Sugar pine

Photo and data from Forest World

Common Names

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Sugar pine

Pine

Big pine

Gigantic pine

Great sugar pine

Shade pine

Common Uses

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Interior trim

Paneling

Siding

Sub-flooring

Roofing

Beams

Cabin construction

Exterior trim & siding

Flooring

Framing

Heavy construction

Interior construction

Joists

Millwork

Moldings

Porch columns

Rafters

Studs

Trimming

Wainscoting

Species Distribution

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REGIONS:

North America

COUNTRIES:

United States

Physical and Environmental Profile

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Environmental Profile

Sugar pine is reported to be rather widespread, abundant, and secure globally,
although it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery
(Source - The Nature Conservancy - Rank of relative endagerment based primarily
on the number of occurrences of the species globally).

Distribution

The most majestic of all the pines,
Sugar pine is reported to occur from western Oregon south through the Sierra Nevada,
to western Nevada and southern California.
It is also found in northern Baja, California.
It is often found in mixed coniferous forests and
is reported to be adapted to various types of mountain soils.
Sugar pine is reported to grow at elevations that are commonly 6000 to 9000 feet (1829 to 2745 m).
It is also found, but less frequently, down to an elevation of about 3500 feet (1067 m)
and up to an altitude of about 10000 feet (3048 m).
The best stands of Sugar pine trees are reported to occur at elevations between
4500 and 6000 feet (1372 and 1829 m) in the central Sierra, from San Joaquin River to the American River.

Product Sources

Some material from this species is reported to be available from sustainably managed,
salvaged, recycled, or other environmentally responsible sources.  

Supplies of Sugar pine are reported to be adequate,
thanks to modern logging techniques
which allow less accessible stands of the species to be harvested.
Sugar pine, especially wide clear, stock,
is reported to sell at a slight premium over other White pines.

Tree Data

The large and very tall tree is reported to develop a straight trunk with a
diameter of 36 to 72 inches (90 to 180 cm).
It reaches heights that are commonly 100 to 160 feet (30 to 49 m),
but heights of over 200 feet (60 m) and
trunk diameters of more than 10 feet (3 m) are reported to have been recorded.

Sapwood Color

The sapwood is somewhat white to pale yellowish white.

Heartwood Color

The heartwood is pale brown to light reddish brown.
The reddish brown color is significantly lighter than
it is in the eastern and western white pines.

Grain

Grain is typically straight and even, and tangential surfaces often exhibit a faint,
but very attractive figure with numerous flecks of large, dark brown resin canals.

Texture

Texture is usually fairly coarse and uniform.

Natural Durability

The heartwood is reported to have very little natural resistance to decay,
and should not be used under conditions that promote decay
without appropriate chemical protection.

Cutting Resistance

The material is reported to require very sharp cutting edges, but it works rather well.

Planing

Sugar pine is reported to have excellent planing properties.
Its working qualities have been described as
fabulous because of its uniform texture and low density.
The wood is reported to cut and shape readily and predictably,
and workshops are usually filled with the
sweet scented aroma given off by the resin in the wood.

Turning

The material is reported to turn very well.

Molding

Molding qualities are rated as very good.

Boring

The wood is reported to respond very well to boring.

Mortising

Sugar pine is reported to have excellent mortising characteristics.

Nailing

The material is reported to have excellent resistance to splitting in nailing.
Nail holding properties are good.

Screwing

Screwing properties are rated as excellent, and screw-holding qualities are good.

Gluing

Gluing characteristics are rated as excellent.

Sanding

The wood is reported to have good sanding characteristics.

Polishing

Polishing properties are reported to be satisfactory.

Staining

The timber is reported to stain satisfactorily,
but high resin content may cause turpentine based sealer
to soften and bubble around knots and on the end grain.

Varnishing

Varnishing properties are rated as fair.
(See comments under Staining).

Painting

The material takes paint satisfactorily.
(See comments under Staining)

Response to Hand Tools

Response to hand tools is reported to be generally good.

Strength Properties

Strength properties are reported to be rather poor in comparison with the Yellow pines
since timber produced by Sugar pine lacks the dense latewood bands
which contribute to the strength of the Yellow pines.
Bending strength and maximum crushing strength are low.
It is not hard and can be dented and marred easily.
The wood is light in weight.

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Reference Sources

Numerical Data Source

USDA. 1987. Wood Handbook - Wood as an Engineering Material, Forest Service,
Agriculture Handbook No. 72, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin.

Descriptive Data Source

Panshin, A.J. and C. deZeeuw. 1980.
Textbook of Wood Technology, 4th Edition.
McGraw-Hill Series in Forest Resources. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York.

Mirov, N.T. 1967. The Genus PINUS. The Ronald Press Company, New York. LCC Card No. 67-14783.

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. United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service,
Forest Products Laboratory, General Technical Report FPL-GTR-57, Madison, Wisconsin.

Western Wood Products Association.  19__. Softwoods of the Western USA.
Published and Distributed by the Western Wood Products Association,
Yeon Building, 522 S.W. Fifth Avenue, Portland, Oregon.

Little, E.L.  1980.  The Audobon Society Field Guide to North American Trees - Western Region.
Published by Arthur A. Knopf, New York.

USDA. 1988. Dry Kiln Operators Manual, Preliminary Copy.
Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin.

Arno, J. 1988. Pinus lambertiana - Sugar pine. In A Guide to Useful Woods of the World.
Flynn Jr., J.H., Editor. King Philip Publishing Co.,
Portland, Maine. 1994. Page 270-271.