I prefer hemlock to pine. Both are soft wood and not much good for burning except as kindling but pine trees drop pitch all over everything.....not much fun to get off your vehicle and even worse when your pets track it in. Also, in the spring pine pollen covers our bay from one end to the other and leaves a long yellow slick on the shoreline. Pines grow so tall that they are no good for privacy and the crowns grow so large that they block the sun for very large areas in your yard or garden.
I gradually got rid of most of my pines over the years (thankfully before the shoreline protection act) and kept all of the hemlocks. We trim them and they are lush and thick all the way to the ground in some cases. If you start when they are small 6' to 8' and trim them, they grow like a hedge....excellent privacy screen and nice all year round. I find them to be pretty hardy...only lost one or two over the years.
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