Uses for Pine in Bushcraft

Pine is one of the most useful and versatile trees in bushcraft. Found widely across the UK, Europe, and North America, pine provides a range of resources that can help you survive and thrive in the wild. From firecraft to shelter building, pine has earned its place as a cornerstone of woodland living.

There are many species of pine, too many to talk about here but for identification purposes the needles normally look like this growing in pairs or groups of 4. Scotts pine is different and can look a bit like fir needles growing more outwardly rather than so close to the branch.

Pine is famous for its resin-rich heartwood known as fatwood. Fatwood is one of the best natural fire starters available because the resin inside it is highly flammable. You can shave it into fine curls or scrape it to make dust for tinder. Even when wet, fatwood will usually ignite with a spark from a ferro rod or a match. This makes it a vital resource in wet and damp conditions where other materials may fail.

Fatwood is highly flammable due to high amounts of the chemical turpene

The tree’s sap or resin has multiple bushcraft applications. Pine resin can be collected from wounds in the bark where the tree naturally produces it to seal itself. Once gathered, you can use this resin as a natural glue by melting it down and mixing it with a little charcoal or ash. This forms a primitive adhesive called pine pitch, which can be used for tool repairs, sealing containers, or fixing arrowheads.

Pine resin is also an excellent fire accelerant. When added to kindling, it burns hot and fast, helping you get flames onto wet wood or difficult-to-light tinder.

Pine needles are another useful resource. Fresh pine needles can be brewed into tea which is rich in vitamin C and antioxidants. This makes it a good way to prevent scurvy or boost immunity during extended stays in the wild. The needles can also be used as tinder when dry, or as insulation material for bedding. If you gather enough, pine needles work well for debris shelter flooring, providing both padding and warmth but if you have spruce around then use that.

Pine roots are sometimes used for cordage. In softer pines like Scots pine, the roots can be dug up, stripped of their outer layer, and twisted into natural rope. This cordage can be used for shelter construction, trap making, or lashing poles together.

Raw pine root cordage

For building shelters and camp craft, pine provides straight limbs that are ideal for ridge poles, tripods or lean-too’s. Infact pine is the best wood for building any shelter in my opinion.

Pine boughs can be cut and layered for roofing, bedding, or even makeshift insulation in cold weather but spruce is a better option.

A shelter demonstrating the type of straight limbs you can expect from young pines, this has been insulated with spruce.

Pine cones from certain species, like the Stone Pine, produce edible nuts known as pine nuts. While not all pines produce large enough seeds to make this worthwhile in the UK, in some areas pine nuts can be a valuable food source. Even when the nuts are small, they can be collected and eaten raw or roasted.

Pine nuts are a nutritional powerhouse and pine pollen is also a superfood even containing testosterone.

Pine nuts and cones

Pine nuts are nutrient-dense, rich in healthy fats, protein, and various vitamins and minerals. A one-ounce serving (approximately 167 kernels) provides about 191 calories, 19 grams of fat (mostly unsaturated), 3.9 grams of protein, and 3.7 grams of carbohydrates, including 1.1 grams of fiber. They are also a good source of magnesium, iron, and zinc

In survival situations, the inner bark of pine, called the cambium layer, can be used as emergency food. It can be scraped, dried, and ground into a flour substitute or eaten directly. This is not recommended as a regular food source due to its low nutritional value, but it has saved lives in survival situations but eating too often can often lead to binding of the stomach and impacted stools, which can be extremely painful and dangerous.

Pine trees also serve a role in natural navigation. In the Northern Hemisphere, resin often accumulates more on the south-facing side of the tree because of increased sun exposure. This is not a foolproof method but can provide a rough indication of direction in a pinch combined with prevailing wind direction and which way the trees are leaning ect it may help.

Pine has mild medicinal uses as well. Pine resin can be applied to small cuts and abrasions to help seal wounds and prevent infection. It acts as a natural antiseptic and forms a protective barrier over the skin. As mentioned pine pollen is a nutritional bomb with a wide array of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other bioactive compounds. It is known to contain over 200 nutritional elements, including vitamins A, B-complex, C, D2, D3, and E, as well as essential amino acids, zinc, magnesium, and more.

Pine resin. When collecting if it gets on your tools it can be difficult to remove, its way better to use a stick, i have found olive oil to be very good at removing pine resin though.

For utensil making, pine wood is soft and easy to carve. This makes it ideal for practicing bushcraft skills like carving spoons, making pot hangers, or crafting temporary tools and pegs. It’s also commonly used for making bow drill sets for friction fire lighting, although you need to select resin-poor sections for the best results, resious pine will not work well for friction fire.

Overall, pine is one of the most valuable trees in the bushcraft and survival world. It provides fire, shelter materials, food in survival situations, medicine, cordage, and crafting materials. Whether you’re lighting a fire in the rain, building a shelter, or making glue in the wild for arrows or other crafts, the pine tree offers solutions for nearly every aspect of woodland living.

Check out more uses for trees and plants and other skills in our blog here - https://www.bushcraftsurvivaluk.com/bushcraft-and-survival-blog

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