WHITE PINES ASIA: ARMAND .AND KOREAN PINE 



139 



Figure 1". Mean annual increment curve of major trees 

 (Volume per ha in cubic meters) of Finns kovaiensis . 



The wood of P. kovaiensis is moderately light with specific gravities 

 of 0.49 (air dry) and 0.45 (oven dry). It is compact and soft, moderately 

 weak in bending (551 kg/ cm 2 ) , compressive (321 kg/cm 2 ), tensile (451 kg/cm 2 ) 

 and shearing (62 kg/ cm 2 ) strengths (Chosen Govt. -Gen., 1940). 



Kith a shrinkage of 2.3% in the radial plane, 6.3% in the tangential 

 plane, and 8.9% in volume the wood is easy to kiln dry and stays in place 

 well after seasoning. It is easy to work with tools and less tortured 

 than any other native pines in Korea. It is rated as fairly durable in 

 decay resistance. It takes paints and polish well (Kishima, Okamota, and 

 Hayashi , 1962). The wood is used principally for construction and 

 furniture. 



?i:rjs ;.?::-::zz: fraxch. (ARMAND PINE] 



RANGE .AND FOREST TYPE 



P. zrmandii is wild in the mountains south of the Yellow River in 

 central, western, and southeastern China, from Shensi and Kansu south to 

 Szechwan and Yunnan ranging from 34°N to 35°N latitude and west to 

 northern Burma, extreme northeastern India, and southeastern Tibet 

 (Fig. 19) . It also occurs in Formosa. On the mainland of China, at 

 around 24°N latitude in the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan, 

 or at around 30°N latitude in the central-western Chinese province 

 of Szechwan, F. armandii usually occupies rocky sites at 2,300 to 

 3,300 m above sea level. The altitudinal range drops to 1,200 to 

 2,000 m above sea level in the provinces of Kansu and Shensi around 54°N 



