Generally — Most Areas
red pine (zones 3-5) suits most of Montana (3a-6b) — zones 3-5 are in range, and the rest of the state is the exception.
Red Pine in Montana — the short answer
Red Pine in Montana: hardy in zones 3–5, full sun.
- Plant zones
- 3-5
- Hardy to zone 3a: USDA PLANTS Database lists -43 °F, converted to zone 3a, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: not verified.
- Montana zones
- 3a-6b
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- May 2 - May 13 – Sep 28 - Oct 7
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 59 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Montana spans zones 3a-6b, but your yard sits in exactly one — and slope, tree cover, and cold-air pockets nudge it further. Enter your address and we'll score red pine against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
No card required · your parcel report in seconds — read in full free for your first 14 days
Montana is not one climate
Montana’s winter-low ladder runs across 56 counties, from zone 3.5 in Daniels County to zone 6 in Sanders County. That is 25°F between the two counties’ average coldest night — the difference between red pine overwintering in the ground and coming under cover.
The middle half of 56 counties runs 4–5 zones, with a median of 4.5 zones — a 2.5-zone span end to end.
Measured across 56 Montana counties. USDA PHZM 2023, per county. Quartiles are order statistics — every figure shown is a value a real county recorded, not an interpolation. Your own site sits somewhere inside this range; a parcel report resolves where.
Where in Montana Fits Best
Red Pine is rated for zones 3–5 — a cold floor USDA puts at -40 to -30°F. Against Montana’s 56 counties that band holds in 49 of them, and the line runs at Daniels County (zone 3b), the coldest county still inside it.
Inside zones 3–5
49 counties
- Roosevelt County · zone 3b
- Sheridan County · zone 3b
- Blaine County · zone 4a
3 of 49 shown
Above the zone 5 ceiling
7 counties
- Flathead County · zone 5b
- Missoula County · zone 5b
- Lake County · zone 6a
3 of 7 shown
Warmer than the zone 5 end of its range.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so the floor above is the band the plant's rating denotes, not a single measured kill point. Slope, shelter and cold-air drainage routinely move a site half a zone either way from its county figure — which is the part only your address resolves.
Even within Montana's zones 3a-6b, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for red pine (USDA PHZM 2023):
Zone Comparison
Red Pine Needs
- USDA Zones: 3-5
- Sun: Full SunWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Mature size: 80 ft tall
- Drought tolerance: Low
Montana Has
- USDA Zones: 3a-6b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): May 2 - May 13
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Sep 28 - Oct 7
- Annual Rainfall: 10-20 inches
- Common Soils: Sandy loam, Clay, Glacial till
Plant Zone Range (zones 3-5)
Preferred Soil pH
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Red Pine in Montana
The frost window
Across Montana, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between May 2 and May 13, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Sep 28 and Oct 7 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 138-day window you can count on — up to 158 days on a mild site in a kind year. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost, so tender transplants usually wait another 2-3 weeks.
Winter standing
Montana runs as cold as USDA zone 3, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for red pine, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether red pine is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Montana; check its hardiness range against that before treating it as long-lived ground.
Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: Growable Ground Plant Database — frost-free days from FAO ECOCROP, days to harvest from university Extension production guides, and growing-degree-day and chill-hour minimums that are compilation estimates rather than published figures. Your site's own frost dates can run earlier or later than the state range — a parcel report pins them down.
Growing Season Fit
The zone check says red pine survives winter in part of Montana, not across all of it. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.
Chill hours
Red Pine requires ~800 chill hours (32-45°F dormancy window). Montana typically banks ~2500 chill hours per winter (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), which keeps this plant on track.
GDD and chill-hour figures are computed from PRISM 1991-2020 monthly climate normals; frost-free days from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Each is the state median across its counties (P25/P75 span the within-state spread). Hardiness-zone range is USDA PHZM 2023.
Soil + Drainage Fit
Red Pine likes near-neutral soil (pH 4.5-6.5). That's the common-ground band across Montana's sandy loam and clay — a soil test confirms it for your site. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 5 and 5.5 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Montana soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Montana site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, a raised bed lifts the roots above wet ground, or work in compost. pH range, preferred pH and drainage need: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Plant pH requirements: FAO ECOCROP and USDA PLANTS, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Drainage: FAO ECOCROP, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Montana soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
What Else to Consider for Red Pine in Montana
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Montana growers also need to think about:
Very short growing season (60-100 frost-free days)
Low rainfall requires irrigation in most areas
Extreme winter cold (-40F possible)
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Montana grower, not just red pine — is covered on the Montana growing guide.
Where in Montana Red Pine Is Zone-Hardy
Red Pine is rated for USDA zones 3–5. 49 of Montana’s 56 counties fall inside that band. The coldest that does is Daniels County at zone 3b. 7 counties sit above its zone 5 ceiling, where the limit is too little winter chill rather than too much cold. Where you are in Montana decides this one.
Across those 56 counties Montana’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 3b in Daniels County to zone 6a in Sanders County — 2.5 USDA zones of spread, which is 25°F between the two counties’ average coldest night of the year. That is why a statewide hardiness answer is where you start and not where you finish.
The planting window moves with it. Deer Lodge County holds its last hard freeze (28°F) until about Jun 21, while Petroleum County is clear by Apr 25 — 57 days apart. Set red pine out on your county’s date, not the state’s.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. County last-freeze dates: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F killing freeze — earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost". Red Pine’s zone 3–5 band: Hardy to zone 3a: USDA PLANTS Database lists -43 °F, converted to zone 3a, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: not verified.. A parcel report resolves your address’s own zone and frost dates rather than its county’s.
Montana Cooperative Extension
For Montana-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for red pine, the canonical source is Montana State University Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Red Pine native to Montana?
Red Pine is native to parts of the Lower 48, but the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-10-19) does not record it growing in Montana. It can still earn a place in a Montana garden — the zone comparison above tells you whether it will thrive.
Looking for plants that belong here? The Montana growing guide lists plants that USDA PLANTS records growing in Montana and that Kew and NatureServe Explorer both list in its native range, leaving out any that NatureServe flags as exotic there or that our audit holds.
State records: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution data (presence, not state-level nativity), accessed 2026-10-19.
Common Questions About Growing Red Pine in Montana
When can I plant Red Pine in Montana?
Montana's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between May 2 and May 13, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Sep 28 and Oct 7 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Red Pine, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Montana and publishes no fall establishment date for it — check its hardiness range against your own zone before treating it as a permanent planting.
What hardiness zone is Red Pine grown in across Montana?
Montana spans USDA hardiness zones 3a-6b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Red Pine carries a range of zones 3-5, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Montana site have?
A typical Montana site sees ~151 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Red Pine needs 365+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.
Is Red Pine native to Montana?
Red Pine is native to parts of the Lower 48, but the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-10-19) does not record it growing in Montana. It can still earn a place in a Montana garden — the zone comparison above tells you whether it will thrive.
How should I amend the soil for Red Pine in Montana?
Red Pine prefers pH 4.5-6.5 and well (dry spells) drainage. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. That sits in the common-ground band across Montana soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will Red Pine actually grow on my specific land in Montana?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores red pine against your address's mapped soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.
Check your specific parcel in Montana
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores red pine against your land's mapped soil, modelled sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Montana red pine averages can't show:
We read public map data around Montana — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Montana red pine average
Explore More
Growing guides for red pine
Explore Montana county by county
Montana carries 56 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for red pine there:
Where else red pine grows
Red Pine's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to Montana in winter climate where it also has a page, plus the far ends of its range. Each one re-answers the question with that state's own record.
More to grow in Montana
Montana has a growing page for 748 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
Last updated: