I've had pine needle tea in Bulgaria made from freshly picked Pinus mugo needles. But it probably doesn't matter a huge lot which species you use, try your local native pines (Pinus halepensis, P. nigra, P. pinaster, P. pinea) and see which tastes the best.

Resin

Historically, arborvitae (=tree of life), Thuja occidentalis was used as treatment for scurvy. So was Picea glauca. Probably any conifer would provide the vitamin C needed for that disease. Natives of the Adirondacks, and probably others as well, ate the elongating candles and the cambium of Pinus strobus when in distress for lack of food.

"Probably any conifer ..."

Absolutely not Taxus!! I'd also not recommend Juniperus.

Resin

Why not Taxus? Is it poisonous?

Have seen at least one place that advocated chewing 2-3 "berries" of Ashe Juniper a day to overcome allergy to that tree. Sort of homeopathatic cure. Perhaps the allergy didn't seem so bad after chewing those.

Have read of people making tea from pine needles and Thuja Occidental. Good to know it can be done to stave off scurvy in an emergency. Doesn't sound palatable. Please follow up with a report of the experience once you've done it.

"Why not Taxus? Is it poisonous?"

Very definitely, yes. Fatal in even fairly small amounts. See e.g. here: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/Taxussp.htm

Some junipers (e.g. J. sabina), but not all, are also poisonous.

"Doesn't sound palatable. Please follow up with a report of the experience once you've done it."

The Pinus mugo needle tea I had was nice. I don't know the exact recipe though (it was made by the cook at a remote mountain chalet in Bulgaria, couldn't hope for a more authentic situation!).

Resin

What about something like a dawn redwood, larch, or bald-cypress? They're deciduous so I wonder if harvesting needles from them would bother them less.

Would a podocarp work? I've not heard of those being toxic.

I'm really new to this. Does that mean I can make tea from my Emerald Green Arbovitea (isn't that a thuja?)??

"Emerald Green Arbovitae (isn't that a thuja?)"

Yes, a Thuja. For the tea, give it a try, but first make sure the tree hasn't been sprayed with anything toxic. And see if you can find the right Native American recipes.

Resin

Is the Grande Pine or Fir poisonious?