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Color/Appearance: Heartwood is reddish brown, sapwood is yellowish white and is distinct from the heartwood.
Grain/Texture: Straight grained with a medium to coarse texture and a greasy feel.
Endgrain: Large resin canals, numerous and evenly distributed, mostly solitary; earlywood to latewood transition abrupt, color contrast high; tracheid diameter medium-large.
Rot Resistance: The heartwood is rated as moderately resistant to decay.
Workability: Overall, Caribbean Pine works fairly well with most tools, though the resin can gum up tools and clog sandpaper. Caribbean Pine glues and finishes well.
Odor: Caribbean Pine has a strong resinous odor while being worked.
Allergies/Toxicity: Working with pine has been reported to cause allergic skin reactions and/or asthma-like symptoms in some people. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicityand Wood Dust Safetyfor more information.
Pricing/Availability: Caribbean Pine is an important commercial species which is widely grown on plantations worldwide. Caribbean Pine should be available throughout its native range for a modest price.
Sustainability: This wood species is not listed in the CITES Appendices, and is reported by the IUCN as being a species of least concern.
Common Uses: Paper (pulpwood), veneer, plywood, flooring, and construction lumber.
Comments: Although not technically a southern yellow pine, Caribbean Pine is closely related to other pine species found in southeastern United States which are commonly grouped as southern yellow pine, such as Longleaf, Shortleaf, Loblolly, and SlashPine.
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