Pine - hardwood or softwood?

When you search for information about pine wood you may find data that is often contradictory. It is clearly part of class resiniferaIt is sometimes seen as a soft wood that scratches easily, sometimes as a fairly hard and resistant wood, very suitable for construction. Even if the two are at loggerheads, the information is not wrong, and that's because there are so many different species of pine spread all over the world. What's more, each species has several varieties with different properties. For example, the species Pinus Sylvestris, which is also present in the forests of Romania, has over 120 varieties, which differ genetically and in resin composition.

Softwoods are not as spectacular as hardwoods, as the species are very similar in design. By looking at it, only specialists can tell the difference, and some species, like fir and spruce for example, even they cannot make the identification without microscopic analysis. Even though it has the same natural resinous pattern, the existence of these contradictory properties convinced me to devote an entire article to pine.

Genus Pinus. Pine species

The genus Pinus, which contains all types of pine, has over 120 species. They are found mainly in the northern hemisphere, but there are species that thrive in the tropics or in temperate regions of the southern hemisphere. There's even one species - Sumatran pine - found at the equator. There are species that grow in tropical rainforests or semi-arid deserts, others that thrive in very cold areas or at altitudes above 4000 m. Many of the more adaptable pine species have been cultivated for timber or decorative purposes in both the northern and southern hemispheres.

Pines are evergreen trees that can reach up to 80 m in height, but average between 15 and 45 m tall. They live to be over 100 years old and can live to 1000 years, some even longer. Like all resinous trees, the pine has a tall, straight, central trunk, with branches from annual growth arranged in a circular pattern around the trunk. The leaves are in the form of long needles 3-6 in a fascicle. Pine trees have both male and female cone-shaped flowers. The male cones are small and fall off quickly after pollination, the female cones are larger, woody and last up to 3 years. The seeds fall when the cone breaks open and have wings to be carried by the wind. In some species they are transported by animals or special environmental conditions are needed to release them. For example, Prigid inus are covered with resin and only break open after forest fires melt the resin and release the seeds, ensuring the species' perpetuation.

While they don't differ greatly in appearance, there are big differences in the properties of different pine species. For example, Pinus echinata has similar compressive strength oak. Even though it is weaker in hardness, in terms of compression parallel to the fiber, it exceeds it. In general, the division into hard pins and soft pins is based on density. The weaker soft pines have an average density between 400 and 480-500 kg/m³, uniform grain, with a slow transition from early to late wood (Pinus strobus, Pinus flexilisHard pines have a density between 500 and 650 kg/m³, are harder, have a more uneven grain appearance, and the transition from early to late wood is abrupt (Pinus radiata, Pinus sylvestris).

Pinus sylvestris or European pine

Pinus sylvestris (also found here, but in a small proportion - 0.14% of the forest stock) is found throughout Europe and Asia and is widespread. It is also called Scots Pine or Baltic Pine and is found from Portugal to Anatolia and from northern Italy to Scandinavia, Siberia and the Northern Arctic Circle. In cold northern areas it grows from sea level to altitudes of 1000m, while in the south it grows at altitudes of 1200-2600m.

The tree can mature to 35-40 m and 1 m in diameter. The bark is thick and scaly, grayish-brown on the underside and slightly orange on the top and branches. The needles (leaves) are not very long and are bluish-green. The cones are very small in the first year, reaching 5-7 cm at maturity. Seeds are small and blackish, winged and appear when the cones open, 2 years after pollination. There are more than 120 types of Pinus sylvestris, with very little genetic or resin composition differences.

The cross-section through the pine trunk shows very well the difference between sapwood and heartwood. The sapwood is pale yellow to white, while the heartwood is light reddish brown. The fiber is straight with a uniform texture. The resin canals are uniform and evenly distributed, and the transition from early to latewood is abrupt, but the color difference between them is not very great. The tracheid diameter is medium to large.

Pine wood is resilient and has an average density of 550 kg/m³ and is considered a fairly hard wood. Its durability is medium to low, however, and it is not rot-resistant. Specific treatments increase resistance to external factors, treated pine can be used for outdoor projects. Although it shrinks quite a lot with variations in humidity, it does not crack or warp. It scratches easily, however, and marks remain on the surface even after light knocks. It is easy to work by hand and mechanically, glues and finishes smoothly. When processed it has a pleasant resin odor. It has many knots on the surface which can sometimes be annoying.

Uses of pine wood

Pine wood is one of the most widely used species. Most of our pine comes from the Nordic countries and is hard, strong and homogeneous. The slow growth due to low temperatures makes the wood denser than spruce, the most widely used softwood in our country. It is used as a building material, in the manufacture lamellar beams and getting tackle.

It is used in practically all sectors of woodworking: furniture, windows, doors, floors, frames, interior fittings, decorative objects. It can be treated by autoclave impregnation making it durable outdoors and for decking. It can be used to make furniture in solid wood, solid panels, plywood or veneer.

In construction, it is used for poles, beams and trusses, for the construction of asterials and for interior fittings. It is also used as a raw material for the production of industrialized wood such as glulam or CLT. The whole trunk is used to build log houses.

I hope you find the information interesting. If you have worked with the pin and would like to share your experience with us, thank you and we will be sure to supplement the article with the information we receive. And if you have any questions or queries, leave them below in the dedicated space. I will certainly reply.