Ponderosa Pine
Pinus ponderosa

Manufacturing

Seasoning

All Ponderosa Pine is dried before surfacing to assure uniformity of the finished size. It is seasoned in temperature and humidity-controlled dry kilns or stacked and air-dried until the moisture content reaches the desired level – from 12 percent to 19 percent.

As with other pines, Ponderosa can be subject to blue stain if a felled tree or green lumber becomes too warm before it is dried. Blue stain does not affect strength and is admissible in some of the lower grades. It can be hidden with paint or enhanced with clear finishes depending upon user preference.

Shipping

Ponderosa Pine is usually milled and shipped as a single species and can be specified and bought as such. However, it is sometimes mixed with other species of similar design characteristics, such as Ponderosa Pine - Sugar Pine, or Ponderosa Pine - Lodgepole Pine. It is also marketed under the name “White Woods,” which can include a mix of Engelmann Spruce, true firs (Abies species), Hemlock and any of the Western pines.

© LAURIE BLACK

© 2001 WWPA/SEC