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What to do with Virginia Pine ?

Started by Markus, February 26, 2006, 10:54:55 PM

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Markus

I have a lot of Virginia pine that I have been told isrelatively worthless. It's mature and definitley needs to be cut, but the timber buyers I've talked to and the state forester all seem to think the stuff is worthless. Any opinions or advice is appreciated. Most trees are 14"- 16"dbh 1 or 1.5 log.

Tom

Markus

From what I've been able to gather, Virginia Pine is thought of in the same light as Pond Pine down here.   It is fast growing, soft wood that contains lots of stresses and is not good for lumber.

All wood has some value though.  Virginia Pine is used for pulp.  If you have enough to make a harvest profitable, that would be one market.

I've sawed some pretty bad stuff, Pond Pine included.  The use I found for Pond Pine was for fence posts.  It is soft because the growth rings are wide, but it has no heartwood.  "Without heartwood, pressure treatment goes straight through and it becomes a good fence post.  As a matter of fact, because of the ability to treat thoroughly, it probably makes a better fence post than some of the preferred woods.

You might have to saw and use it yourself but it's worth a try.  How much are 4x4 fence posts going for in your area now?    If you saw them at 12 feet, you could produce 6 foot posts, which would be ideally suited to most agricultural fencing applications.  Those guys will cut 2 feet off of an 8 foot post because they don't want to dig a deep hole. :)

BBK

Here in Southern MD and adjacent Virginia the most usage for Va Pine is pulp. That said it has been used (mostly in the last century)  often for structural framing also. Mostly on barns and sheds. Its not as strong structuraly as Foxtail (Loblolly) but does hold up well if kept out of the weather. I have sold quite a lot of 2x lumber from Va Pine to the harry homeowners for their sheds and outbuildings over the last few years with very few complaints or problems. Some of the woodworkers like it for their pine projects but it has to dry for a couple of years or more because if the heavy pitch content.
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