What are the uses of pine trees? A detailed introduction to their main uses and value
Pine trees are mostly tall trees with a majestic stance and dense branches and leaves. They are not afraid of wind and rain, nor of freezing cold. In folk tradition they are regarded as an auspicious symbol of evergreen through all four seasons. They are widely distributed, numerous and highly useful, and they have made outstanding contributions to us especially in green projects such as greening barren hills, landscape construction and improving the ecological environment. Let us take a look below at what uses pine trees have!
The ornamental uses of pine trees
Pine trees have a majestic, vigorous stance, a tall body and a long life, and have important ornamental value. They are an important landscape component of many scenic areas in China. For example, Qianshan in Liaoning, Mount Tai in Shandong and Lushan in Jiangxi are all famous for their pine scenery, and especially in Huangshan in Anhui, where pines, clouds and rocks are known as the “three superlatives”, with pines first. Many ancient pines in various places are closely connected with China's long history and culture.
The medicinal value of pine trees
Pine trees have a long history of use as medicine. In modern traditional Chinese medicine and among farmers, pine needles, turpentine, pine resin, pine flowers, fruit shells, bark and pine nuts are used as medicine, with an extremely wide medicinal range, and they can be refined into medicines. Pine pollen is a precious raw material for natural high-grade nutritional food. The people of our country have eaten pine pollen for more than two thousand years, and it has effects such as moistening the heart and lungs, boosting qi, and dispelling wind and stopping bleeding. The ancients mixed pine pollen with refined honey to make “pine yellow cakes”, which are fragrant and delicately sweet, and have remarkable uses such as enhancing appearance, boosting the spirit and prolonging life.
The edible value of pine trees
1. Pine needle powder processed from pine needles contains more than 40 kinds of nutritional components necessary for the growth of livestock and poultry, such as phytoncides, growth hormones, protein, fat, vitamins, trace elements and 18 kinds of amino acids.
2. Pine nuts are a raw material for candies and pastries. They are crisp and soft, giving off a faint pine fragrance, and since the Tang Dynasty they have become a snack people love to eat. Pine nuts are rich in protein and various minerals and vitamins, with fat accounting for 63.5%, and most of it is oleic acid, linoleic acid and the like.
3. Pine pollen is rich in more than ten kinds of minerals needed by the human body, physiologically active substances, and hormones, enzymes and alkaloids with regulating functions.
The industrial value of pine trees
1. Pine wood has good material quality, high strength, resistance to decay and straight grain, and has the characteristics of combining hardness and softness, bearing weight without breaking, staying straight without deforming, and being tough and elastic. It can be used as timber for construction, bridges, mine props, sleepers, utility poles, vehicles, farm tools, papermaking and artificial fibers.
2. Rosin and turpentine are important industrial raw materials, widely used in departments such as soap making, papermaking, coatings, printing ink, matches, rubber, adhesives, printing, food processing, chemicals, fragrances, medicine, plastics, electrical, pesticides and the electronics industry.
3. Pine resin is an excellent preservative and insect repellent, making pine wood not rot even after being soaked in water and rained on, and most borers dare not attack pine wood.
4. Pine branches and pine roots are incompletely burned in a kiln to produce pine soot, which is used to make ink, printing ink and black coatings.
5. The aromatic oil extracted from pine needles has been widely used in many products such as soap, toothpaste, cosmetics, candies, essences and biscuits. The residue after distilling pine needle oil is still a superior raw material for extracting tannin extract, alcohol and the like.