taxa named by John Torrey Taxa named by John C. Frémont Least concern flora of the United States Garden plants of North America Ornamental trees Drought-tolerant plants