408 A HANDBOOK OF CONIFER.E 



mature trees of P. Laricio is hard, strong, of good quality, 

 resinous, with prominent resin-ducts, and equal in value to Scots 

 pine for many purposes. There is a considerable contrast 

 between heartwood and sapwood, the former being reddish-brown 

 and the latter pale yellow. The timber is used extensively in the 

 Mediterranean region for general constructive purposes and most 

 of the other objects for which pine timber is needed. As the 

 wood matures slowly it is necessary to cultivate the species on a 

 longer rotation than Scots pine, and in Corsica, where it is one 

 of the commonest trees, the shortest rotation appears to be 

 160-180 years. In the Valdoniello Forest it is stated that^ 

 " from the year 1907, all the rotations for Corsican pine have 

 been placed at 360 years, the time, it is estimated, a tree reaches 

 0-00 to 1 metre (0 to 3 ft. 4 in.) in diameter ; but counting rota- 

 tions in force before 1907, they vary from 240 to 360 years. It 

 is claimed that trees of this size must be furnished by federal 

 or communal forests to supply the demand for large timbers." 

 With the 360-year rotation there are 15 periods of 24 years each, 

 and they propose to cut 0-399 of the available volume in each 

 compartment. In the Antoine forest, with the same rotation, 

 there are three periods of 120 years each, and the yield is cut in 

 triennial fellings. ^ 



In an examination of native and home-grown specimens, it 

 was found that a section of trunk grown in Hungary (probably 

 var. nigricans), showing 246 annual rings, and averaging 2 ft. 3 in. 

 in diameter, had irregular heartwood, which in the widest part 

 measured 16| in. and in the narrowest part 13| in. across, the 

 annual rings of heartwood in one direction numbering 104 and 

 in the other 82. A plank 2 ft. 3| in. wide, showing 53 annual 

 rings, cut from a tree grown in Norfolk, had only 9 in. of heart- 

 wood confined to 13 annual rings. The disadvantages of so 

 large a proportion of sapwood are the limitations of its uses 

 and its rapid decay unless very carefully seasoned, and used 

 under ideal conditions for preservation. Such timber is very 

 susceptible to " dote " or " bluing," the first sign of incipient 

 decay, and a condition which seriously reduces its value, even 

 although in the early stages the discoloration may not seriously 

 affect the strength. Timber of this description should only be 

 put to minor uses. It answers quite well for box boards. The 

 wood of mature trees, however, may be regarded as suitable for 

 all the purposes of Scots pine. In some places the Corsican pine 

 has been planted for use in collieries, but here again the slow 

 formation of heartwood places it at a disadvantage with woods of 

 earlier maturity. On some estates in England and Wales, 

 Corsican pine timber has been in use for a number of years, and 



^ Woolsey, Theodore S., Jun., French Forests and Forestry, Corsica, 137 (1917). 

 ^Loc. cit. 138. 



