Pine trees - but what type?

[Eciton]

Virginia, Fauquier County.

Needles about 2'' long in groups of 2.  Cones about 2'' squat little things.

bark is brownish red and scaly.  

heavy pine scent when cut

We always called them Virginia Pines but i am unsure if that is accurate.  Looking to determine suitability for using for different projects.

thanks!

 

 

 

 

[SwampDonkey]

Yep, Virginia.

Probably as good as spruce or jack pine for construction lumber. Not for fine furniture, although you might be surprised at a table top as long at it's about 1-1/2-2" thick. Not sure how it dries though (predictable defects), others may know.

[btulloh]

One of the SYP group but lower density than some SYP varieties. If there’s no big stress in the tree it’ll dry nicely. I’ve used a lot of it for framing, siding, and 6x6’s. Pretty good stuff. Good straight trees make good straight lumber.

It makes much better framing material than what you get at HD or Lowes. 

[Southside]

Lots of knots, just like Spruce. Commercially speaking it's frowned upon over Loblolly for that reason, but you can make decent framing lumber with it.

Personally I prefer to put it into shiplap or another decorative profile that accents the knots. 

[btulloh]

Yeah they can have a fair amount of knots. Not as bad as white pine. The ones I get from higher density stands tend to be clear up to 40-45 feet and make really nice lumber. Edge trees and ones growing in the open will have more lower limbs so not quite as good. 

Also depends on your topo and elevation. Local conditions make big difference, so it really comes down to your particular va pines. I see them in some areas that are short and gnarly. 

Just try a couple of yours and see what they yield. 

[Don P]

Structurally it is in the species group MSP, mixed southern pine, which contains any of the major southern yellow pines plus pond and Virginia pine, as opposed to SYP, southern yellow pine, the stronger members of the group. If you look in the span calc at awc.org it should be listed there with allowable spans and design values.

[Eciton]

thanks!

most of mine have no branches until about 35-40ft up.  there are a couple that have branches starting at 2' all the way to the top though.  they're interspersed with the hardwoods in our woods but keep falling down in storms and getting hung up so i am going to knock them down where i want them to fall and use them for something.

as i noted on another thread, some of them have some crazy spiraling grain though.  

[WDH]

I did not think that virginia pine met the strength requirements for SYP lumber grades. 

[Magicman]

SPIB