Pine, Jack (Pinus banksiana)

Pine, Jack is a domestic softwood

Location

Jack pine (Pinus banksiana), sometimes known as scrub, gray, and black pine in the United States, grows naturally in the Great Lake States and in a few scattered areas in New England and northern New York. Jack pine lumber is sometimes not separated from the other pines with which it grows, including red pine (Pinus resinosa) and eastern white pine (Pinus strobus).

Characteristics

Sapwood of jack pine is nearly white; heartwood is light brown to orange. Sapwood may constitute one-half or more of the volume of a tree. The wood has a rather coarse texture and is somewhat resinous. It is moderately lightweight, moderately low in bending strength and compressive strength, moderately low in shock resistance, and low in stiffness. It also has moderately low shrinkage. Lumber from jack pine is generally knotty.

Primary Uses

Jack pine is used for pulpwood, box lumber, and pallets. Less important uses include railroad crossties, mine timber, slack cooperage, poles, posts, and fuel.

*Much of the base wood information presented here is made available by the USDA FPL FS. If you are interested in a much more technical description of wood properties, I encourage you to visit the source.