Resin extraction consists of incising the outer layers of a
pine
A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae.
''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...
tree in order to collect the sap or
resin
A resin is a solid or highly viscous liquid that can be converted into a polymer. Resins may be biological or synthetic in origin, but are typically harvested from plants. Resins are mixtures of organic compounds, predominantly terpenes. Commo ...
.
Summary
Resin
A resin is a solid or highly viscous liquid that can be converted into a polymer. Resins may be biological or synthetic in origin, but are typically harvested from plants. Resins are mixtures of organic compounds, predominantly terpenes. Commo ...
circulates throughout a
coniferous
Conifers () are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a sin ...
tree and a few others, and serves to seal damage to the tree. Harvesting pine resin dates back to
Gallo-Roman times in
Gascony
Gascony (; ) was a province of the southwestern Kingdom of France that succeeded the Duchy of Gascony (602–1453). From the 17th century until the French Revolution (1789–1799), it was part of the combined Province of Guyenne and Gascon ...
.
Tapping pines may either be done so as to sustain the life of the tree, or exhaustively in the years before the tree is cut down.
Traditional tapping
In Gascony, and to a lesser extent in
Provence
Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterrane ...
, pine-tapping was practiced as a form of
sharecropping
Sharecropping is a legal arrangement in which a landowner allows a tenant (sharecropper) to use the land in return for a share of the crops produced on that land. Sharecropping is not to be conflated with tenant farming, providing the tenant a ...
, although uncertain status of the workers sometimes led to labor disputes.
Although almost abandoned during the 20th century, in
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
it has experienced something of a resurgence. Cesefor
is a Spanish non-profit foundation. which promotes forestry in Spain and its industry including Non-Wood Forest Products (NWFP) which in the Mediterranean region includes, resins, as well as cork, berries, nuts, and mushrooms, among many others.
Procedure
Resin is usually collected by causing minor damage to the tree by making a hole far enough into the trunk to puncture the
vacuoles, to let sap exit the tree, known as tapping, and then letting the tree repair its damage by filling the wound with resin. This usually takes a few days. Then, excess resin is collected.
Gallery
File:Resin extraction near Irkutsk.jpg, Lithuanian deportees into Russia extract resin near Irkutsk.
File:Resin extraction in Cortegaça (Mortágua).jpg
File:Kombornia zywicowanie.jpg
File:Getah hars Pinus Panji DSC 0622-.JPG, Resin
See also
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Maple syrup
Maple syrup is a sweet syrup made from the sap of maple trees. In cold climates, these trees store starch in their trunks and roots before winter; the starch is then converted to sugar that rises in the sap in late winter and early spring. Ma ...
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Naval stores industry
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Rosin
Rosin (), also known as colophony or Greek pitch (), is a resinous material obtained from pine trees and other plants, mostly conifers. The primary components of rosin are diterpenoids, i.e., C20 carboxylic acids. Rosin consists mainly of r ...
*
Rubber tapping
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Turpentine
Turpentine (which is also called spirit of turpentine, oil of turpentine, terebenthine, terebenthene, terebinthine and, colloquially, turps) is a fluid obtainable by the distillation of resin harvested from living trees, mainly pines. Principall ...
References
Tree tapping
Conifers
{{conifer-stub