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Common Names
Common Uses
Countries of Distribution
Cutting Resistance
Distribution Overview
Drying Defects
Ease of Drying
Environmental Profile
Family Name
Gluing
Grain
Heartwood Color
Movement in Service
Nailing
Natural Durability
Numerical Data
Odor
Planing
Product Sources
References
Regions of Distribution
Resistance to Impregnation
Sapwood Color
Scientific Name
Screwing
Steam Bending
Strength Properties
Texture
Trade Name

Scientific Name
Araucaria cookii

Trade Name
Cooks pine

Family Name
Araucariaceae

Wood Image 1

Common Names
Bunya bunya, Cooks pine, Norfolk island pine, Pin colonnaire, Sapin de montagne

Regions of Distribution
Africa, Oceania and S.E. Asia

Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP]
Hawaii [US], New Caledonia, South Africa

Common Uses
Balusters, Barge fenders, Baskets, Blockboard, Boat building, Boxes and crates, Building construction, Building materials, Canoes, Carvings, Casks, Construction, Cutting surfaces, Decorative plywood, Docks, Dockwork, Domestic flooring, Excelsior, Flooring, Food containers, Handles, Harbor work, Hardboards, Interior construction, Interior trim, Joinery, Ladders , Lifeboats, Light construction, Marine construction, Matchboxes, Matches, Millwork, Moldings, Naval architecture, Novelties, Packing cases, Parquet flooring, Plywood, Poles, Pulp/Paper products, Pulpwood

Environmental Profile
Status has not been officially assessed


Distribution Overview
Native to the New Caledonia Islands. Cooks pine has been successfully cultivated in Australia, South Africa, Hawaii, and Madagascar.

Heartwood Color
Brown
Red
Light brown

Often contains evenly spaces black or brown knots.

Sapwood Color
Red
Brown
Lighter than heartwood
Hardly distinguishable from heartwood


Grain
Even
Crossed
Straight
Figure
Spiral
Mottle

Spiral grain occasionally
Mottled or streaked figure sometimes
Generally straight, but not always

Some material from plantations in the Hawaiian Islands have spiral grain.

Texture
Fine
Fine


Natural Durability
Perishable
Non-resistant to marine borers
Non-resistant to termites
Vulnerable to attack by blue-stain fungi
Very little natural resistance to decay in ground contact
Susceptible to attack by marine borers and termites
Should be converted rapidly after felling


Odor
No specific smell or taste


Drying Defects
Distortion
Stacks should be weighted to prevent distortion


Ease of Drying
Slowly
Dries slowly


Product Sources
The timber is abundant in the countries where it grows, but its availablity on the North American market is rather limited because of very high shipping costs. High shipping costs added to the price of the timber make Parana pine too expensive in comparison to domestic softwood species used for similar applications. It is rated in the moderate price range compared to other imports, but the price is substantially higher than North American softwoods of similar grade.

Supplies of Parana pine in long lengths, wide boards, and veneer form are also limited on the European market, with prices, when available, comparable to those of the more expensive softwoods.

Cutting Resistance
Easy to saw
Wood with hard and dense knots may cause some difficulties
Clear material saws without difficulty


Gluing
Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Fair to Good Results
Satisfactory gluing properties


Movement in Service
Fair to Good Stability - Medium Movement
Fairly stable in service


Nailing
Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Fair to Good Results
Satisfactory nailing properties


Planing
Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Easy to plane but dense, hard knots in seasoned wood may cause chipping


Resistance to Impregnation
Resistant heartwood
Resistant sapwood
Permeable sapwood
Sapwood is permeable
Heartwood is moderately resistant


Screwing
Fairly Easy to Very Easy


Steam Bending
Fair to Good Results
Good steam bending properties


Strength Properties
Crushing strength = medium
Bending strength (MOR) = medium


Numerical Data
ItemGreenDryEnglish
Bending Strength61109521psi
Maximum Crushing Strength31265684psi
Shearing Strength1463psi
Stiffness112212941000 psi
ItemGreenDryMetric
Bending Strength429669kg/cm2
Maximum Crushing Strength219399kg/cm2
Shearing Strength102kg/cm2

References
Keating, W.G., Bolza, E.,1982,Characteristics properties and uses of timbers. South East Asia, Northern,Australia and the Pacific,C.S.I.R.O. Div. Chemical Technology,Inkata Press,1