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Pecan
Pecan
Common Names
==================================
Bitter pecan
Hickory
Nogal morado
Nuez encarcelada
Pecan
Pecan hickory
Sweet pecan
Common Uses
==================================
Decorative veneer
Dowell pins
Furniture
Millwork
Paneling
Turnery
Chairs
Chests
Desks
Dining-room furniture
Dowells
Drawer sides
Figured veneer
Fine furniture
Floor lamps
Flooring
Handles
Hatracks
Interior trim
Kitchen cabinets
Living-room suites
Office furniture
Parquet flooring
Radio, stereo, TV cabinets
Rustic furniture
Shafts/Handles
Stools
Sub-flooring
Tables
Veneer
Wainscotting
Wardrobes
Species Distribution
==================================
REGIONS:
Central America
North America
COUNTRIES:
Mexico
United States
Physical and Environmental Profile
==================================
Environmental Profile
Pecan is rather widespread, abundant, and secure
globally,
although it may be rare in some areas at the periphery of its
range
(Source - The Nature Conservancy - Rank of relative endangerment
based primarily
on the number of occurrences of the species globally).
Distribution
This species is reported to be distributed
in
Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas,
Kentucky,
Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina,
Great Smoky Mountain National Park,
Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee,
Texas, and Virginia.
It is usually found in mixed hardwood forests, and prefers to
grow in moist,
well-drained soils of river flood plains and valleys.
Product Sources
It is not known at present whether timber from
this species is obtainable from
sustainably managed or other environmentally responsible
sources.
Pecan is reported to be available at a moderate
price on the U.S. market
in the form of lumber, veneers and plywood.
Tree Data
The state tree of Texas, Pecan is reported to
occur in the wild and is also cultivated.
The largest member of the Hickories, it usually grows to heights
of about 160 to 170 feet (49 to 52 m),
with trunk diameters of about 72 to 84 inches (180 to 213
cm).
Pecan trees are reported to have very long lives, with some
trees reaching the age of 350 years.
Sapwood Color
The sapwood is white to pale brown in
color.
Heartwood Color
The heartwood is rich reddish brown in color,
and may contain streaks of slightly darker hue.
Grain
Grain is reported to be typically straight, but
may occasionally be irregular or wavy.
Texture
The wood has a coarse texture.
Natural Durability
Pecan is reported to be vulnerable to the
hickory bark beetle,
and also succumb easily to frost damage.
It is also susceptible to attack by fungi and insects.
Mineral Deposits
Magnesium carbonate deposits are reported to be
often
present and 'Bird pecks' leave residue that crystallizes.
Blunting Effect
Blunting effect on cutting edges is reported to
vary from moderate to severe.
Cutting Resistance
The wood is reported to be rather difficult to
saw.
Planing
Pecan is reported to require careful machining,
but it planes well,
although a reduced cutting angle of 20 degrees is recommended
in
working stock with irregular grain.
Turning
The wood is characteristically very easy to
turn.
Moulding
A reduced cutting angle of 20 degrees is
required in moulding wood containing irregular grain.
Boring
Boring properties are reported to be very
good.
Mortising
The wood has exceptional mortising
properties.
Gluing
Gluing properties are reported to be
satisfactory.
Nailing
The material is reported to respond rather
poorly to nailing.
Screwing
The wood is fairly easy to screw.
Sanding
The timber is reported to require careful
sanding to
achieve the smoothest surface.
Polishing
The wood responds to polishing to yield a smooth
finish.
Staining
The material takes stains well.
Steam Bending
Steam bending properties are reported to be
generally good.
Strength Properties
Pecans can be differentiated
from true Hickories by weight,
and by the narrow bands of parenchyma,
which appear between the rays and between the large earlywood
pores.
(In hickories the band occurs after the first row of earlywood
pores).
Strength properties of C. illinoensisare reported to be similar
to those of other hickories.
Bending strength in the air-dry condition (about 12 percent
moisture content) is high,
and maximum crushing strength, or compression strength parallel
to grain, is also high.
It is hard - harder than Teak, and does not marr or dent
easily.
The wood is very heavy.
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Reference Sources
Numerical Data Source
USDA. 1987. Wood Handbook:
Wood as an Engineering Material. Agriculture Handbook No.
72.
United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service,
Madison, Wisconsin.
Descriptive Data Source
Panshin, A. J. and C. deZeeuw. Textbook of Wood
Technology.
McGraw-Hill Series in Forest Resources.
McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York.
Lincoln, W. A. 1986. World Woods in Color.
Linden Publishing Company, Inc., Fresno, California.
Jackson, A. and D. Day. 1991.
Good Wood Handbook - The Woodworker's Guide to Identifying,
Selecting and Using the Right Wood.
Betterway Publications, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Boone, R. S., C. J. Kozlik, P. J. Bois, and E.
M. Wengert. 1988.
Dry Kiln Schedules for Commercial Woods:Temperate and
Tropical.
USDA, Forest Service, General Technical Report FPL-GTR-57,
Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin.
California Department of Forestry.
Comparative Physical & Mechanical Properties of Western
& Eastern Hardwoods.
Prepared by Forest Products Laboratory,
University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California.
n/d.
Kaiser, J.
Wood of the Month: Hickory.
Wood and Wood Products, September, 1990. Page 46.
Kline, M. 1981. Carya illinoensis - Pecan.
In A Guide to Useful Woods of the World. Flynn Jr., J.H.,
Editor.
King Philip Publishing Co., Portland, Maine. 1994. Page
86.
Little, E.L. 1980.
The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees -
Eastern Region.
Published by Arthur A. Knopf, New York.
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