Pines are grown for many types of logs - including industrial wood which is used for reconstituted board products, treated fence posts, and sawlogs for sawn timber. Industrial wood uses the poorer quality trees at each thinning - at 10 to 15 years of age and sawlogs from about 18 years onwards. The final harvest is at 25 to 35 years. Concerns about pines Some farmers believe that pines may have serious disadvantages when grown on farms. Contrary to popular belief, pines do not turn soil 'sour'.
Pasture grows under widely spaced pines and after clearfelling.
Pines are vulnerable to fire and a protection strategy should be developed for each farm. However, when pines are integrated with farming, this makes them much easier to protect, especially when the land is grazed. Belts of trees also reduce wind speed and thereby fire speed. It is not essential to prune pines to produce saleable wood, providing they are grown close together. If the pines are planted at densities of more than 1500 trees per hectare, branch size is controlled and the trees produce logs of structural grade timber.