Properties of spruce wood. Spruce, its properties and applications. Softwood

Siberian larch is a coniferous tree from the pine family. The name of this coniferous tree reflects its ability to shed its needles like leaves every fall. The dimensions of a larch tree are on average 50 m in height and 2.5 meters in width at the base. Larches are long-lived, they live on average 700-800 years. A beautiful, frost-resistant, long-lived tree among the peoples of Siberia is considered a symbol of power and ever-renewing life. Larch is distributed throughout almost the entire territory of Russia, but only larch growing in Siberia is valued.

Siberian Larch is widespread in the taiga forests of the Western part of Eastern Siberia (mainly in the Krasnoyarsk Territory and Irkutsk Region). Larch is also found in the European part of our country, but larch lumber of Siberian origin is valuable for construction. Larch, grown in a milder European climate, has looser wood, similar in properties to pine wood.

Siberian larch wood has unique properties, in particular, it is highly resistant to decay - its biological resistance is twice that of pine wood. The resistance to destruction of this wood is explained by a combination of a number of its unique properties: high density, special resin composition, high resin content. Well-known proof of the strength and durability of larch are the piles on which Venice stands, made from this very tree. They have been standing in water and have not required replacement for more than 1000 years.

Larch wood is characterized by increased strength compared to oak - 96 MPa to 94 MPa. The density of Siberian larch is 620-725 kg/m3 with a humidity of up to 12%, which is slightly inferior to the density of oak 670-720 kg/m3. In addition to special strength and resistance to external influences, it is characterized by good color and structure.

Siberian Larch, famous all over the world due to its unique biological and physical-mechanical properties, can be classified as a particularly valuable building material. It has impeccable environmental purity and healing properties. The wood of Siberian Larch remains alive throughout its entire service life and releases phytoncides - volatile substances that provide natural air purification from harmful microbes. When phytoncides enter the human respiratory tract, they prevent colds and viral diseases. In a house made of Siberian Larch, the likelihood of headaches and neuroses is reduced, and positive results in lowering blood pressure are observed.

Siberian Larch wood has a rich color range, including 12 bright sunny shades, which are its unique feature. The annual layers are clearly visible in cross sections and form a beautiful wood pattern on the surface of products made from Siberian Larch. Using varnish of the appropriate color, you can give your home that unique individual style that will dictate your mood and imagination.

The fire resistance of Siberian Larch wood is twice as high as that of ordinary pine wood. The high volumetric heat capacity of Siberian Larch wood will help keep your house warm during the winter cold, and in the summer heat it will keep your house naturally cool.

Ecological purity, natural shine, a rich range of wood shades and warm tones create comfort and a healthy natural atmosphere in houses built and decorated with Siberian larch. Designers all over the world widely use larch finishing materials in their work, the quality and beauty of which allow them to complete the work at the highest level.

Angara pine spreads in the taiga forests of the Irkutsk region, in the Angara River basin. The special natural conditions of the Siberian forest ecosystem are: cold climate, calmness, predominance of sandy soils and the ecological purity of Siberian forests, which determine the exceptional properties of this tree species. Thanks to the wide popularity of lumber made from its wood (strength, resistance to rot), Angarsk pine has turned into a unique Siberian brand. Angarskaya will be appreciated by furniture and building materials manufacturers all over the world. This tree grows very slowly; its industrial age is 150-200 years.

The wood of Angarsk pine is hard and fine-grained. Its growth rings are formed under conditions of long winters and short summer periods. Angara pine wood has high mechanical strength and low thermal conductivity. It is easy to process and has a unique textured pattern. Wood has plasticity, which allows it to withstand sudden changes in temperature and humidity levels; does not crack. Angara pine wood is an absolutely pure ecological material with antibacterial properties due to the release of phytoncides.

The structure of Angarsk pine is very beautiful and unique. The wood has a light golden warm color. The texture of the wood does not fade or fade over time, but only acquires a reddish tint due to the higher resin content, which is a distinctive feature of Angarsk pine.

Pines are tall trees, up to 35 m, live up to 150-200 years, sometimes up to 400 years. Leaves in the form of needles. The needles are smooth, sharp, hard, fastened in pairs, and remain on the branches for 2-3 years. The trunks have dark brown bark below, and red-brown and golden bark above. Pine, like all conifers, does not have flowers. In May, pollen spills out of the yellowish cones, which falls on the ovules located in other cones. The winged seeds ripen in woody cones in the second year. Pine is the most valuable forest tree.

Pine is unpretentious and grows both on dry sand, forming mossy forests, and in conditions of high humidity. In the pine forests there are tall columnar trunks and small pyramidal crowns. Pines that grow freely on the edges are small in height and have a wide spreading crown. Pine is a light-loving plant.

Mature pine cones are drooping, dull, and wide-conical. Squirrels, chipmunks, and birds feed on the seeds; From them you can extract oil used for making drying oil. Moose feed on young pine shoots. Pine needles are winter food for wood grouse. Pine is a medicinal plant. Many valuable medicines are made from needles, buds, and resin. Pine provides the largest amount of good building material used to make masts, houses, and planks; Even in paper production, pine is used. In pine forests there are never trees blown over by the wind - their roots go deep into the soil. All pine wood is rich in resin. Resin heals wounds on the tree that can be caused by irresponsible nature lovers.

Spruce - like pine, fir or larch wood, is a coniferous species. There is a wide variety of spruce species and varieties on the international market, the wood of which has different uses. But of all the types of spruce, the most famous is the common spruce (European), as the most common type of spruce in Europe and Northern Asia. In Russia, it grows in the European part, from the western border to the Urals, in the south - right up to the beginning of the black earth lands. Spruce forests form the appearance of the landscape of the taiga zone. In Asia, Siberian spruce has significant economic importance. It can be found, as you probably guessed from the name, in Siberia - from the Urals to Primorye.

Spruce is a monoecious plant and has a pyramidal crown. The trunk grows up to 40-50 m, sometimes up to 80-90 m in some species, the bottom diameter reaches 1-2 m. The bark consists of small red-brown or gray scales.

Spruce forests occupy third place in terms of area among coniferous trees, after larch and pine. The total area of ​​spruce forests in Russia is more than 70 million hectares, of which a reserve of about 10 billion m3 of wood is formed. In the forests, both pure spruce stands and those mixed with other coniferous and deciduous species are formed.

Spruce wood

The peculiarity of spruce is that it does not have a clearly defined core. The color of the wood is uniform white-yellowish, sometimes with a slight pink tint. Later layers of wood are darker than earlier ones and have a higher density, but the structure remains uniform. There is always a small number of small resin passages. Tree rings are clearly visible in any section. The width of the annual layers varies depending on the type of spruce and its growing conditions. So, for example, for the common spruce (European) in northwestern Russia, the number of annual rings averages 12.1 and 21% of late wood, for Siberian spruce - 6.5 and 25%, for eastern Siberia - 9 and 25% respectively. The medullary rays are narrow, not visible to the naked eye. The largest knots are located in whorls; unlike pine, in spruce there are also small single knots outside the whorls.

The average physical and mechanical properties of northern spruce wood are as follows:

• density - 0.46 g/cm3,
• compressive strength along the fibers - 425,
• static bending - 775,
• chipping - 52 kg/cm2,
• specific work during impact bending - 0.18 kgm/cm3,
• end hardness - 225 kg/cm2.

The density of spruce is on average 15% lower than the density of pine, so spruce is inferior to it in strength and resistance to rotting. But spruce is better than pine in terms of quality coefficient; for example, spruce bends somewhat better. If we compare different types of spruce, we can highlight the common spruce, whose wood has the highest qualities.

Types and varieties

Spruce is a genus of coniferous evergreen trees. In addition to the species, Norway spruce consists of 36 primary species and 4 hybridogenic ones:

• primary species:

Chihuahua spruce – Picea chihuahuana Martínez;

Farrera spruce – Picea farreri CNPage & Rushforth;

white spruce (gray) – Picea glauca (Moench) Voss;

Ayan spruce – Picea jezoensis (Siebold & Zucc.) Carrière;

Likiang spruce – Picea likiangensis (Franch.) E.Pritz.;

black spruce – Picea mariana (Mill.) Britton, Sterns & Poggenb.;

Siberian spruce – Picea obovata Ledeb.;

red spruce – Picea rubens Sarg. and etc.

• hybrid species: Picea xalbertiana Br. (Picea engelmannii x Picea glauca);
• Finnish spruce – Picea xfennica (Regel) (Picea abies x Picea obovata);
• Lutz spruce – Picea xlutzii Little (Picea glauca x Picea sitchensis);
• Picea xnotha Rehder (Picea glehnii x Picea jezoensis).

Some of them, for example, Chinese spruce (Picea brachytyla (Franch.) E.Pritz.), Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii Parry ex Engelm.), Korean spruce (Picea koraiensis Nakai), blue spruce (Picea pungens Engelm.) Just like spruce, they are grown as an ornamental plant.

Common spruce. Latin name : Picea abies (L.) Karst (Picea escelsa Link.).

Common spruce. Another name : Norway spruce (western, tall), fir tree.

Spruce wood processing

Spruce wood has increased knotiness and knot hardness, making it more difficult to process by planing; Dark tarred (horny) knots, which are so hard that they cause the blades of a machine or tool to crumble, are especially common and interfere with processing. On the other hand, spruce has many advantages: its wood has low density, uniformity and low resin content.

Spruce is suitable for staining and painting. Since spruce wood rots quickly, it should be treated with an antiseptic.

Chemical composition of Norway spruce

The effect of spruce on humans is determined by the chemical composition of the tree. Its parts contain:

• essential oil;
• pinene, cadiene and santen;
• aromatic alcohols;
• iron, manganese and chromium;
• Karen and phellandrene;
• bornyl acetate;
• vitamin C;
• phytoncides and tannins;
• aluminum;
• fatty oil;
• turpentine and rosin;
• formic and succinic acids.

Spruce can be used both internally and externally. Traditional medicine offers many algorithms for processing needles and tree shoots.

Application of spruce materials

Spruce is processed in the form of round timber, various lumber, and veneer. We, at the Krymwood enterprise, sell eurolining, block house, imitation timber, boards of different sizes, various moldings: platbands, baseboards, linings. You can use spruce anywhere, both as structural wood and in construction. It is excellent for cladding work indoors and outdoors. Spruce wood can be used together with fir, since these species are similar in quality and appearance.

The white color, low resin content of the wood, as well as fairly long fibers make spruce wood especially valuable for pulp and paper production. Spruce in general is often used in wood chemical production - and it is used to make methyl alcohol, turpentine, wood vinegar, rosin, and tar. Various volatile fractions are released from spruce needles and wood, which consist mainly of terpenoids - these are essential oils, their main component being pinene.

Alder wood is one of the most versatile building materials, which has recently become very popular. The properties of alder wood make it a valuable raw material, which is used to produce a wide variety of products - from paper to imitation of more valuable types of wood such as walnut, cherry, and mahogany. By the way, due to its water resistance properties, it is ideal for underground or underwater construction. Therefore, previously it was actively used for the manufacture of sluice gates, piles, water pipes and wells.

The most common types of alder are black and gray. Alder wood is classified as a species with low density, since at standard humidity its density is 525 kg/m3, dry - 595 kg/m3. In turn, the basic density of wood is 430 kg/m3. It is worth noting that density indicators indicate the maximum load on it and, accordingly, the service life of products made from it.

Alder wood is a soft wood, since according to Brinell its hardness is only 2.1 HB with a moisture content of 12%. If we assume that the hardness of oak is 100%, the indicator for alder in this case is 57%. But thanks to its softness and uniform structure, it is quite easy to process: it is ideally cut, painted, glued and polished. That is why manufacturers today offer a wide range of different finishing materials made of wood. Namely, you can buy a block house, lining, and floor boards from alder.

Immediately after being cut, alder wood is white, but when exposed to air it acquires a very beautiful color, the shades of which can vary from orange-yellow to red and brown. There are often color spots on it, and the boundaries of tree rings and woody tufts are rather weakly expressed. Wood is actively used for the production of veneer, as well as the production of particle boards and plywood. In addition, on the building materials market you can buy izolkha floor boards, as well as other finishing materials. It is actively used to imitate valuable types of wood, restore furniture, and make musical instruments.

Its growing area covers almost all of Europe, right up to Siberia and Kazan. Alder is found even in Western Asia and North Africa. At the same time, it is worth noting that it does not grow in the steppe regions of southern Russia and Spain, as well as in northern and central Scandinavia.

Linden is a genus of deciduous trees, of which there are more than 50 different species. The properties and characteristics of linden wood have been known for a long time; the distinctive feature of this material is its uniform structure and noticeable shine. The conditional density of linden is 400 kg/m3, and its density in an absolutely dry state is 495 kg/m3. That is, it is relatively low, the material can be called soft, light and viscous, but as humidity decreases, the density increases significantly. In general, linden is considered a soft wood, its end hardness coefficient is less than 38.6 MPa.

The color of the wood is white, sometimes there may be a pinkish tint; over time, its color does not darken, but retains its original shade. The structure of the wood is not entirely clear, knots are rare, and the annual layers are faintly visible in sections. Due to the fact that the moisture in linden wood is distributed evenly across the cross-section of the trunk, linden lumber is practically not subject to cracking and warping.

Linden wood is especially valuable for various buildings and crafts that do not require special strength. This material is widely used for extracting bast. Its wood is often used to make musical instruments, and has long been widely used in carvings due to its white and clean structure. It is also used for the manufacture of plywood, high-quality lining, furniture, dugouts, floor boards, drawing boards and much more.

Its wear resistance can be assessed as quite low, so it bends well and is easy to paint, polish and other types of processing. This wood is not attacked by rodents and it retains heat well, so it was actively used for cutting bathhouses and household warehouses. And linden floors are warm, soft and relatively “quiet”. It is not advisable to lay them on the lower floors, but for the second and subsequent floors it is ideal.

Representatives of the genus are distributed in subtropical and temperate zones of the northern hemisphere. A particularly large number of linden trees grow in Southeast Asia; more than 15 species of this tree are found in China alone. It is less common in temperate zones of Asia, Europe and North America. The best conditions for its cultivation are warmth and humidity. The natural habitat is the entire temperate zone up to 60-66° N. Linden prefers rich soils, but is content with very diverse types. Quite easy to propagate.

Aspen has many properties. But not every builder will be happy if he receives an order to build a building from this tree.

General information, places of growth

Spruce (Spruce, Picea) . If you ask one of us to name the most necessary plants for a person, then there is no doubt that wheat and rice, potatoes and sugar beets, cotton and flax, olives and grapes will be named. Maybe even a Hevea tree and a Coconut tree. It is unlikely, however, that anyone would think of putting spruce in one of the first places. Meanwhile, spruce has accompanied us since the first New Year's holiday, indelible in childhood memory, and has a lot of irreplaceable qualities.

The name “spruce” in botanical nomenclature and classification is generic. The Latin word picea comes from the word pix - resin. The genus picea includes about 37 species of woody plants. This is not entirely certain, since little is yet known about some southern Chinese and Japanese species. The general range of the genus is the climate-temperate regions of the northern hemisphere: from Westphalia (France) across Europe to Amur and Sakhalin in the Far East and further from Alaska through the North American continent to its Atlantic coast, from the northernmost forest outposts reaching the Arctic Ocean, to the southern borders of Mexico (Sierra Madre), from the vast areas occupied by it in Siberia, to the mountains in Japan, the Himalayas and the Tien Shan. In the taiga zone, spruce is the most important forest-forming species in Eurasia and North America. They consist of both lowland dark coniferous forests and mountain taiga forests.

Spruce differs from other closely related genera of the pine family (pine, larch, fir) by the absence of shortened shoots, solitary needles, needles petiole-shapedly narrowed to the leaf pads, as well as cones that droop when ripe, completely falling off after the seeds fall out. If you tear off the needles, the shoot looks lumpy from leaf marks. This is a very good sign that distinguishes spruce from fir, which is similar in appearance: fir has a smooth shoot.

There are 8 species of spruce in our country. The most common are two closely related and hybridizing species: Norway spruce and Siberian spruce. As a rule, these are tall (up to 50m), slender trees, with a dense (often narrow) cone-shaped crown. However, high in the mountains and near the northern border of the forest they often take on an elfin (creeping) form. The spruce needles are prickly, approximately a seventh of it is shed annually, and complete renewal occurs in 5-7 years. Cones (female reproductive organs) hanging down, up to 16 cm long, first appear in trees at the age of 10-15 years in a sparse forest stand and 25-30 years in a closed stand. About once every 4-5 years there are so many cones that the branches and tops of trees sometimes cannot withstand their weight and break. Spruce reproduces mainly by seeds. It grows extremely slowly, especially up to 10-15 years (a ten-year-old tree is rarely taller than 1.5 m). Lives up to 250-300 years, some trees - 500-600 years. Spruce is highly shade-tolerant. It can grow under the canopy of taller trees, content with the few rays of light that manage to penetrate the dense canopy of foliage. But spruce is demanding on soil fertility. On lands poor in nutrients, it grows slowly, and it is difficult for it to compete with its stronger neighbors - pine and larch.

Tolerates excess soil moisture, but suffers from droughts; frost-resistant. The root system is superficial, so in strong winds trees are often uprooted.

Ayan spruce occupies significant areas in the Far East, oriental spruce in the Caucasus, and Schrenck spruce in the mountains of Central Asia. All these are long-lived (living up to 500-600 years) trees, usually tall (up to 30-60 m). The only exception is a tree of the second size - Glen spruce (Southern Sakhalin). It should be noted that the largest spruce in the world, the Sitka spruce, grows in Washington state (USA). Its height is 60 m, diameter is 4.5 m, volume is about 300 cubic meters.

It is worth mentioning another interesting species, or rather, even a single specimen of spruce discovered by scientists - this is the “crocodile” spruce. In its properties, this spruce differs sharply from its surrounding relatives. Its crown is located much higher and it is two times smaller than that of the common spruce; in addition, the crown is very sparse, the weeping nature of the branches is pronounced, as well as a more sparse arrangement of somewhat shortened needles. The trunk is less tapered and resembles a pine trunk; it is better cleared of branches.

This spruce has a tap root. The root paws are anchor type, but enter the lower layers of soil at a more acute angle. The structure of the crust and crust is completely different. If in Norway spruce, with age, lanceolate plates of crust with a thickness of no more than 2-3 mm are formed on the bark, then in “crocodile” spruce the entire trunk to the crown is covered with a crust, which is divided into uniform trapezoidal plates up to 3 cm thick. The thickness of these plates uniformly decreases from root collar to the crown. A large amount of resin is released from cracks in the crust and in areas of physical damage, which is distinguished by a darker amber color. When dried, it has a strong smell and does not crumble, like common spruce, but splits into prismatic crystals. The trunk looks like a shell, which is why the spruce got its name. For 15 years, this tree has not yet bear fruit, although the Norway spruce nearby has bear fruit twice. There is reason to believe that this is a new species of spruce that has budded as a result of changes in environmental conditions. The tree has reached 25 m in height, its annual growth is 20-25 cm.

Spruce forests, that is, forests dominated by spruce, in terms of the stock of species included in the tree stand, occupy 11% of the forested area in our country, second only to larch (40%) and pine (16%). In terms of its share in the total volume of timber harvested in the country (about 400 million cubic meters), it, however, exceeds these tree species.

Typically, a spruce forest consists of two, three, and sometimes four generations. In the first tier there is the highest maternal generation, which gave life to the entire forest; in the second - younger trees; in the third there is spruce undergrowth, and very close to the ground there are spruce shoots. Unlike pine, spruce rarely grows alone. Typically, trees of other species also grow well in a spruce forest. This whole combination of large and small trees of different colors and shapes makes a strong impression.

It is believed that the homeland of spruce is the Far East. The oldest type of wood structure similar to the structure of spruce wood was found in Manchuria, and the oldest living species of spruce is usually called the Japanese species - picea koyamai. The evolution of the spruce genus has been going on for 100-120 million years (since the Cretaceous period). The antiquity of the genus and its current wide distribution indicate the great plasticity of spruce in terms of adaptation to environmental conditions. In the ancient geological past, dark coniferous forests (including spruce) grew in mountainous conditions. The taiga descended to the plains probably no earlier than in the Tertiary period. But most of all, the area of ​​distribution of modern spruce species, overwhelmingly isolated from each other, was influenced by the Ice Age. During the period of maximum glaciation, glaciers covered about 32% of the landmass of our planet, whereas now they cover only 10%. The ancestors of modern spruce trees were preserved then, for example, in Europe only in some refuges: in the Eastern Carpathians, at the southern and eastern foot of the Alps, between the middle reaches of the Volga and the Urals, on the western and northwestern coast of the Scandinavian Peninsula. Then the spruce spread widely from these refuges. Thus, the age of the modern habitats of our main species of spruce - European and Siberian - can be estimated at 4-6 thousand years, that is, only 25-40 generations have changed in the taiga. As you can see, spruce as a genus is of venerable age, but spruce forests as a plant formation are quite young. This partly explains why spruce achieves its greatest productivity outside its current range, where, figuratively speaking, it would be glad to remember its former capabilities, which it once lost due to competitive displacement by other species.

For foresters, spruce and spruce forests are interesting for many reasons. But the main ones are productivity and sustainability. The forest ecosystems of spruce forests are amazingly diverse in terms of productivity and sustainability. The indicators of biological productivity of lowland and mountain spruce forests on rich, drained soils are record high for the corresponding geographical areas. The highest rates are found in natural spruce stands (with Caucasian fir) in the Northwestern Caucasus. With a spruce height of up to 60m and a trunk diameter of up to 2m, the maximum wood supply reaches 1500 cubic meters per hectare. With intensive farming, even in the north, for example, near St. Petersburg, reserves of 100-year-old tree stands of 600 cubic meters per hectare are achievable, which corresponds to an average increase of about 7 cubic meters per year, and reserves of 40-year-old tree stands are more than 10 cubic meters per year. year. They form relatively low-productivity, but very stable ecosystems in extreme (unfavorable) conditions for the forest, on its zonal and altitudinal boundaries.

The natural spruce forests of the flat middle and southern taiga are very perfect in structure, where the life expectancy of spruce is 360-440 years. Here it forms forest stands of different ages, in which the reserve generation is dominated by a generation whose age is not more than 240 years. The number of individuals in generations on average decreases with their age from younger to older, but tree stands are constantly replenished with younger generations: nature sows with a generous hand. Wood growth is approximately equal to tree mortality. In general, all this ensures the age-old “constancy” of the external appearance of the taiga, its constant self-renewal. So there is no need to fear the collapse of the supposedly overmature forests of the north and Siberia.

The “harvest” in such natural forests should be in the nature of selective felling of trees of old generations, and not complete deforestation over large areas. Dense even-aged forests created by man are another matter: they need to be constantly protected and nurtured, since they lack the immunity to adverse external influences characteristic of natural forests, and they need to be clear-cut on time and at the same time.

For example, an even-aged spruce forest of artificial origin in Bavaria in its productivity (wood supply of 1265 cubic meters per hectare at 98 years of age) and in the structure of the tree stand (large forest of high quality) is the ideal of commercial forestry. But it is very difficult to grow such a forest: windfall, root sponge, insect pests - all this attacks it to an immeasurably greater extent than a natural forest. This forest is aesthetically of little value. It is depleted in the composition of plant and animal species that usually live in spruce forests. And a completely uneven-aged forest stand of natural origin in the middle taiga represents the ideal of a forest ecosystem with maximum stability and the ability to reproduce itself. All taiga species of plants and animals, closely related to spruce by a common centuries-old evolution, are preserved and live in harmony here. All relationships and power chains have been adjusted.

In Europe, there is no other tree species around which the passions of foresters would burn as much as around spruce. And now for some it is a “breadfruit tree”, since in modern economic conditions it is commercially justifiable to grow only spruce wood (in rare cases, oak wood for making furniture veneer). Others see the cultivation of spruce as a threat to the creation of healthy, sustainable landscapes and farming culture in general. The largest spruce specialist, Professor Schmidt-Vogtu, said: “There are no bad trees. And this especially cannot apply to spruce, which for thousands of years has formed the boreal forests of the northern hemisphere and from the wood of which Amati and Stradivarius instruments were made.” In any case, today it seems that for the vast majority of foresters there is no question of whether to grow spruce in ever greater quantities in the future. It has already become a saying: “Growing it is a pain, but not growing it is a crime.”

In the most forested countries with advanced forestry methods, spruce occupies a significant proportion of the forest area: in Finland - 35%, in Sweden - 36%, in Switzerland - 40%, in Germany - 42%, in Austria 57%. A decrease in this share is not expected.

There is a rule in forestry: first of all, under unfavorable conditions, help pine, since spruce, with all its positive properties, is difficult to compete with pine in growth speed and especially in the quality of wood. However, recently we have to deviate from this rule and switch to spruce. The reason for this is moose. The overgrown elk population in many areas completely eats up spruce plantings. To distract animals from forested areas, they usually cut down the aspen trees in the neighborhood, which they happily feed on.

Huge breeding work is going on everywhere to create fast-growing and stable varieties of spruce as a cultivated plant. In Russia, the issue of the rapid development of a sustainable raw material base for the forest industry and especially for the production of paper and related products cannot be resolved without the creation of plantation-type spruce forest crops.

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Positive properties of aspen

However, it's not all bad. Aspen also has positive qualities, thanks to which it can be used in construction.

The first positive property of aspen is good strength. If the wood is well dried, then in this very important indicator it can even be compared with concrete. And over time, the aspen building only gets stronger, becoming heavier.

Another equally important positive property of aspen is moisture resistance and, accordingly, resistance to rotting. If the tree itself grows in a humid environment and inevitably rots during its growth, then its wood can withstand the negative effects of moisture for quite a long time. If dried aspen boards accidentally fall into a humid environment, they may temporarily lose their properties. But then, when they become dry again, all the lost properties will be restored.

Another positive property of aspen is its ability to emit a pleasant aroma. It is less tart than the smell of coniferous trees, and does not intensify when the air in the room is heated. Therefore, bathhouses are often built from aspen, and the walls of the steam room are lined with aspen boards.

And finally, one cannot help but mention the low price of aspen lumber. True, there is also more expensive aspen, which belongs to a high class, and not everyone can afford it.

Collection and preparation

For medicinal purposes, young shoots of common spruce, pine needles, immature cones, resin (resin) are harvested:

• shoots (possibly with buds) - in early spring;
• immature cones - in summer (before the seeds ripen);
• resin - in summer;
• pine needles - twice a year: at the end of spring and at the end of autumn - beginning of winter, when the maximum amount of useful substances accumulates in it.

The branches are chopped. The raw materials are dried outdoors under a canopy, in the shade or indoors, spread out in a thin layer, with good air ventilation, not forgetting to turn over periodically.

Store in boxes or bags made of natural materials in a dry, well-ventilated area. Shelf life:

• branches and needles - a year,
• resins – 5 years.

Negative properties of aspen

Often professionals even refuse to work if they know that they will have to deal with aspen. After all, many properties of wood of this species are negative.

First of all, it is worth mentioning such a negative property as the excessive amount of moisture contained in the structure. The core of the aspen trunk, as a rule, rots because of this. Moreover, the process of decay occurs even before the tree is cut down. But this is just the beginning of all the problems. When delving deeper into the processing process, it turns out that only the top of the tree trunk is suitable for this. It can reach a length of four meters. The same moisture contained in the structure makes aspen wood dry. As a result, one edged board has a very large weight.

In any case, if a person chooses aspen wood for building his house or for renovation work, then more than half of the purchased boards will simply have to be thrown away, since they will be completely unsuitable for work. Many of them will be crooked. And only a small percentage of aspen boards can be subjected to further processing.

What benefits does spruce bring to humans?

Spruce is valued not only for its decorative qualities, but also for its beneficial effects on health. The plant's needles, young flexible branches, resin and pollen are used in medicinal recipes.

What are the benefits of spruce resin?

Spruce resin contains many essential substances and acids, due to which it has powerful antiseptic properties. It can be used for bacterial infections and inflammations, irritations of the epidermis and fungus.

The resin is used externally to heal wounds and cuts. Resin is taken orally for respiratory ailments, nervous disorders, pain and disorders of the genitourinary system. If you have gum inflammation, you can simply chew spruce resin with its medicinal properties - this will have a good therapeutic effect.

What are the benefits of the smell of spruce?

Fir needles contain essential oils with anti-inflammatory and strengthening properties. Inhaling the aroma of pine needles is useful for the treatment and prevention of respiratory infections. Spruce improves the functioning of the bronchi and lungs, helps clear the respiratory tract of mucus. Also, the smell of pine needles has a beneficial effect on the nervous system - it calms, tones, and helps with insomnia and stress.

The healing properties of wood and spruce bark

Spruce bark is usually used to speed up the healing of skin lesions. Based on it, oils and anti-inflammatory homemade patches are prepared. The bark prevents the development of bacterial processes and stimulates tissue repair.

Properties of spruce pollen

At the end of spring, spruce pollen is collected for medicinal purposes, which contains a large amount of phytoncides and minerals. Home remedies based on it increase tone and strengthen the immune system, and stimulate appetite.

Taking spruce pollen is beneficial for chronic fatigue and vitamin deficiency

Medicinal properties of young spruce shoots

Young spruce branches are used to prepare decoctions and infusions. The remedies are used for stomatitis and scurvy, as well as for bronchitis, colds and pneumonia. Drinks based on branches fight inflammation and promote expectoration, improve blood composition. The medicinal properties of young shoots of spruce are also used externally in recipes - to treat scratches and abrasions.

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What helps and what are the benefits of spruce needles for the human body?

Spruce needles have pronounced bactericidal properties. Even its aroma destroys fungi and pathogenic bacteria, and the most powerful positive effect comes from using needles internally. Needles are used to stimulate metabolic processes, as it promotes the production of substances responsible for digestion. You can take it at elevated temperatures and flu, to strengthen the immune system and with weakened blood vessels.

What does spruce needle infusion help with?

An infusion based on spruce needles is used for general strengthening of the body and against scurvy. The needles of the plant contain a large amount of ascorbic acid. The medicinal drink improves immunity and prevents the development of diseases caused by vitamin deficiency.

Also, an infusion of spruce needles is used as a diuretic, for hypertension and for slow digestion. The drink has a beneficial effect on the condition of the kidneys and liver, and relieves inflammation in cystitis.

Spruce infusion improves the condition of rheumatism

What are the benefits of spruce decoction?

Spruce decoction has pronounced antiviral, antispasmodic and diaphoretic properties. It is used internally and externally for throat diseases, ARVI and influenza. The drink alleviates arthritis and relieves irritation and itching of skin ailments.

Advice! It is useful to combine internal use of spruce decoction with adding the product to medicinal baths.

The benefits of spruce jam

Not only healing drinks, but also delicious delicacies are prepared from shoots and needles. Spruce jam is used for sore throat, cough and tuberculosis, loss of strength and weakened immunity, and poor appetite. The beneficial substances in its composition have an invigorating effect, even out the emotional background and help with sleep problems.

Useful properties of the plant

Spruce needles are capable of releasing substances into the environment - phytoncides, which purify and disinfect oxygen and fill it with a wonderful pine smell. With the help of this forest species, spruce can be used well as large-scale landscaping, but not in urban environments. Only prickly spruce is resistant to the changing conditions of the city. Among other things, spruce provides enormous benefits. This tree is used for alternative medicine recipes, baths and cosmetic procedures. The needles and cones of the tree contain beneficial qualities that are used in folk medicine. The essential oil of spruce, which is contained in all parts of this forest species, has an effective anti-inflammatory and disinfecting effect.

Needles are used for antiseptic and antimicrobial effects. There is a particularly common recipe when crushed needles are taken and applied to a fresh wound, which quickly heals after such a procedure and, as a rule, does not become inflamed. Needles are also used to prepare an infusion that treats any inflammatory, fungal and infectious diseases.

To prevent periodontal disease, caries and other dental diseases, Christmas tree resin is used, which must be chewed periodically. This method is also applicable against food poisoning. Using resin and wax inhalation, you can reduce the manifestation of bronchitis, clear the airways and increase the body's resistance to harmful environmental influences. Tree cones contain essential oils, tannins, vitamin C and many other substances that are beneficial to the body. This vitamin complex from spruce cones can alleviate the signs and symptoms of most diseases, as it has antimicrobial, analgesic, diuretic, and anti-inflammatory effects.

The use of needles, shoots, and resin of spruce in folk medicine

In home health recipes you can find products based on spruce needles, resin and shoots. These parts of the plant have the most powerful medicinal properties and quickly improve your well-being.

For immunity

In the autumn-winter period and spring, to maintain immunity, it is useful to drink a decoction of spruce needles. The drug is made like this:

1. Grind two large spoons of well-washed pine needles.
2. Pour a glass of boiling water over the raw material.
3. Place the solution on the fire for 20 minutes.
4. Cool under the lid until warm.

The finished product is divided into three equal portions and taken throughout the day.

For bronchitis

The use of Siberian spruce is recommended for coughs and bronchitis. The tincture has good expectorant properties. The cooking recipe looks like this:

1. Young branches along with needles are washed and 100 g of raw materials are measured.
2. Pour 1 liter of vodka into a clean glass vessel.
3. Infuse in a dark and warm cupboard for two weeks, remembering to shake the container daily.

The finished product is consumed three times a day, 50 ml before meals.

Spruce tincture with pine needles has analgesic properties and helps with joint ailments

For boils and abscesses

Spruce bark copes well with inflammation and suppuration. Based on it, you can prepare a homemade patch:

1. Melt a little butter and wax in equal quantities in a water bath.
2. Cool for 2-3 minutes.
3. Apply the viscous mixture to a small piece of spruce bark.

The resulting patch is applied to the affected area of ​​the skin and secured with a bandage. Treatment must be carried out until healing occurs.

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For vitamin deficiency

Tea made from spruce needles helps replenish the deficiency of vitamins in the body. The cooking recipe is as follows:

1. Fresh or dried needles are crushed in the amount of three large spoons.
2. Pour in 500 ml of hot water.
3. Warm the preparation over low heat for half an hour.
4. Cool under the lid and strain through cheesecloth.

The benefits and harms of tea made from spruce needles depend on its volume. You should not drink the product in the same way as a regular drink; it is consumed only 100 ml in between meals three times a day.

For hemorrhoids

For hemorrhoids and anal fissures, lotions made from spruce resin have a good effect. For treatment, the following remedy is used:

1. Heat up spruce resin and sea buckthorn oil.
2. Mix in equal quantities and bring to homogeneity.
3. Moisten clean gauze or cloth in the resulting composition.
4. Apply to the anus for 15 minutes.

Lotions are applied twice a day. Hygiene procedures must first be completed.

For mastopathy

The healing properties of spruce help well with mastopathy in women. The following remedy is used for therapy:

1. Melt 20 g of tree resin.
2. Mix with 100 ml olive oil.
3. Heat slightly until warm.

The resulting composition is used for compresses; they are applied to the chest for 30 minutes up to five times a day.

For tuberculosis

The valuable properties of blue spruce help to overcome bacterial processes and improve the condition of tuberculosis. The medicinal mixture is made as follows:

1. Grind 100 g of fresh washed pine needles.
2. Mix with an equal amount of honey.
3. Place in a cool, dark place for two weeks.
4. Stir occasionally.

The resulting liquid mass is drained through cheesecloth and the remaining pine needles are squeezed out. The medicine is taken 30 ml in the morning on an empty stomach.

For burns

Homemade ointment based on spruce needles promotes rapid skin restoration after burns. The remedy is done like this:

1. About 50 g of spruce needles are ground with a mortar.
2. In a ceramic container, mix with 250 g of butter, laying the ingredients in layers.
3. Cover the dish with a lid and place in the oven at 70°C for eight hours.
4. After the expiration date, filter the hot product through cheesecloth into a clean container.
5. After cooling, remove the foam.

The resulting ointment from pine needles is applied to the lesions several times a day until complete healing. The product must be stored in the refrigerator.

Attention! Spruce ointment should not be used to treat fresh burns. First you need to wait until the damage enters the healing stage.

Spruce ointment helps with allergic dermatitis and peeling

For rheumatism

For joint ailments, traditional medicine recommends using baths with the addition of spruce. The solution is made like this:

1. About 2 kg of pine needles are washed and crushed.
2. Pour 6 liters of cold water into the raw material.
3. Place on the stove and boil for half an hour.
4. Strain through cheesecloth.

The finished product based on pine needles is poured into a filled bathing container. You need to take a bath for about 20 minutes, the procedures are carried out every other day until the condition improves.

For pneumonia

For pneumonia, a decoction of spruce needles is a good addition to drug therapy. It is prepared according to the following algorithm:

1. Grind a large spoonful of fresh or dried needles.
2. Pour a glass of boiling water over the mixture.
3. Simmer over low heat for half an hour.
4. Remove from the stove and wrap in towels.
5. Infuse for four hours.

The strained product is taken half a glass twice a day until recovery.