Durability of pine timber

[Squaredy]

I have always considered pine timber to be non-durable.  I have noticed however a number of instances where it resists rot surprisingly well.

 

I am not talking about pitch pine or oregon pine (Douglas Fir) but the types of pines we get here in the UK - I guess: scots, lodgepole, ponderosa, radiata.

 

Can anyone guide me - are certain ones known to be durable?  Or are they all more durable than I imagined?  

 

I would have said they are not much better than spruce, but I am thinking they are actually closer to larch.

 

What do you think fellow Arbtalkers?

[Muddy42]

I don't have any experience with ponderosa or radiata, which I have not seen planted commercially on scale, more species trees.  Logepole pile used to get planted in commercial blocks as windbreaks.  The timber was never amazing - slow growing so small by time of harvest and not very straight.

 

Scots pine and particularly the heartwood is great stuff and very durable.  And yes I agree much better than spruce and very similar to larch in the same condition.  Of course small sappy pieces of either species with the bark left on will be rubbish.

[Squaredy]

3 hours ago, Muddy42 said:

I don't have any experience with ponderosa or radiata, which I have not seen planted commercially on scale, more species trees.  Logepole pile used to get planted in commercial blocks as windbreaks.  The timber was never amazing - slow growing so small by time of harvest and not very straight.

 

Scots pine and particularly the heartwood is great stuff and very durable.  And yes I agree much better than spruce and very similar to larch in the same condition.  Of course small sappy pieces of either species with the bark left on will be rubbish.

Interesting.  Sadly the pieces I have which have confounded my expectations of fast rotting are of an unknown variety.  

I mean I don’t know the exact species, not that they are new to science.

[Welshfred]

Scots is pretty durable I think, Corsican and lodgepole are appalling outdoors in my experience.

[Mike Hill]

Scots pine is durable if its heart wood.

[topchippyles]

I stick to larch or Douglas fir myself bomb proof