From Forest to Home: The Journey of Our Premium Pine Wood

Premium Pine Wood

From Forest to Home: The Journey of Our Premium Pine Wood

Explore the life cycle of our premium pine wood, starting from the humble pine seedling.

Pine trees are grown in special forests. When the trees are mature, they’re ready to be cut down and used as lumber. However, the process from tree to lumber wood is not as simple as it may appear. There are important steps that take place before the pine can be used for various building projects.

Premium Pine Wood: Harvesting

Pine trees are considered to be mature at 25-30 or 40 years old in some places. For pine trees, this is considered “grown up” because this is when growth dramatically slows and its wood is harvested.

A tree can be “ready” earlier depending on the species, purpose, and care it has received. Pine forests are typically thinned when the trees are 12-15 years old. Thinning, a term used by foresters, is when certain trees are removed from a stand to provide others with more space and resources for growth.  This is to promote growth and to improve the quality of the most desirable trees in a stand. A stand is a group of trees that are similar in how they look, how old, and how big they are. They grow close together and form a kind of community in the forest. Trees that remain are often thinned again when they reach 18-22 years of age. The goal is to maximise the quality of the plantation by giving dominant trees the ability to thrive with adequate sunlight and nutrition.

This process contributes significantly to both financial and environmental value by focusing growth on stronger trees, enhancing timber quality, and reducing woodland density. Thinning has a substantial impact on the overall ecology and visual appeal of the forest. Smaller trees that are cut down during thinning are cut into pulpwood or small logs.

When trees reach a diameter large enough to produce high-quality wood products, a final harvest takes place. When the tree is ready to be harvested it is cut and debranched.

Pine logs are then mechanically harvested, also known as logging, and processed into various lengths, either infield or on the roadside, before being transported to the sawmill.

Premium Pine Wood: The Sawmill

Once at the mill, the logs are unloaded and stacked into piles where they wait to be cut.

They’re also checked carefully for size and shape. Even though pine is called ‘softwood,’ it’s strong and tough, perfect for making decks and patios. Pine trees are tough and can withstand cold weather, high elevations, and soil that is both acidic and sandy. It is stiff, durable and shock-resistant. You can easily customise its look by painting or staining it to match your design preference. Online Building sources its premium pine wood from reputable sawmills in the Southern and Eastern Cape regions, ensuring traceability and cost-effectiveness.

The manufacturing journey transforms the pine logs into usable lumber for various uses, from construction to artistic projects.

Once the log arrives at the sawmill, it’s moved and placed on a conveyor belt where it will wait to be cut. The process begins with the removal of bark through a high-tech ‘de-barker.’ The de-barker is a machine that is used to strip the log of its bark. The bark is then saved and used as mulch or used to fuel kilns at a sawmill.

Before a log is cut, it passes through a large metal detector. This is done because trees can live for a long time, and one might find things like nails or wire fencing in them. These metal objects could damage the sawmill blades if not detected in advance. If a log has metal, it’s either taken out, or the log is cut into smaller sections to salvage as much as possible.

After that, the logs go through a detailed check using lasers to make sure each log is in the best condition. They use lasers to see how much wood they can get from each log, so the mill can get the most lumber from every log. This can make the mill more profitable by eliminating unnecessary waste on every log that’s cut into lumber.

Afterwards, machines like circular saws and bandsaws are used to cut them into boards. This process is known as ‘conversion,’ where the wood is cut into usable sections. The first stage of conversion is a process called ‘breaking down’ – which means rough sawing. After cutting and trimming the lumber to size – the milling process is then followed by a second stage called, ‘re-sawing,’ which is planning, grading, and sorting to create standardised and finished lumber bundles ready for construction projects and for outdoor projects, like decking. Modern sawmills prioritise efficiency and sustainability, utilising every part of the log, including bark, wood chips, and sawdust.

Grading is essentially for quality control. Pine wood lumber has a complex grading system that can sometimes be confusing. Lumber is graded according to its quality, strength and appearance. There are four grades of pine wood: Premium, finish, standard and industrial. The finish grade is defined as a board with a fine appearance and tight knots. Premium grade is similar to finish grade but has boards with larger knots and a good appearance. It is used for the same projects as finish grade – where larger and more numerous characteristics are desired.

Premium Pine Wood: The Final Product

Once the trees are transformed into timber, the wood can be sold as it is, or it undergoes a second round of processing. In this stage, the wood is refined to create specific products like doors, windows, or furniture with precise sizes and dimensions.

During this process, the timber may receive treatments for qualities like fire or rot resistance. Treated timber, in its sawn form, is utilised directly in construction or to prepare construction components like timber frame panels. On the other hand, planned joinery components are typically treated after they have been assembled.

Finally, once all modifications are made, the timber is ready to be shipped to market.

The entire journey, from logging to the final product, reflects the commitment to efficiency, sustainability, and quality in delivering premium pine wood from the forest to your home.

At Online Building, we have the solutions for all your building requirements, especially when it comes to Premium Pine Wood. We supply everything necessary for your project’s success. To start your project using our Premium Pine Wood, reach out to us today.