Treatment
Life cycle
Environment
Is blue pine good for furniture?
Yes, blue goes very nicely with pine furniture and evens out the warm tones found in pine wood. Light blue, dark blue, and even mixes of blue-green like turquoise are great options! You're probably wondering what shades of blue work best with pine furniture.
What causes blue stain in pine wood?
The coloring of Blue Stain Pine most commonly occurs from a fungus carried by the Mountain Pine Beetle. The beetle bores into the wood, infecting the tissue with fungus, which softens it and makes it easier for the beetle to burrow and lay its eggs.
Does blue pine stain well?
0:271:37T&G Blue Stain Pine - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd sometimes even as fluorine. The reason blue stain pine is so popular is because of the varietyMoreAnd sometimes even as fluorine. The reason blue stain pine is so popular is because of the variety of colors. Expect to see whites grays blues and even reds mixed in to the wood.
Is blue pine good for flooring?
Applications. Beetle Kill Blue Pine is a great option for hardwood flooring because it is so diverse in appearance. First, it is a great lighter colored flooring option that will help smaller spaces seem larger or to lighten up a full room, floors, etc.
What is blue pine used for?
Pinegard Blue is used as an important element in termite management systems south of the Tropic of Capricorn. The use of blue pine framing in combination with ground-level termite management systems, regular maintenance and inspections provides highly effective, long-term protection against termites.
Is blue wood toxic?
Blue stain poses no health risk, and blue-stained lumber is safe to handle. The same safety rules for using non-stained lumber apply to blue-stained lumber: Wear eye protection and a dust mask when sawing or machining lumber. Avoid prolonged inhalation of sawdust.
Is Blue Pine good wood?
Studies have been done and few differences with regard to strength and other lumber characteristics have been found. Blue pine does tend to be less prone to warping. It works well with machine and hand tools and is quickly gaining popularity for use in cabinet making, furniture, flooring, and log homes.
What type of tree is blue pine?
Spruce Spruce treesSpruce. Spruce trees are one variety of pine tree that produces blue-colored needles. There are around 40 species of spruce on the planet, and a number of them have leaves that are either bluish-green or a grey and blue color.
Is blue stain a lumber defect?
Blue stain is caused by fungi that grow in sapwood and use parts of it for their food. It is not a stage of decay, although the conditions that favor blue staining also very often lead to infectionwith decay-producing fungi. Excepting toughness, blue stain has little effect on the strength of wood.
Do pine floors scratch easily?
Pine Flooring A pine floor will be soft, so it will acquire dings, dents, scratches, and scuff marks easier than other harder flooring options.
Are pine floors considered hardwood?
Pine is certainly among the nicest wood flooring types, but it isn't hardwood. It's a softwood, which means that it's susceptible to dents, scratches, and divots from heavy use by people and pets.
How do you keep pine floors from yellowing?
Pine takes on a pale yellow-orange tone after exposure to sunlight. Most finishes exacerbate the problem leaving wood which ages to a "cigarette yellow" tone. The best way to create a pale bleached effect is to treat with a thin coat of diluted White Wood Dye after sanding.
Why use blue stain pine?
Even though the Mountain Pine Beetle epidemic has a devastating impact on our eco-system, using Blue Stain Pine is eco-friendly as it helps clean up the mess left behind. Healthy trees have an integral role in taking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere through photosynthesis. After dead trees fall to the ground they begin to release all the carbon dioxide that they have stored during their lifetime. This pollutes the air and creates the well-known “greenhouse effect”. With the massive amounts of fallen trees that the mountain pine beetle leaves behind the amount of carbon dioxide being released is almost ten-fold. This is equal to decades of transportation emission released.
Where does Blue Stain Pine come from?
A lot beetle kill pine comes from outside of Colorado because our state doesn’t have many sawmills, due to its rugged landscape and inaccessibility. We try our best to source as much from the state as we can. Sometimes, though, the lumber does travel, but you can still save CO2 by using beetle kill pine because tons of it will be burned if not otherwise used.
How Did This Beetle Kill Pine Epidemic Start?
Mountain pine beetles are not a new species and have in fact been around for over a hundred years. With excessive climate changes bringing about warm er temperatures these insects are surviving winters when previously they did not. When temperatures dip below freezing the mountain pine beetle larvae cannot survive. The pests are taking over our woodlands even though there are ways to control them. There are preventative sprays and pesticides that homeowners can apply to the base of pines on their wooded properties.
Why is Beetle Kill Pine lumber eco-friendly?
There is ongoing debate about the best way to prevent bark beetle damage, but one thing is certain: it’s better to recycle the wood than to burn it and release more CO 2. Millions of acres of dead trees must be cleared to prevent forest fires, and that is why there is a big push to make blue stain pine the wood of choice for new housing projects. By choosing beetle kill pine, you simultaneously get beautiful wood and help recycle some of the trees that will otherwise be burned .
What happens to the dead timber?
Eventually these infested trees fall, die , and become kindling for forest fires. However, the good news is that if these trees are harvested within 5 years of infestation these trees can be used for multiple products. One might wonder what benefit acres of dead timber could provide. The fact is, these beetles carry fungus underneath the bark that eventually turns the wood various vibrant colors often referred to as “blue stain”. The natural coloring that results presents in shades of blue, purple, yellow, orange, red, and pink. This fungus creates a completely organic unique piece of wood that has full structural integrity.
What is The Future Of The Mountain Pine Beetle?
And with higher temperatures across the globe the climate will continue to support the life and longevity of the insect. The focus for forest conservationists has turned to harvesting, reducing forest fuels, and regrowth instead of eliminating the mountain pine beetle.
How does blue stain pine help the environment?
So where does the eco-friendly part come in? By consumers using Blue Stain Pine for wood projects and wood construction, they are helping to reverse this atmospheric pollution by creating a call to action to remove these dead trees. If fallen beetle kill pine trees are harvested within 5 years of its death it prevents the release of the carbon dioxide and at the same time creates space for new tree growth to begin.
Where is the blue pine tree?
The blue pine is a conifer found in and around South Asia. It was first described by botanist Nathaniel Wallich of the Kolkata Botanical Gardens after whom the binomial name of this tree is given.
What is wood used for?
Uses. Wood used as firewood but gives off a pungent smoke, it is also a source of tar and turpentine, the latter being a vermifuge, diuretic, antiseptic, and rubefacient, which are medicinal qualities; used as an ornamental tree to augment the aesthetics of gardens. IUCN Conservation Status. Least Concern.
Is blue pine a good tree?
Interesting Facts. The blue pine tree has a high level of resistance to air pollution, being able to withstand it much better than most other coniferous trees. In the US, the blue pine can be grown well in places like Roslindale, MA, Lisle, IL, Cincinnati, OH, Ogden, UT, and Federal Way, WA among others. References:
What is blue pine treated with?
Blue pine has been treated with synthetic pyrethroids to resist borers and termites. The treatment is usually water-based, and better for the environment than many other treatments. Blue pine treated timber.
Where is red pine used?
Red pine is used in northern Australia and sometimes in NSW. It impregnates the timber, rather than being an envelope treatment. Hazard level of blue pine: H2 (south of the Tropic of Capricorn). Find out more about hazard levels. Download the hazard levels and chemical treatment types chart.
What pests are repelled by blue pine?
Pests repelled by blue pine: Borers and termites. Typical uses of blue pine: South of the Tropic of Capricorn, blue pine is used in dry situations indoors and above ground. It is used for purposes such as. framing. LVL/plywood.
Why is blue stained pine not allowed in England?
On another forum someone brought up that blue stained pine is not allowed to be sold in England because of health hazards. Most of what I have read today says there is no health hazards associated with use in construction.
Why is my pine stain blue?
Blue stain is caused by a fungus (m old). It doesn't matter if the stain is caused by a beetle, stacking green boards together to encourage the fungus, pine logs cut in the summer and staining in the yard or in stacks of stickered pine. Once you kiln dry it there probably will be no problem as long as the wood stays dry.
What causes blue stain?
People (some and not all) are indeed allergic to fungi spores and not just mold or mildew spores. From the original questioner: Actually it does matter. Blue stain is caused by a fungus (mold).
How to keep blue stain pine from getting moldy?
Now let air blow on it and water re-wet it then you have a new event not a recurrence of an old one. Putting a finish on it will help the wood from gaining moisture and keep mold spores out of the pores. But mold will grow on paint and some finishes. Mold will grow where there is enough moisture and the temp is right and there is some air. Spores are ever present any where the wind blows and all surfaces are coated with them. The wood is not the problem.
Why is my school blue?
The blue is caused by a fungus. As such, some people may have allergies to fungi and their spores. Have you heard of schools being closed due to fungi? Be warned.
Is spalted wood moldy?
Spalted wood is moldy and where the color comes from and it does weaken the wood. Blue stain pine is rare and hard to produce at a greater cost (this keeps the price up so do not let the cat out of the bag). Handle the market with care. Mold is a problem and a health risk.
Do blue stained wood spores exist?
Spores are present in the air. Spores are not present inside the blue stained wood. So if you made paneling or flooring form blue stained wood there would be no more spores on the wood then in the air. There are more spores in carpet then anywhere else not counting all the bad chemicals to make it.
What causes a pine board to turn blue?
A: Blue stain is a common fungus that infects the sapwood of freshly sawn boards causing a blue discoloration in pine. The infestation most often occurs during the summer months when freshly sawn boards are exposed to the open air before kiln drying. The color can range from a striking blue to a dull gray or black.
Can you use blue stained pine?
The Western Wood Products Association encourages woodworkers not to think of blue stained pine as junk wood. Often your blue stained boards can be used like a spalted or figured wood to create dramatic effects (see photo).
Is blue stain a fungus?
Mr. Petersen told us that blue stain is a non-destructive fungus that has little or no effect on the structural integrity of the wood, so it is safe to use in terms of strength.
What is the blue color of pine?
not sure what your after but pine is pine.. the blue color in it is from a disesa or burn scars or investation but it doesnt affect the finish any
Which is the least likely to impart any hue to the wood?
yup, waterbased is the least likely to impart any hue to the wood.
How to make polyurethane durable?
If you need a durable finish that builds try brushing on a coat of water-based polyurethane. Use a nylon bristle brush. Unlike the oil-based finishes, which impart somewhat of a honey-gold hue, water-based poly has very little affect on the color. Dries quickly. It's also durable enough to be rubbed out with rubbing compound, and depending on the final grit the finish can be left anywhere from satin to gloss...nice and smooth to the touch.
Is pine beetle a shame?
It's really a shame with all the devastation the Pine Beetle causes. It sure makes some beautiful wood. I live in Montana, and we have areas that the majority of the trees are a red color or are dead. Unfortunately most of the "Save the world" groups won't allow the harvesting of the dead trees.
What is the biology behind blue stain in beetle kill pine?
The term symbiosis comes from the Ancient Greek “syn” — “with” — and “bíosis” — “living” — and is the close and often long-term interactions between different biological species. Often this interaction is obligate, in that neither can live without the other.
What is blue stain fungus?
The symptoms and signs of blue stain fungus are a blue-gray discoloration of sapwood in wedge shapes of recently killed trees. Trees of which we harvest sustainably to hand craft our Blue Stain Pine Flooring and wall paneling. The discoloration arises from the deep pigmentation of the fungus.
How do pine beetles kill trees?
How they kill. Pine beetles kill trees by boring through the bark into the phloem layer on which they feed and in which eggs are laid. Female beetles initiate attacks, producing attractants that cause more beetles to come to the site, and then they stage a mass attack.
What tree do mountain pine beetles attack?
As beetle populations increase, the beetles attack the largest trees in the outbreak area such as high-risk lodgepole pine stands that are more than 80 years old with an average diameter of more than 8 inches. The mountain pine beetle begins attacking most pine species on the lower 15 feet of the trunk.
What is the beetle that attacks pine trees?
The mountain pine beetle begins attacking most pine species on the lower 15 feet of the trunk. They need adequate food, found in large-diameter trees, for their population to build up. After the larger lodgepole pines are killed, beetles infest smaller and smaller trees, where phloem is thin and excessive drying occurs.
How does blue stain fungus help beetles?
This is its means to travel to new trees. The fungus helps the beetle by stopping the tree from producing its natural defense resin, and the beetles are hence able to mine and lay eggs while avoiding the tree’s defenses.
What are the predators of mountain pine beetles?
Several other bird species, including nuthatches, feed on adults exposed during flight or as they attack. Nematodes (internal parasitic worms), can hinder or prevent egg production. A fly and two species of checkered beetles are common predators and may reduce beetle numbers in individual trees but seldom affect mountain pine beetle infestations. Parasitic wasps sometimes cause substantial mortality of larvae.
What are the different grades of pine lumber?
There are four grades of pine lumber that fall under the common class. They are the premium, finish, standard and industrial classes. The finish grade is defined as a board with a fine appearance and tight knots. Premium grade is similar to the finish grade but encompasses boards with larger knots.
How many organizations regulate pine lumber?
Image Credit: Kim Steele/Photodisc/Getty Images. While seven different organizations in North America regulate the classification of pine lumber, all operate voluntarily under the direction of the American Lumber Standard Committee. These agencies under this direction regulate pine lumber standards for overlapping regions of North America.
What is industrial grade lumber?
Industrial grade is the lowest grade. It allows boards with knots and other characteristics of any size as long as the board remains structurally sound. These grades of lumber allow for larger and more frequent knots than the select grades and a generally rougher grain of wood. Advertisement.
