Southern Yellow Pine Lumber

Range

A number of species are included in the group marketed as southern pine lumber. The four major southern pines, and their growth range are: 1. Longleaf pine (P. palustris), grows from eastern North Carolina southward into Florida and westward into eastern Texas. 2. Shortleaf pine (P. echinata), grows from southeastern New York and New Jersey southward to northern Florida and westward into eastern Texas and Oklahoma. 3. Loblolly pine (R taeda), grows from Maryland southward through the Atlantic Coastal Plain and Piedmont Plateau into Florida and westward into eastern Texas. 4. Slash pine (P. elliottii), grows in Florida and the southern parts of South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana east of the Mississippi River. Lumber from any one or from any mixture of two or more of these species is classified as southern pine by the grading standards of the industry.

Description

The wood of the southern pines is quite similar in appearance. The sapwood is yellowish-white and the heartwood reddish-brown. The sapwood is usually wide in second-growth stands. Heartwood begins to form when the tree is about 20 years old. In old, slow-growth trees, sapwood may be only 1 to 2 inches in width.

Uses

The denser and higher strength southern pine is used extensively in construction of houses, factories, warehouses, bridges, trestles, and docks in the form of stringers, and for roof trusses, beams, posts, joists, and piles. Other clear grades of southern pine are used for furniture, millwork paneling, finish and a number of other specialty items. Lumber of lower grades is used in boxes, pallets, and crates. Southern pine is easily treated with preservatives and is used as pilings, poles, decking and fencing.

Name

PINE, SOUTHERN (Pinus spp.)

Type

Soft Wood

Machining

Good

Resistance To Splitting

Fair

Gluing

Very Good

Side Hardness

690 lbs

Kiln Dried

Yes