Which pine species are the best for edible nuts? Are any of the pine trees that grow here in the Pacific Northwest possible sources? The cost of store-bought pine nuts is prohibitive, and it would be nice to be able to forage locally.
According to The New Oxford Book of Food Plants by J.G. Vaughan and C. Geissler (Oxford University, 1997), different species around the world have seed kernels which are used for edible purposes. In Spain, Portugal, and Italy, the main source is stone pine, Pinus pinea. In the southwestern United States, Pinus edulis (piñon pine) is used. In the western United States, the best source is Pinus monophylla, single-leaf piñon. Other species used include P. cembroides, P. cembra, P. gerardiana, P. sibirica, and P. pumila. But it is Pinus koraiensis (Korean pine) which is by far the most common variety exported worldwide. This has led to problems, and a recent New York Times article expresses concern that the pine nut industry is having a negative effect on the ecosystems of Korea and the far eastern reaches of Russia. If you can find local sources of edible pine nuts, you will be saving the bears and boars and chipmunks from famine!
Of the edible varieties mentioned above, local author Arthur Lee Jacobson (Trees of Seattle, 2006) lists Pinus edulis, Pinus cembra, and Pinus cembroides as rare in Seattle; mature specimens of stone pine (Pinus pinea) are also uncommon, but there are examples in the Washington Park Arboretum, Laurelhurst Playfield, and the Hiram Chittenden Locks. Korean pine is very rare in Seattle, with examples in the Arboretum, Woodland Park, and the Locks. (Bear in mind that harvesting plant material—including seed kernels–from the Washington Park Arboretum is not allowed.)
You might try growing a tree of your own, selecting one of the species known to thrive here. The tree would have to be 10-15 years old in order to produce usable seed kernels.
This permaculture website has information on growing pine trees for their edible kernels. You will need some patience and dexterity (it takes time for pine nuts to mature, and it takes skill to harvest them).