Maritime pine: complete guide to Landes pine

Maritime pine, or Landes pine, has grown in the Landes forest since Antiquity and was planted on a massive scale in the middle of the 19^th century. This pine wood is hard and attractive, with a colouring ranging from yellow to reddish that can turn to warm orange tones in the sunlight.

Would you like to know more about Landes pine? WoodPartners explains everything:

What is maritime pine?
What are the characteristics of Landes pine?
Maritime pine wood: what is it used for?
How do you maintain pine wood?
Other questions about Landes pine

What is maritime pine?

Maritime pine, or Landes pine, comes from southern Europe, and more particularly from the Landes region, as its name suggests. The Landes de Gascogne forest is the largest cultivated forest in Europe, with two thirds of its area given over to Landes pine. It can, however, also be found in other French regions such as the Charente or the Sologne and in North Africa, at altitudes of between 0 and 800 m.

From the Pinaceae family, its scientific name is Pinus pinaster and it was planted on a massive scale in the Landes from the 19^th century onwards. Maritime pine grows on sandy, free-draining soil that is poor in organic matter, and it tolerates chalky soils and strongly negative temperatures badly.

Finally, different names are used for maritime pine depending on the country:

Germany: Seekiefer;
France : Pin maritime;
Portugal : Pinhiero bravo;
Spain : Pino maritimo;
Italy : Pino marittimo;
United Kingdom : Maritime pine.

What are the characteristics of Landes pine?

Landes pine has various characteristics of interest for your building projects, with its yellowish colour, its distinct sapwood, its straight grain and its good durability against wood insects.

Description of maritime pine

Colour : yellow with some reddish shades;
Height of maritime pine : from 20 to 30 metres;
Bark of maritime pine : thick and deeply fissured;
Sapwood (the soft, light-coloured part of the wood that forms each year under the bark): clearly distinct;
Grain : medium to coarse;
Grain direction or fibre orientation : straight;
Interlocked grain or direction contrary to the axis : absent.

Description of the Landes pine log

Diameter : between 20 and 60 cm;
Thickness of the sapwood : between 6 and 12 cm;
Preservation in the forest : average.

The physical properties of maritime pine wood

Density (at 12% moisture content with 1 MPa = 1 N/mm²): between 0.45 and 0.65;
Hardness (at 12% moisture content with 1 MPa = 1 N/mm²): 2.3;
Volumetric shrinkage coefficient : 0.45%;
Total tangential shrinkage (TS): 9.0%;
Total radial shrinkage (RS): 4.5%;
Ratio between TS and RS : 2.0;
Fibre saturation point : 32%;
Stability in service : moderately to slightly stable.

The natural durability and treatability of pine wood

Resistance to fungi: class 3-4, moderately to slightly durable;
Resistance to dry wood insects : class D, durable;
Resistance to termites : class S, susceptible;
Treatability : class 4, not treatable;
Use class : class 3, for indoor or outdoor use without direct contact with the ground. It can, however, reach class 4 if it is pressure treated.

Drying Landes pine

Drying speed: fairly fast;
Risk of distortion : high;
Risk of case-hardening (accidental hardening): present;
Risk of checks (splits): low;
Risk of collapse (waviness, separation of the wood): no known risk.

You may also note that a risk of blue stain can appear if the drying is carried out at a low temperature, that is to say below 50°C. However, if you dry Landes pine above 70°C, this risk disappears.

Sawing and machining maritime pine

Blunting effect: normal;
Sawing teeth : ordinary steel or alloy;
Machining tools : ordinary;
Suitability for peeling : good;
Suitability for slicing : good.

The machining of dry timber is easy but hardened resin can sometimes cause difficulties when sawing, such as clogging and overheating of the blades and premature blunting.

Assembling Landes pine

The assembly of Landes pine is carried out in two steps:

Nailing and screwing: good holding;
Gluing : satisfactory.

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Maritime pine wood: what is it used for?

The Landes forest provides an annual production of 8 million m3 of maritime pine wood, 60% of which is sawn timber. Of that 60%, almost half is used for making railway sleepers, pallets, crates and other packaging; about a third for panelling, flooring and interior and exterior fittings; the rest is used for roof structures, joinery and furnishing. The remaining 40%, that is to say 3 million m3, is taken up by the paper and panel industries.

Let us come back to the uses of maritime pine as sawn timber:

Railway sleepers: with its hardness, Landes pine is valued for this type of use, which accounts for almost 30% of its production.

Packaging : pallets, crates and other packaging represent a major use for maritime pine.

Panelling, mouldings and maritime pine flooring : with relatively easy gluing and machining, this type of wood is valued in these fields.

After undergoing a treatment such as pressure treatment, Landes pine can be used in other applications:

Poles: hard and dense, maritime pine can be turned to the making of poles.

External cladding : with its fine colouring, which can turn orange in the sunlight, Landes pine can easily be used for cladding.

Interior and exterior joinery : thanks to its strength and its good density, Landes pine is an asset for interior and exterior joinery.

Maritime pine: the complete guide to Landes pine