Here at Architectural Salvage Bank, we carry only the BEST woods to make our custom items. There is also a room in our store where we sell our wood to individuals with a crafty hand. Heart Pine is one of our favorite woods to work with. Heart Pine has stood the test of time and is absolutely gorgeous! Heart Pine is generally considered to be recycled timber from first generation trees (trees that were standing when the first settlers landed in the 1600s). There were approximately 80 million acres of these trees and almost all were gone by 1900. This wood was the primary building material for homes and factories. It is now being recycled as Heart Pine. Heart Pine as it is commonly called today, is really older Long Leaf Pine often salvaged from older structures, and reclaimed from rivers. The old pine is extremely dense with tight growth ring counts compared to the pine that is commonly seen today. The old mills treasured the Heart Pine because of its insect and rot resistance. Heart Pine refers to the heartwood of the pine tree; which is the non-living center of the tree trunk, while the sapwood is the outer living layer which transports nutrients. The heartwood from the pine tree is preferred by woodworkers and builders over the sapwood, due to its strength, hardness and golden red coloration. The Long Leaf pine, the source of much of the available Heart Pine found on the market is considered a high quality timber tree, a well known source for poles, pilings, posts, saw logs, flooring, plywood, pulpwood and naval stores (tapped for turpentine). Before the 1700s, in the United States, Long Leaf Pine forests covered approximately 30 to 60 million acres along the coastal plain from Virginia's southern tip to eastern Texas. These pine trees, 80 to 120 feet tall, required 100 to 150 years to become full size and can live up to 500 years. An inch of Heart Pine requires 30 years growth. Due to deforestation and over-harvesting since colonial days, only about three percent of the original Long Leaf Pine forest remains. Currently, Heart Pine for building and woodworking is procured by reclaiming old lumber and recovering logs, felled prior to 1900. The following pictures are of the home in Tennessee where we procured our latest Heart Pine. This beautiful home is from 1901. Come by our store, see this gorgeous wood, touch history, order a custom piece, or make your own out of this fabulous wood!
