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Plans for what would become the Pinetree Line were underway as early as 1946 within the Permanent Joint Board on Defence (PJBD), a Canadian-U.S. organization. However, the costs of running such a system in the post-war era was too high, and instead Canada concentrated on the areas around Ontario and Quebec, while the United States set up stations in the Midwest and along the eastern seaboard.

With the successful test of an atomic bomb in the USSR, plans changed considerably. In 19491949 is the common year starting on Saturday. see link for calendar) Events January-February January 4 RMS Caronia of the Cunard Line departs Southampton for New York on her maiden voyage January 4 February 22 Series of winter storms in Nebraska, Wyoming, Congress agreed to a $161 million construction program in co-operation with the RCAF, for a continuous line of stations across southern Canada. The USAF's Continental Air Command and the RCAF met in OctoberOctober is the tenth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 31 days. From the Latin octo for " eight" (it was originally the eighth month of the year, before January and February were inserted). Holidays Halloween Thanksgiving Day in Canada on 1950Events January January 5 US Senator Estes Kefauver introduces a resolution calling for examination of organized crime in the USA January 6 The United Kingdom recognizes the People's Republic of China. The Republic of China severs diplomatic relations with to start planning, and in JanuaryJanuary is the first month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, and has 31 days. It is named for Janus, the Roman god of doors and gateways. The original Roman calendar consisted of 10 months (304 days). The Romans originally considered winter a monthle 1951Events January events January 9 United Nations headquarters officially opens ( New York City). January 15 Ilse Koch, The "Witch of Buchenwald," wife of the commandant of the Buchenwald concentration camp, is sentenced to life imprisonment in a court in We the PJBD presented Recommendation 51/1 for the Extension of the Continental Radar Defence System. The USAF later requested an additional set of six (potentially) mobile stations to provide low-level coverage. It was later learned that the original radar systems performed better than expected, and a number of the mobile sites were never deployed.

The system was eventually deployed as a series of 33 main stations and 6 smaller "gap fillers". The majority of these ran in a line at about the 53rd parallel in the west (to offer coverage of major Canadian cities) and about the 50th parallel in the east. A second line ran up the eastern seaboard from the southern tip of Nova ScotiaNova Scotia ( In Detail) ( In Detail) Motto: Munit Haec et Altera Vincit (One defends and the other conquers Capital Halifax Largest City Halifax Area Total % fresh water 12th largest(9th lgst prov. 55 284 km² 3. 5% Population Total (2001) Density Ranked to the southern tip of Baffin IslandBaffin Island ( Inuktitut: Qikiqtaaluk ) is one of the Arctic Islands in the north of Canada in the territory of Nunavut. It is the largest island in Canada and is the 5th largest island in the world, with an area of 195,928 sq mi (507,451 km²). Iqaluit,. Of these, 22 of the main stations and all of the gap fillers were paid for by the USAF, leaving 11 to the RCAF. However 16 of the main stations were manned by RCAF personnel. On January 1January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Here a calendar year refers to the order in which the months are displayed, January to December. The first day of the medieval Julian year was usually a day other, 1955, the system was officially handed over to RCAF command, and over time an additional 10 stations were added.

The Pinetree Line had several technical problems that limited its usefulness almost immediately. For one, the system used a "classic" pulsed mode radar, which made it unable to detect targets close to the ground due to "clutter". Another was that its location near population centres meant if offered only a "last minute" warning, and as the USSR moved to jet-powered bombers the warning time was falling. Studies were already underway in 1951 to build a much smaller series of much more capable Doppler radar stations somewhat further north, which would develop into the Mid-Canada Line, and just over a year after MCL, a more advanced system in the extreme north was built which would be known as the DEW Line.

The Pinetree stations were kept operational during this period, and most underwent modifications as a part of the deployment of SAGE. SAGE dramatically reduced the workload at the stations, cutting staff requirements by well over half. By the later 1950s some were being mothballed as newer systems came on line to the north. Nevertheless many of the Pinetree stations were kept operational into the 1980s, particularly on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.