Pinus pinea is utilised for a number of purposes in Italy, Spain and Portugal and these are briefly discussed below. As shelter belts The trees can stand strong winds and salt sea air, and once established will tolerate both wet and dry conditions. The strong tap root on this species is able to penetrate hard soil, a feature which helps it when there is competition for water. For nut production The pine nuts currently being imported into New Zealand are quite widely used for cooking , salads, confectionery and as a raw edible nut. Trees start to bear a crop of nuts after 6 to 10 years and this mean that a shelter belt can be a source of extra income.
Harvesting is done using a hook on a long pole to pull the nuts from the tree.
The cones are then spread on plastic or on concrete in the sun. On drying the cones open up and the nuts fall out. For erosion control The trees are very useful for erosion control in coastal areas as they tolerate salt-laden winds and will grow in both sands and clays. They also tolerate very hot summers and cold conditions down to 23C below freezing. During 1985, Italy had one of the coldest winters for many years and although large orchards of olives died, there was no apparent effect on the pine nut trees.