Why is the eastern white pine called the king pine?

The King Pine got it's name because during the American Colonial period, the largest pines in the forest were marked and reserved for making masts for ships, by order of the King. Cutting down one of the King's Pines would be punished by death. However, occasionally in a storm, a massive white pine would fall. These trees could be salvaged privately and sold for lumber, at a very large profit . These damaged trees, or "windfalls" are also the origin of the term "Windfall"