Ship pine wood has been and is currently being used in shipbuilding. It is characterized by a strong and resinous structure, which reaches its maximum quality indicators after many decades. The most "elite" instances of these plants grow in North America and they are in demand as expensive building and decoration materials.
Botanical description and tree features
Pine trees are evergreen conifers. In ship - soft needles, collected in bunches, each of which is formed from 2-5 needles. Seeds in the form of a nut ripen in cones. The length of the latter is about 12 cm.
Did you know? The last work of the great artist I.I.Shishkin is the famous canvas «Ship Grove», which can be seen in the State Russian Museum.
Coniferous plants that meet certain criteria are called shipboard:
- Strong wood with certain physical and mechanical characteristics.
- Height - at least 40 m at the age of 100 years.
- Smooth, uniform in height trunk, with a diameter of 0.5 m, with missing knots.
- Resin content is above average.
- Lightness of wood.
The wood structure has an original natural pattern. The shade of the fibers themselves can be from yellow to saturated red. Plants, as a rule, do not grow alone, but in favorable climates they create whole groves. The best soil for growth is sands, marshy and peaty areas, in which there is no natural humus.
Name history
Ship pine can be found under another name - "mast". The tree got its name because of its natural features, which make it an ideal material for building ships. In addition to boards, masts for sailboats are made from the core of the tree. The core is the strongest part of the plant. Particularly strong fragments of wood are used for the manufacture of hulls and crates of boats.
Important! The density of ship pine wood is significantly higher than the density of wood of other representatives of conifers.
Wood resin is also especially valuable. It is treated with ropes, impregnated with sails and some details. Such coniferous specimens do not lose their properties when fused along rivers. Resin prevents the process of decay, protects against pests, and light weight makes the transportation process convenient. The absence of knots allows you to cut the trunk into long and equally sized boards.
Where grow in Russia and why are protected
Coniferous plants, the raw materials of which are excellent for shipbuilding, prefer to grow in a cold, dry or mountain climate. In Russia, the described specimens can be seen in the North Caucasus and in the taiga. Ship pines are protected from felling at the legislative level, since the population of the plants described is being restored extremely slowly, and resorting to the creation of protected objects to maintain forest resources.
Important! For unauthorized felling of mast trees, a fine is imposed, and in some cases, imprisonment for up to 5 years.
To preserve them, special reserves were organized, for example, on the border between the Arkhangelsk region and the Komi Republic, where scientists have identified groves with trees that reach 300 years of age. In the Voronezh region there is a natural monument called "Mast pine forest", created in 1998.
Types of ship pines
Worthy, at first glance, specimens must be checked for pests before attributing them to ship.
Did you know? For the first time, the seeds of mast pines were artificially planted in the territory of Vyborg Uyezd by order of Tsar Peter I.
There are 3 types of pines that have all the necessary characteristics to be considered mast:
- red;
- white
- yellow.
Red prefers loamy soils for growth. Dense, fine-grained, resinous wood has a yellow-red hue. Most often, the plant can be found in the north of Russia. Use in shipbuilding involves the creation of internal and external lining, trim holds and cabins.
White wood pines are not as dense as red. The plant prefers wetlands and damp places in the lowlands. White pine is characterized by yellow wood, which is paler than that of yellow pine. White processing is good, but warping is inherent in it. Most often used for coasters and decor elements.
Yellow pine can be found also under the names "Oregon" and "heavy." A mature tree has a height of 40 to 80 m. The trunk is wide, with a diameter of up to 1.2 m. The crown is similar to a cone. The color of the bark may be orange, closer to red. With age, it becomes covered with deep cracks. The needles are twisted, from 7 to 25 cm long. The seeds ripen once every 2 years. Mast is made of wood for ships.
Ship pines were previously considered the most valuable raw material for shipbuilding due to the specific characteristics of wood. Now the use of natural resources is regulated at the legislative level, which does not allow the widespread use of conifers for industrial purposes. Most specimens can be seen in nature reserves or in the mountains.
