Mountain fir - a symbol for Robin Hood and a wood with a silky sheen

One of the lutieri's favorite species is the mountain spruce. And not just for its outstanding acoustic properties, but also for its light color and fine, wavy fibers that give it a silky appearance. Pruning and growth defects also contribute to the natural drawing special and unique. It is commonly called the singing paltin and the mystically inclined believe it can connect with the spirit world. In our mountains grow some of the most prized specimens for their distinctive sound. For these and other interesting reasons, the following article is dedicated to the paltin.

Robin Hood's tree

The best-known specimen of the mountain rose is in England and has played in the movie alongside Kevin Costner in Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves. There's a famous sequence there of a lone paltin between two hills. It's the most photographed tree in England and stands near Hadrian's Wall near Crag Lough in Northumberland. It's several hundred years old and has had other siblings that have disappeared over the years. He has also appeared in Bryan Adams' music video (Everything I do, I do it for you), as well as in a couple of TV shows. In May 2003 she was again heroa helicopter crashed not 100 feet away.

In 2016 it was nominated for the Tree of the Year competition in England, alongside 200 other trees. It won the competition and thus participated in the 2017 competition European Tree where he came 5th. First place in England earned him a prize of £1000 used to analyze his health and to protect his roots, increasingly exposed by the many visits.

From the maple family, but also similar to the plane tree

The Latin name for mountain rose is Acer pseudoplatanus. Part of the family Sapindaceaelike Acer, just like maple. Incidentally, maple also known as the field rose (Acer platanoidesIn the specialized literature you can find the mountain rose under the names sycamore maple or European sycamore (English), mountain steel (Italian), sycamore maple (French) or bergahorne (German).

Palms are native to central and eastern Europe and western Asia, and in the 15th-16th centuries they reached the north of the continent, brought to England by the French. By 1700-1800 it was acclimatized in Sweden, and after 1800 it reached the USA. It has adapted well to these areas and is now considered invasive in some parts. In Romania it grows in hilly and mountainous areas, reaching altitudes of 1500-1600 m.

Palm is a deciduous tree that grows 30-40 m tall, sometimes up to 50 m, with a diameter of 1-1.2 m. The roots are strong and deeply embedded in the ground. The stem is straight and short, with smooth gray bark when young. After 30-40 years, the bark begins to thicken, develop cracks and exfoliate into irregular plates, like the sycamore. The crown is broad and irregular. The leaves are large (12-20 cm), palmate-lobed, toothed, with narrow, pointed sinuses. The back of the leaf is matt and hairy at first, the back of the leaf being one of the ways of distinguishing the palmetin from the maple, which has a glossy back. The flowers appear after flowering and are yellowish-green, clustered in hanging clusters. The fruits are disamate with 3-6 cm wings united in a pointed unchia.

Palm grows fast in the first part of its life, at 30 years it is similar to beech at 60. After 30 years, the fruits appear and are easily scattered by the wind. It typically lives to 400-500 years, but there are specimens that live well beyond this age.

Pine wood: properties, characteristics

Rosewood is one of the few species where sapwood is used. In cross-section the difference between sapwood and heartwood is not always visible. The sapwood area is wide, the color ranging from yellowish-white to cream to golden brown or reddish. The heartwood is darker reddish brown. The annual rings are visible. The fiber is fine, uniform and straight. The most popular, however, are specimens where the fiber is wavy, sometimes very pronounced. This type of rose is also called curly rose. The pores are diffuse, numerous, sometimes radially arranged. The medullary rays are visible to the naked eye, they are both narrow and wide, normally spaced. It is they that give the natural luster specific to the palatine. The radial cut highlights the medullary rays.

Paltin is the wood whose defects are actually qualities. In addition to wavy and curly grain, the wood may contain small knots which, depending on the cut, can give the veneer a special appearance (bird's eye, peacock's tail).

The density of anhydrous rosewood is 615 kg/³ and the hardness of Janka 4680 N. To preserve its light creamy-white color, it is recommended to cut the tree in winter, cut it immediately and dry it in a kiln. Otherwise the wood may stain with its own sap. Work well with both hand and power tools. It is recommended to use sharp tools and not too fast a speed so as not to burn the wood. It is turned, carved and glued well. It is a good idea to apply a sealer before grouting as it tends to stain. If it is finished clear without staining, it tends to yellow over time.

It is not resistant to the outside and moisture. This is understandable given the use of sapwood, with no outdoor resistance.

Romanian Paltin learn to sing la Reghin

Rosewood is used to make furniture, decorative objects or boxes. It is a popular raw material for aesthetic veneers. The distinctive design of the veneer is often used to decorate luxury cars or yachts. Thanks to its light color it is used for inlays. Paltin is used to make bowls, spoons and other kitchen utensils. It is also a very good firewood and raw material for making paper.

However, the most important use of rosewood is for musical instruments (violins, cellos, violas). From this point of view, it is a pedigreed species appreciated by European master luthiers. It is mainly used to make the backs, sides and necks of instruments. The most prized is the wavy-grained rosewood for its great visual effect. However, it is not only aesthetically pleasing but also has the ability to propagate sound. Wood with narrow annular rings is used for high-pitched sounds (violins) and wood with wide annular rings for low-pitched sounds (cello, double bass). It also has the ability to enhance sounds, giving them clarity. At the Hora musical instrument factory in Reghin, Romania, they work with Romanian paltin, which has outstanding qualities. Find out more about Hora and the instruments made there here.

Find out more about the link between the appearance of rosewood and its acoustic and elastic properties here a detailed study by a team of Romanian professors and researchers. One of the conclusions establishes the link between the waviness of the fiber and the wavelength of the sound. A fiber with pronounced waviness will have a lower wavelength, and with more discrete waviness, the wavelength will be longer.

I somehow feel a sentimental attachment to this species because it triggered my passion for wood. In the first 2-3 weeks of my employment at ICPIL (Institute of Research and Design for the Wood Industry) I saw some samples of wood with a glossy varnish applied to it, which emphasized the natural design. The samples were for a colleague's work and I thought I had never seen anything more beautiful. The most beautiful of them were the ones made with curly and sanded rosewood veneer.

I hope you find the above information useful. As always, additions are welcome. And if you have any questions or queries, please leave them below in the dedicated space. I'll be sure to reply.