What is Eastern White Pine?
Eastern White Pine is one of the most commonly used woods in construction. It grows along the Eastern coast of North America and across to the great lakes. It is also grown in many plantations across its natural range.
Hundreds of years ago, shipbuilders highly valued the long, straight trunks of eastern white pine for ship masts. The King of England often kept the biggest and best trees for his navy. This caused the Pine Tree Riot of 1772 a historic event prior to the Revolutionary War.
Eastern White Pine is a low cost wood thanks largely to its fast growth and high availability. The grain tends to be straight and somewhat random with an even texture.
It can be found with a large number of knots or none at all (clear) and tends to communicate a warm and rustic feel. The wood is easy to work with and looks great in pretty much any situation.
Natural Details
White pine has been used for generations as a natural herbal remedy. The Micmac used the inner bark and resins of white pine to heal coughs, bronchitis, laryngitis and chest congestion.
Some species of pine have nuts inside the mature cones that are large enough to eat. Eastern White pine has small nuts, which can be consumed, but usually are too much effort to collect. The tree provides food and habitat for numerous wildlife species. Songbirds and small mammals eat eastern white pine seeds. Snowshoe hares, white-tailed deer, and cottontails browse the foliage. Various mammals eat the bark.
High elevation white pine communities are valuable sources of food and cover for wildlife. Bears, squirrels, rodents, and birds are among a few who consume the extremely nutritional seeds and use the trees for cover.
Woodworking Properties
EWP is a soft wood, so it can bruise and dent easily. This makes it not ideal for cabinets, vanities, and furniture. However, it has a wide variety of uses in woodworking such as structural lumber, wood carving, paneling, and even shipbuilding.
EWP is used to make doors, door frames, window frames, and finish trim. It is also used for paneling, caskets, burial boxes, shade rollers, map rollers, toys, matches, and some cabinets.
It is very easy to work with when using both hand tools and machinery. EWP glues and finishes nicely, but it can be hard to sand. Stained and painted finishes will show any blemishes and sanding marks.
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