Wood Species: Pine, Antique Heart

Scientific Name: p. palustris, p. echinita, p. taeda, p. elliotti

Trade Name: Heartwood Pine

Family Name: Pinaceae

Common Names: Pine. Categories; Longleaf, Shortleaf, Loblolly, and Slash

Regions of Distribution: Flourishes in tropical mountainous regions with moist, cool temperatures.

Countries of Distribution: Pines were transplanted into subtropical parts of the Southern Hemisphere, Australia, South Africa and Argentina. Now found in mountainous tropical regions, Mexico, Central America, the West Indies and Pacific Islands.

Appearance: Bark is brown, thick and scaly. Height is 80ft. The Longleaf grows to 125ft with a 30-40ft spread.

Color: Color varies from light yellow/orange to reddish or yellowish brown. Longleaf displays sapstreaks with orange, amber and pumpkin hues.

GRAIN: Aged heartwood grain is high figured with patterns from clear to knotty. Old growth (over 200 years) has higher density, tighter vertical grain structure and stability. Heartwood is dead. Sapwood (outer part) is alive. 100% Heartwood is a combination of both.

Variations within species and grades: Longleaf is dense with variations of color and grain. Hardness offers creativity. Shortleaf’s medium grain is dense, not as hard as Longleaf. Loblolly's spiral grain creates a variation from hard to soft and dense to light. Slash pine is fast grown and therefore soft.

Properties

Hardness/Janka: Considered soft, much of pine is hard and strong. Compared to Northern Red Oak, the Loblolly and Shortleaf are 47% softer while the Longleaf is 33% softer.

Dimensional stability: Based on age, pine is above average, 7.5 and 13% more stable than NRO. Tree ring layers are characteristics of earlywood (first layer wood) and latewood (laid down later and stronger). Rapid growth methods to increase production limit use. Earlywood is stiffer with stability issues. Latewood is more sensitive to moisture. Combination and proportions also affect dimensional stability.

Origin: Southern Yellow Pine originated in the Coastal Plains of Southeastern United States, extending from Texas to Virginia and into forests of Northern and Central Florida.

Availability: Longleaf is the best source, when harvested in late stages. It once was the flooring of choice until the forest depletion in the southeast. Pine overall, is still widely available.

Average and maximum lifespan: Shortleaf lives 200-300 years. Loblolly lives 100-300 years. The Longleaf lives 200 to over 500 years. A pair of light and dark rings indicates one growth season.

Workability

Sawing/Machining: Pine is easy to saw and has good machine qualities.

Sanding: Resin tends to clog abrasives. Frequent sanding and sandpaper changes are required.

Nailing: No problems.

Finishing: Staining is difficult due to the yellow grain. Silver gray stains neutralize yellow. 100% pure solvents, compatible with finish, reduce repelling. No water should be used.

Common Uses: Pine is popular for home frames, cabinets, flooring, interiors, furniture and boats. For external use, it is cut flat or plain sawed (slash grain). Edge grain sawing is used for flooring. It is hard and resists wear.

Detailed Description

Plant habit and life style: Longleaf likes long hot summers. It maintains habitat on land recently burned and survives in soil with low organic matter.

Stems: Branches located in the crown create knots. This defect affects strength and eventually grade.

Buds: In late summer, pollen cones form buds followed by seed conelets. Pollination follows in the Spring.

Leaves: The pine leaves are needle-like and grow in threes like bundles. They are long, twisted and grow from 8-18 inches in length.

Flowers: Tiny spring flowers follow the buds and precede the large spiny cones.

Fruits: The fruit is a suspended woody cone 6"-10" long, maturing in two years.

Habitat: Longleaf flourishes in cold, dry temperatures. Loblolly likes the less fire-prone swampy areas. Pines grow naturally in low moisture and cannot survive in dry soil.

Special Diagnostic Characters: Strategies to enhance productivity and quality are in place. Genetics, soil and pests are significant issues. Nutrients and fertilization projects will increase growth and revenue in the industry.