Maritime pine

Pinus pinaster

Maritime pine is a medium-sized softwood native to south-western Europe and north-western Africa, with major forestry developments on the Atlantic coast of southern France, Spain and Portugal. Extensive plantations have been established on the Swan coastal plain in Western Australia, particularly on the lower rainfall and lower nutrient soils, where radiata pine is not suitable. A major planting program has commenced in the semi-arid areas in the Wheatbelt (from 600 mm to 400 mm annual rainfall) to reduce salinity effects while providing a commercial crop.

Wood description [more info]
Heartwood is pale reddish brown, and sapwood pale yellow. The texture is rather coarse and uneven, the grain is generally straight and the timber resinous.

Wood density [more info]
Green density is about 1000 kg/m3, air-dry density about 560 kg/m3, and basic density about 450 kg/m3.

Shrinkage [more info]
Tangential and radial shrinkage before reconditioning are 5.0 and 3.0 per cent respectively, and after reconditioning 5.0 and 3.1 per cent respectively.

Workability [more info]
The timber is relatively easy to work, but knots and resin pockets are common.

Durability [more info]
The Durability Class is 4, based on the CSIRO provisional ratings.

Strength group and properties [more info]
Green and dry strength groups are a provisional (S6) and SD6 respectively. A provisional rating is based on mean air-dry density. The more important strength properties are given in the table below.

Uses [more info]
Uses include general construction, house framing, moulding architraves, doors, shelves, joinery and turnery, decorative panelling, furniture, construction plywood, sliced veneer as a facing for particleboard, pulp and paper and reconstituted products e.g. particleboard and medium density fibreboard (MDF). If preservative-treated it can be used for posts, poles, sleepers, retaining wall, decking, cooling towers and mining timber.

Availability [more info]
The timber is readily available in Western Australia, which has the largest area of plantations of the species. It is less available than radiata pine.