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Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis)

Aleppo pine is widely naturalised in southern Australia and is most widespread in South Australia, with scattered populations in Victoria, south-western Western Australia and southern New South Wales. It is regarded as an environmental weed in South Australia and Western Australia, and as a potential sleeper weed elsewhere in southern Australia.

Key facts

Type: Weed, tree.

Native to: Northern Africa, southern Europe and western Asia.

Established in: NSW, VIC, SA, WA.

Other names: Halepensis pine, Jerusalem pine, Pine.

Best time to act: The evergreen trees can be found year-round; remove seedlings while small and treat established trees before cones release seed, then revisit for follow-up.

Identification

  • A large evergreen tree, reported at 5–50 m tall, with older trunks bearing rough, narrowly furrowed greyish-black bark.
  • Its light-green, thin needle-like leaves are 4–12 cm long and usually grow in pairs, with their bases enclosed in a short sheath.
  • Small yellowish or brown male cones occur in dense clusters.
  • Female cones are larger, often asymmetrical, 6–14 cm long and borne on thick, curved stalks 1–3 cm long.
  • Look-alike: It resembles cluster pine, slash pine, radiata pine and Caribbean pine; Aleppo pine usually has shorter leaves in pairs and female cones on curved stalks.
  • Look-alike: Cluster pine has larger, almost stalkless cones; slash pine usually has longer leaves in pairs or threes, radiata pine usually has leaves in threes, and Caribbean pine usually has longer leaves in threes.

Where it grows

In Australia it invades open woodlands, forests, grasslands, roadsides, disturbed sites and waste areas, especially in drier temperate regions.

Why it matters

  • It is regarded as an environmental weed in South Australia and Western Australia, and as a potential environmental weed or sleeper weed in other parts of southern Australia.
  • It invades open woodlands, forests and grasslands, as well as roadsides and other disturbed places.
  • Community groups actively manage it in South Australia, where it has been listed as a priority environmental weed in four Natural Resource Management regions.

How it spreads

  • It reproduces by seed, dispersed primarily by wind and birds.
  • Its female cones mature over two or three years and each cone scale bears two winged seeds.
  • It has also been widely cultivated as a street and forestry tree in temperate Australia.

Control options

  • Remove small seedlings and young plants physically where practical, ensuring removed material is handled so cones and seeds are not spread.
  • For larger trees, use an approved removal method and, where appropriate, a herbicide registered for the purpose; follow the product label and local guidance.
  • Revisit treated sites to find and remove regrowth and new seedlings, as seed can continue to establish after initial control.
  • Check local requirements and report infestations to the relevant state biosecurity agency where required.

Hygiene and washdown

  • Avoid carrying cones, seed-bearing branches or seeds away from infested sites, and clean vehicles, machinery, boots and equipment before leaving.
  • Remove and contain plant material and any adhering soil in a way that prevents seeds being moved to clean areas.
  • Inspect and clean vehicles, plant and footwear before leaving an infested area, paying attention to tyres, radiators, belly plates, tracks and floor mats.
  • Wash down at a designated bay where runoff is contained and can be monitored for seedlings.
  • Record each washdown so the client has evidence of clean entry and exit.

Classification by state

  • Australia (national): No national listing. Managed under state and territory law.
  • Queensland: Not prohibited or restricted. Not listed as prohibited or restricted matter in Queensland. Everyone must also take all reasonable and practical steps to minimise its risks (the general biosecurity obligation).
  • New South Wales: Not a priority weed. Not a state or regional priority weed in NSW. The general biosecurity duty applies: anyone dealing with it must prevent, eliminate or minimise the risk it poses.
  • Victoria: Not declared. Not declared under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994. Other Victorian laws may still apply.
  • South Australia: Declared plant. Depending on the declaration, it can be an offence to move it on public roads or sell it, and landowners may be required to control it on their land.
  • Western Australia: Permitted, not declared. Listed as a permitted organism in WA, so it can be brought in, but it is not a declared pest.
  • Tasmania: Declared weed. Property managers are required by law to control declared weeds, and their import and sale are prohibited.
  • Northern Territory: Not declared. Not on the NT A to Z weed list, and Weeds Australia does not list it as declared in the NT. Check the NT declared weeds list before moving or planting it.
  • Australian Capital Territory: Not declared. Not declared under the Biosecurity Act 2023 (ACT). A general biosecurity duty still applies.

Legal obligations

Every state and territory places a duty on landholders and people working on land to prevent the spread of invasive species, such as the general biosecurity obligation in Queensland and the general biosecurity duty in New South Wales. Declarations and control requirements differ between states and local government areas, so check the current official list before work starts.

  • New South Wales: Biosecurity Act 2015 (NSW), administered by NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
  • Victoria: Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 (Vic), administered by Agriculture Victoria
  • South Australia: Landscape South Australia Act 2019 (SA), administered by the regional landscape board
  • Western Australia: Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 (WA), administered by the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development

Sources