In total, there are 325 million hectares of pine plantations in the world. Almost a third of them are in Russia. The most common variety used as a building material is ordinary pine, which grows mainly in Siberia and in most of the European taiga.
Pine is very undemanding to the soil, so it can grow both in sandy soils and rocky mountains. Undemanding and good adaptability to various climatic zones and soils contributed to the wide distribution of the range. A common feature of all pine species is their exactingness for light. Therefore, in dense landings, they are very high with a crown located at the very top.
The average height of the pine is about 30 meters, but individual specimens reach a maximum height of 50 meters. The growth rate is 25 centimeters per year, and this rate increases with age. Peak tree growth falls on the interval from 15 to 30 years. The pine reaches its maximum height by 70 years. The thickness of the barrel in especially large specimens can be about a meter. Common pine grows from one hundred to three hundred years. The variety "Siberian cedar" can live up to a thousand years. Felling age is 90-100 years and depends on many indicators, such as density of stands and marketability of wood.
The benefits of pine lumber
Pine ordinary is an extremely popular building material due to:
- resistance to decay and cracking;
- resistance to pests due to resin, which gives the same unique smell;
- the size and low knotty of the lower part of the trunk, which allow us to produce from pine almost all the possible range of lumber;
- high strength, especially with static bending (hardness 200 kg / sq. cm.);
- excellent heat-insulating properties and soundproof;
- high density ~ 513 kg / m3and in the freshly cut state ~ 625 kg / m3
Of particular value is wood growing in the northern regions. Physico-mechanical characteristics of northern pine are much higher than characteristics of a tree from the center of the European part. This is due to round-the-clock vegetation during the polar day and the influence of the warm masses of the Gulf Stream.
Application area
Pine wood is used everywhere. From it produce:
- plywood;
- chipboard;
- timber;
- edged and not edged board;
- rounded log for the manufacture of log houses for baths and cottages;
- technological chips used in pulp and paper industry;
- lining for external and internal decoration of premises;
- floorboard and other materials.
Did you know that pine stood at the origins of aircraft manufacturing? Due to the accessibility, lightness and safety margin of wood, the first aircraft were built from it.
Lumber is divided into six grades:
- The premium board is used in car building and shipbuilding.
- Board 1 and grade 2 is used in the manufacture of joinery, flooring, for the manufacture of load-bearing beams and glued products. Board 1 and grade 2 is well processed and polished, therefore, it is used in the manufacture of furniture.
- A 3-grade board hem the ceilings and walls under the plaster for individual construction.
- Board 4 grades is used for the manufacture of supporting structures that do not require special strength, fences, fences, roof battens, panel walls.
- Board 5 grade is used for the manufacture of box containers, cargo pallets.
Improving the properties of wood or plasticization
For long-term preservation of the properties of wood, deep impregnation with a low molecular weight resin is used, followed by hardening. This process is called plasticization. Thanks to this technology, the hardness of wood is increased at least twice without loss of other properties.
Plasticized pine is used for the manufacture of:
- parts in mechanical engineering and electrical engineering;
- musical instruments;
- solid sawdust
- lamellas for a parquet.
The properties of pine and its prevalence in the world over the centuries have been appreciated by mankind. Until now, pine wood is one of the most affordable materials widely used in housing not only due to its physical and mechanical properties, but also due to its environmental friendliness and its beneficial effect on the human body.