Jim Oak Home Improvement

The Fabulous Pine Tree

Pine trees are wonderful. If you have ever strolled through a pine forest you will know the lovely fresh aroma of these evergreen trees. They are very useful to mankind for wood, pulp, and in some cases, pine nuts.

There are over 100 types of pine tree and they are all classified under the genus Pinus in the family Pinaceae. They range in size from 3-80 metres in height. The tallest species is the Ponderosa Pine which is found in the USA. Pines have needles (long, pointed, adult leaves) and cones (seed carrier) and are pretty easy to indentify because of this and their aroma.

The oldest known pine was a Bristlecone Pine found close to Wheeler Peak in the USA. It was dated to 4,900 years old using the dendrochronology method; counting tree rings - one for every year of life. It is no longer alive because it was cut down but it has been named Prometheus after the Greek God who brought knowledge (fire) to humans.

The trees are native to most of the northern hemisphere and as such are pretty common. They have been introduced to subtropical regions such as South Africa and Australia because they are a good source of timber but in some areas they have become a threat to native ecosystems.

Pine is classified as softwood. This is because pines are gymnosperms (they let their seeds fall to the ground with no covering). The hardwoods are the angiosperm trees (their seeds have a covering - think acorn).

Whilst you may think that softwood is soft and therefore not good for furniture, the term doesn’t refer to the actual hardness of the wood. Red pine (or Norway pine as it is also known) is harder than white oak, sweet birch and North American walnut.
Pine furniture is in fact really popular because it is so versatile and inexpensive compared to other woods.

Pine timber is also used as pulp. The timber is chipped and used in the manufacture of paper. Only the heartwood and sapwood are used but the bark is often used to make energy to power the pulp mill.

The pine nuts from Pinus Sibirica and Pinus Koraiensis are big and edible. Pine nuts are full of minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and calories. They are gluten free so obviously useful for gluten free diets. The oil from these nuts has a delicate flavour and is used in cooking and is also useful as a moisturiser for the skin. It can also be used as a base oil.

Pine is a fantastic tree and it gives us many useful things. Long live pine.

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Pine furniture including solid pine furniture can be bought from A World of Furniture - furniture stores in Southampton, Poole, Salisbury and Blandford. Online store too.