Identification of Southern Yellow Pine Wood

Appearance

• One of the most recognizable features of Southern Yellow Pine lumber is the distinct difference in color between the heartwood and the sapwood. The heartwood, located at the center of the tree, is typically a distinct brown, orange or yellow color. The sapwood, located around the heartwood, is generally light yellow or white in color.

Scent

• Southern Yellow Pine wood has a strong fragrance caused by the large amount of sap found in this type of wood. The odor generated by this sap is often described as a pitch-like pine smell.

Structure

• The defining structural characteristics of Southern Yellow Pine are its uneven grain and growth rings. The growth rings of Southern Yellow Pine exhibit a distinct transition between the earlywood and latewood sections of each growth ring.

Growth Rings

• A microscope reveals that Southern Yellow Pine growth rings have large cells in the part of the ring nearest the center of the tree. The outer late-wood section of each growth ring possesses smaller cells with thicker growth.