How To Distinguish Pine From Larch

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How To Distinguish Pine From Larch
How To Distinguish Pine From Larch

Video: How To Distinguish Pine From Larch

Video: How To Distinguish Pine From Larch
Video: HOW TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN PINE, SPRUCE, FIR, and LARCH | CONIFER ID 2024, April
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It is easy to determine the type of wood being in a forest belt or a park. Especially if you are an observant person. But sometimes situations arise when you need to determine the type of tree among sawn boards or in a finished log house. This can be very difficult to do. There are several ways that you can find useful, although some of them take time.

How to distinguish pine from larch
How to distinguish pine from larch

Instructions

Step 1

Consider the climate of the area where pines and larch trees grow. In the European territory of Russia, the climate is mild, larch and pine wood in their properties is very different from the species of these trees growing in Siberia. The larch wood of the middle lane is loose and can be easily compared with the wood of ordinary pine. The thickness of the annual rings is approximately the same - 4 mm.

Step 2

When trying to tell the difference between larch and pine, don't just rely on their texture. They have one breed - sound. Perhaps only a specialist will distinguish the brighter and more decorative larch wood. It is often recommended in the literature to evaluate the resin passages characteristic of conifers. They are thin channels filled with resin. In pine, they are larger and there are much more of them. But in practice, this method is rarely used.

Step 3

Pay attention to the bark of the unedged softwood planks. In larch, under the influence of oxygen, air and light, the bark acquires a cherry-red color, which sharply differs from the color of the pine bark. In addition, larch boards are much heavier.

Step 4

To distinguish between these two beautiful trees, take advantage of the most basic property of larch. If it is in water for a long time, it sinks. This is partly due to its limitation in wider use. Drop a 5mm piece of wood and observe it for 2-3 weeks. If it doesn’t sink, then it’s a pine tree.

Step 5

Siberian larch is easier to compare with oak than with pine. For example, Venice stands on stilts made of larch, because concrete piles do not withstand such a load in water. But its wood is much more difficult to process than pine wood. It is about 30% denser and heavier. Gently run your fingernail across the wooden surface. If a trace remains on it, then it is a pine tree. It should be borne in mind that the wood of the Siberian Angara pine is denser than the wood of its "European relative".

Step 6

Consider one more point. In the same forest, various pines and various larch trees grow, which differ greatly both in appearance and in their internal characteristics. Pine, for example, grown in a sunny and high place, has a drier and denser wood than a tree grown near swamps. The wood of such a pine is softer.

Step 7

To determine whether the wood belongs to one or another tree, use fire, observing all safety precautions. According to studies carried out by specialists from the Moscow State Forest University, the fire resistance of Siberian larch wood is 2 times higher than that of ordinary pine wood.

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