Cedar and pine are two trees that belong to the same Pine family. Despite their external similarity, both plants have a number of significant differences.

What are cedar and pine

Cedar is a genus of trees in the Pine family, which consists of only a few species.
Lebanese cedar
Pine is a genus of trees in the Pine family, numbering about 120 species.
Scots pine
Siberian cedar pine

Comparison of cedar and pine

What is the difference between cedar and pine?
Cedars are common within the subtropical climate zone– Mediterranean, mountainous Crimea, Himalayas. Therefore, there are only a few types of these plants - Lebanese, Himalayan and Atlas cedar.
Pines are common in temperate and subtropical climate in Eurasia and North America. Today there are about 200 species of pine trees on Earth. Pines are evergreens. Depending on living conditions, they look like both large trees with crowns of different shapes and miniature shrubs.
Cedar is a monoecious plant reaching 50 meters in height. The tree is evergreen and has a characteristic, spreading crown. The needles are arranged spirally, collected in bunches of 30-40 pieces each. An individual needle resembles a needle. It can be triangular or tetrahedral, painted in a special emerald-steel color.
Pine is a monoecious plant with long or short needles. From two to five long needles are collected in a bunch, the number of which forms the basis of the taxonomy of pine trees. When damaged, rosettes form on the tree, from which short needles grow. The color of the green mass of pine depends on the climate and soil quality, and therefore varies from light silver to intense green.
Cedar cones are located singly, “stick out” like candles, and have a special barrel-shaped shape. Such a cone ripens in the second or third year of its formation. This seed incubation organ is characterized by the presence of numerous, spirally arranged scales, to which tiny ones are attached - only 15% of the total weight of the cone! - winged seeds. The embryo of the future cedar consists of 8-10 cotyledons. When a seed falls into the soil, a new cedar sprout is able to grow - “hatch” in just 3 weeks.
Pine cones have a characteristic oblong shape, do not “stick out”, but hang sadly from the branches. Bye the process is underway When the seed ripens, the scales fit very tightly, but upon ripening they open, “releasing” the seeds. For each scale there are a pair of winged or wingless seeds. A very small pine embryo has from 4 to 15 cotyledons. Germination time depends on the type and geographical location of the plant.
Due to its greater distribution and number of species, pine is used more intensively by humans.

TheDifference.ru determined that the difference between cedar and pine is as follows:

The number of pine species is tens of times greater than the number of cedar species.
The distribution area of ​​pine is much wider than that of cedar.
The morphology and size of pine are much more diverse than cedar.
There are more needles in a cedar bundle than in a pine bundle.
Pine forests are of greater economic importance for humanity.

This tree is called Siberian cedar. Although botanists dispute the name - and rightly so: it does not belong to the Cedar genus, but is closely related to pine trees. This one is called biological species Siberian pine (in Latin Pinus sibirica). Sometimes “cedar” is added. Since we are not specialists - taxonomists, we do not go into such subtleties; we call the tree as is customary. It can be called differently - cedar, and Siberian pine - it is important that we understand what we are talking about... And really, what should we do now if in Siberia forests of Siberian pine are called “cedars”? Don't rename...

First of all, Siberian cedar is a very beautiful tree! Slender, covered with thick, long and soft needles. Take a closer look - the Siberian cedar has five long needles in a bunch, and not two, like . The needles are triangular, dark green, covered with a waxy coating. The bark also differs in color - in Siberian cedar it is grayish-brown. The crown is dense, with thick branches. Escapes last year stand out for their color - they are rather silver-brown.

The tree grows very slowly. Apparently, this is the reason why cedar grows so slender. He can live for a long time - up to five hundred years, and maybe more. And only at 50-60 years old does the Siberian cedar begin to bear fruit. Then female cones appear on the tops of young shoots, in which seed scales with two ovules are located under the covering scales. And near the base of the shoot of the last year, male cones grow, and pollen ripens in them. It is carried by the wind (as, indeed, in all pine trees).

The seeds of Siberian cedar ripen in cones for more than a year. They are very different from the seeds of Scots pine! Large - about a centimeter in length, more than half a centimeter in thickness - they are called “pine nuts” (although, from the point of view of biologists, they are not nuts!). They do not have any wings and cannot be carried by the wind, like the seeds of Scots pine, if only because of their weight. But taiga animals - the squirrel, the chipmunk, the nutcracker bird - take an active part in the distribution of seeds. Some of their winter supplies may be forgotten and lost. And then in the spring the seeds from such a “storehouse” germinate.

The seeds ripen by the end of summer of the year following pollination, in August. The cones dry out, become less resinous and begin to fall from the trees. It is then that the collection of “pine nuts” (the so-called “pine cone fight”) begins in places where Siberian pine grows massively. Previously, this process was quite strictly regulated by peasant communities. Then the state took over this function. We, who live far from the cedar trees, can only guess what is happening now...

Pine nuts are eaten both directly and as part of different dishes. They are very useful, as they contain almost all the amino acids, B vitamins, vitamins E and K that we need. Siberian pine seeds are rich in microelements - manganese, zinc, iron, copper, magnesium, phosphorus. And yet, pine nuts are mainly used to produce pine nut oil.

Pine nuts contain a lot of polyunsaturated fatty acids. If they are extracted from the seeds, they produce valuable cedar oil, which can be used both in cooking and for medicinal purposes. It is superior in quality to olive oil! But when buying it, you need to make sure that you are buying a truly valuable product. The fact is that to extract oil there is several ways. The first one is cold pressed. The seeds are placed under a press and the oil is squeezed out of them. It is cold-pressed oil that should be used for medical purposes, as well as in cosmetics. There are also several methods of hot pressing. Basically, they are all similar in that the chopped nuts are heated and then pressed. In this case, the oil yield is greater, but its value decreases, since many substances are destroyed when heated. This oil is used in cooking. And finally, there is extraction. What it is? To extract the oil, a solvent is added to the seeds (for example, it can be gasoline), and then the oil and this same solvent are separated. I think there is no need to talk about the “health benefits” of the latest product. So it makes sense to buy cedar oil only from well-known sellers, asking for documents about where and how it was produced. Naturally, cold-pressed oil will also be the most expensive. The cake remaining after pressing the oil is used in cooking and in the confectionery industry.

Siberian pine pine (Siberian cedar) grows naturally in Eastern and Western Siberia, in Altai, the Urals and the northeast of the Russian Plain. One might think that this tree was once distributed much further to the west, since there is a European pine, close relative Siberian, inhabitant of the Carpathians. Perhaps during the last glaciation, which occurred 25 - 12 thousand years ago, the area was dissected by a glacier. Subsequently, developing in isolation, these plants gradually diverged in a number of characteristics, and two separate species arose.

Siberian cedar has long been successfully grown by foresters in many places in Russia. Such groves of Siberian pine exist in the Arkhangelsk (near Koryazhma) and Vologda regions (near Veliky Ustyug, not far from Ustyuzhna). There are cedar plantations in both the central and northwestern regions of Russia. There are cedar nurseries where this tree is grown. And in the park of Illarion Ivanovich Dudorov in the north of the Vologda region, cedar pines are also growing. I think there is great meaning maintain and disseminate this tradition. We can get (more precisely, of course, not us, not even our children, but our great-grandchildren!) the most valuable forest species.

"Let's revive our forest"

Greenpeace Russia.

“Our Russian forest really needs friends - guardians”

D. Kaigorodov.

“The cedar fell - God died”

2. LEBANESE CEDAR IS REAL CEDAR

It grows in the Lebanese mountains, the Himalayas, North Africa, and the island of Cyprus. This is an evergreen, beautiful, powerful, tall tree; reaches 40 meters in height and 11 meters in circumference. Lives 2000 - 3000 years. The crown of young trees is broadly pyramidal, the crown of old trees is spreading. The needles are short, thin, bluntly tetrahedral, sitting in bunches of 30-40 pieces. The cones are ovoid. The scales are imbricated, almost woody, similar to the scales of spruce cones. Real cedar does not produce pine nuts. Begins to bear seeds from 50-60 summer age. Cedar wood, fragrant with brownish-red veins, is an excellent building and ornamental material. Cedar resin, according to ancient peoples, protected things from natural decomposition and rotting; therefore, they rubbed papyrus scrolls with it, and also used it for embalming corpses. In the Bible, the cedar of Lebanon is represented as a tall, powerful, shady tree, the beauty and grandeur of which is envied by all other trees. It was created in Lebanon as if by God himself and, like God’s planting, grew freely in abundance, filling the air of the surrounding area with a resinous aromatic smell. But allegedly only one word of God is enough and the cedar - this giant of Lebanon, one branch of which is equal in thickness to a whole tree and which so proudly resists all the onslaughts of storms and hurricanes - turns into nothing. In Russia, real cedar can be seen in the Nikitsky Botanical Garden.

3. SIBERIAN CEDAR

Siberian cedar * Pinus sibirica

Family: pine.

External signs: powerful single trunk, spreading crown; the trunk and branches are covered with silver-gray bark with brownish transverse growths resembling peas; the needles are quite long (up to 8-12 cm); needles are three- or tetrahedral, growing singly or in a spiral on long shoots, and on short shoots - in bunches of 30-40 cm.

Peculiarities of reproduction: depending on the type of plant, the cones have an ovoid or ovoid-elongated shape; the seeds in the cones are covered with a very dense dark brown shell; seed scales are closely adjacent to each other like tiles; The cones ripen 2-3 years after formation and immediately crumble.

Prevalence: North Africa, Western Asia, island of Cyprus, Himalayas, Russia.

Properties and values: in folk medicine, pine nuts, are used to treat various cardiovascular diseases.

Cedars are huge trees from 25 to 50 meters high with a spreading crown and needle-shaped leaves. The color of cedar leaves varies from dark green to silver-gray. Young and old plants differ in the shape of the crown: young ones have a pyramidal crown, while older plants have an umbrella-shaped crown. Until they reach 50-100 years of age, cedars grow very slowly. On average they live approximately 500 years. There are also centenarians among them, reaching 800 years of age. Typically, cedar begins to bear fruit at 45-50 years of age. Seeds, so-called pine nuts, ripen in the cones. They are famous not only for their wonderful taste, but also for their healing properties.

There are 4 species of cedar, but often the word “cedar” refers to completely different plants, and therefore numerous literary references to cedar are sometimes completely unrelated to these plants and can refer to any coniferous tree, the wood of which has a pleasant smell and a red-brown heartwood. The true cedar is the Lebanese cedar, which grows in the mountains of Lebanon and is sacred in that country. According to legend, the wise King Solomon equipped expeditions precisely for this tree in order to build his famous temple from its precious fragrant wood. In our country, only one species is traditionally called cedar - Siberian cedar (Siberian pine).

4. COMPARATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF SCOTTS PINE AND SIBERIAN PINE (CEDAR)

№	Sign	Scots pine	Siberian pine (cedar).
1.	Height (m.)	35-40	Up to 45
2.	Lifespan	Up to 400 years or more	400-500 years
3.	Area	Everywhere	Siberia, northeast of the European part from the upper reaches of the Vychegda to the middle reaches of the Pechora and beyond the Urals
4	Needles	The needles are arranged in pairs. Lasts 2-3 years and up to 7 years	Needles are collected up to 5 pieces. in a bundle. Length 5-13 cm, width 1 – 2 mm
5.	Bloom	May June	June
6.	Seed ripening and fruiting	The plant is monoecious. The seeds ripen the following year in October–November and are scattered in March–April.	The plant is monoecious. The cones ripen at the end of September next year and fall in October
7.	Bark	Thick, reddish with deep furrows.	Gray-silver, smooth. With age, gray-brown, furrowed.
8.	Peculiarities	Photophilous breed; It is undemanding to soil, heat, and moisture, but prefers sandy loam soils.	It is undemanding to soil, but prefers loam. Afraid of drought.

5. SPECIES DIVERSITY OF PINES AND CEDARS

SPECIES DIVERSITY OF PINES

• Scots pine
• Siberian pine
• European pine
• Alpine pine
• Korean pine
• Low-growing pine (dwarf)
• Italian pine – pine
• Frankincense pine
• Montezuma pine
• Lapland pine
• Crimean pine
• Funeral pine
• Pitsunda pine

SPECIES DIVERSITY OF CEDAR

• Cedar of Lebanon
• Atlas cedar (gray, weeping)
• Himalayan cedar

6. METHOD OF GROWING CEDAR IN OUR LOCAL CONDITIONS

Seeds of all types of “cedar” pines require stratification and soaking before sowing. Unstratified seeds can be sown only before winter; otherwise, most of them will take a year to germinate. Very early spring sowing, as soon as the soil thaws, with stratified seeds is not excluded.

So, all of the listed methods of vegetative propagation of nut-bearing pines make it possible to obtain seedlings that enter the fruiting season in the 6-10th year (along with fruit trees). These are the most promising nut-bearing species in our area. We must try to spread them as widely as possible - both in culture and in the forest.

7.CEDAR GRAPPLATION SCHEME

8. FACTORS AFFECTING THE SURVIVAL OF CONIFEROUS SEEDLINGS (FROM MATERIALS OF THE FORESTRY DEPARTMENT OF GREENPEACE RUSSIA)

1. First, the turf (surface layer of soil) is removed from a plot of land measuring from 40x40 to 80x80 (depending on the size of the seedling's root system).
2. Dig up the bare soil to the depth of the root system of the seedling and lay the turf back so that the roots of the grass are at the top, and what was on top is at the bottom.
3. Then, in the middle of the prepared area, a hole is made with a shovel, the dimensions of which should correspond to the size of the root system of the seedling.
4. If the soil is dry, pour 1-2 liters of water into the hole.
5. The root system of the seedling is placed in the hole in such a way that the roots are positioned naturally - they do not bend upward or intertwine.
6. The roots are sprinkled with loose soil, pressing and compacting it well with your hands. This is important, since air voids around the roots will lead to their drying out and the death of the seedling.
7. Seedlings are planted from a nursery (or nature) when their height does not exceed 60-70 cm. Coniferous species usually reach this height after 3-4 years (deciduous species - after 1-2 years).
8. It is better to plant trees in cloudy weather: at low temperatures and high humidity, seedlings take root better.
9. Seedlings are dug up in the morning the day before planting (if in the evening, they are dug in). The roots of the seedling do not need to be exposed; they must be wrapped in rags moistened with water, or placed in buckets with earth or water; and it is better to have a dense lump of earth around the roots of the seedling.
10. Trees are replanted during the dormant period, that is, in the spring (before active growth begins) or in the fall (after it ends). In deciduous trees and larch, the growth period begins with the opening of buds and ends with the yellowing of the leaves (needles). In pine, the growth period begins with the awakening of the apical buds and ends in the fall, when the needles of the current year have darkened and new apical buds have finally formed.

9. HEALING PROPERTIES OF PINE NUTS

The kernels of cedar pine seeds contain medicinal compounds necessary for human health:

1. Fiber that stimulates digestion.
2. Peptosans, trace elements, vitamins B and D are indicated for kidney and bladder diseases.
3. Recovering male potency, immunity increases and life expectancy increases.
4. Hemorrhoids are treated with nut shells (1/2 cup of shell is poured with 1 cup of boiling water and left for 15-20 minutes).
5. For pulmonary diseases, cedar tincture is made from nuts, which helps with bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma, and tuberculosis.
6. Resin (liquid resin has stronger bactericidal properties; used to treat wounds, chronic ulcerative boils).
7. Buds, young shoots, pine needles are a good antiscorbutic remedy.
8. Elixir “Cedar” is produced by industry from cedar seeds, fruits and flowers of blood-red hawthorn, and warty birch buds.

CONCLUSION

So, in our work “Siberian cedar (myth and reality)” we tried to reflect the knowledge that humanity has about such an interesting and healing plant as cedar. They showed the features of real cedar, and also talked about Siberian cedar or Siberian pine. It may not be real cedar. and pine is the only pine tree in nature that has edible seeds - pine nuts, which have various healing properties. This may be why people living in Siberia, where this tree grows everywhere, by eating nuts become so hardy, healthy, strong, with a well-defined natural immunity to many diseases. That’s why I want to talk and talk about the benefits of this tree and all conifers: they give a person health, both spiritual and physical.

We did not ignore the conversation about the Russian forest, to which we just want to bow and give praise. After all, coniferous trees are forests natural area taiga, which occupies a huge area in our country. Our country accounts for almost a quarter of the world's forests - 23%. And forests are life, work, health, beauty. That’s why we raised questions about the meaning of forests, their use, and what the destruction of forests can lead to. And it was no coincidence that we talked to the students of our school about reproduction coniferous plants, about the technique of planting conifers. We are planting pine trees near the school. so that students learn to take care environment, increased its wealth, had a positive impact on the surrounding nature.

LITERATURE

1. T. G. Zorina. Schoolchildren about the forest. M. "Forest industry", 1971.
2. L.M. Molodozhnikova and others. Forest cosmetics M., “Ecology”, 1991.
3. V.F. Centurion. Health pantry. M. "Forest industry", 1985.
4. Yu. Dmitriev and others. Book of nature M. “Children’s literature”, 1990.
5. Magazine “Garden Tips” No. 3 – 6 2002 (article by candidate of agricultural sciences V.A. Starostin “About cedars”).
6. Information bulletin “Let's revive our forest” No. 1 – 3 2006.
7. Manuscript by Nikolai Ivanovich Potochkin “Cedar Reproduction.”
8. Forest Code of the Russian Federation.
9. Great Encyclopedia of Nature from A to Z. M., “World of Books” 2003.
10. A.Yu. Yaroshenko "How to grow a forest." M., Greenpeace Russia 2004.

APPLICATIONS

Geographical location of forests

In the north of our country, a huge territory is occupied by treeless tundra, which to the south turns into forest-tundra with dwarf birch and rare low-growing pine in the swamps. Further to the south, the forest-tundra passes into the forest zone, the northern part of which is represented by the taiga zone with a predominance of coniferous forests: deciduous, pine, spruce, fir and cedar. To the south under the taiga zone there is a zone mixed forests, where coniferous tracts alternate with significant areas of birch and aspen forests. Southern part The forest zone is formed by a sub-zone of broad-leaved forests, represented by oak, ash, maple, linden, elm species, etc. In the west and south of this sub-zone and mountainous regions (in the Carpathians, Crimea, Caucasus) beech and hornbeam forests grow. The forest zone to the south turns into a forest-steppe zone; oak groves predominate here. The forest-steppe gives way to the steppe, where there are very few forests, and most of them are created by man.

About 9/10 of the entire forest area is concentrated in the taiga subzone; a significant part of it is swampy, which creates unsatisfactory conditions for forest growth. The vast expanses of the taiga stretch from Kola Peninsula to the shores of the Pacific Ocean, from Gorny Altai and the Sayan Mountains to the Arctic Circle, in some places going even further to the north.

Taiga is a word of Siberian origin. Taiga is usually called a coniferous northern forest without the admixture of broad-leaved trees (oak, linden, etc.). Only birch and aspen are sometimes found in it as an admixture or forming independent temporary plantings in places of former fires and fellings. The main tree species of the taiga of Siberia: Siberian and Daurian larch, pine, Siberian cedar, spruce, Siberian fir; in the European part of the USSR - spruce and pine, less fir and European larch.

In the dark coniferous taiga of spruce and fir it is dark and deaf. Dense crowns, closely closing with each other, do not allow light to pass through. There is a lot of dead wood among the trees. There are lichens on the branches. Moss swamps cover a vast part of the taiga. Low pines or cedars are sometimes found on them. Throughout Central and Eastern Siberia, the taiga is located in the permafrost region, where the soil thaws only 0.5 - 1 meter, tree species have a shallow root system here.

Such cedars are in Petryaevskaya Grove

What does wood give us?

The forest is a source of immediate huge material assets. Not a single branch of the national economy can develop without the use of forest materials. The forest provides us with the most valuable building material, raw materials for the pulp and paper, chemical and other industries. Wood is used for industrial and residential construction, shipbuilding, hydraulic structures, for wooden sleepers on railway, fastenings in mines, telegraph poles, furniture manufacturing, etc., and the consumption of timber consumed in modern construction equipment, despite wide application concrete and iron, does not decrease.

Our forestry industry is developing rapidly. During chemical processing of wood and wood waste Unlike mechanical processing, qualitatively new products are obtained, which in appearance and internal properties have nothing in common with wood and other original forest materials.

When dry distilling wood (heating at high temperature without air access) it does not burn, but decomposes into its component parts. The carbon turns into solid charcoal, and the oxygen and hydrogen compounds are released. This produces steam, which, when cooled, turns into tar water; from the heavier part, creosote and fotation oils are obtained, and from the lighter part, wood vinegar and methyl (poisonous) alcohol are obtained, which in turn is the raw material for the production of formaldehyde and methenamine.

When distilling oleoresin (the resinous substance of coniferous trees), rosin (up to 70% of the weight of oleoresin) and turpentine (up to 20%) are obtained. Rosin is used in the paper industry (writing paper is impregnated with rosin glue), in the electrical industry (for the manufacture of insulating materials), in the soap industry (rosin improves the quality of soap); Violinists rub their bows with rosin. Turpentine is used in textile industry, in perfume production, medicine, in the manufacture of printing inks, as a raw material for the production of camphor.

By hydrolyzing wood and wood waste (decomposition in the presence of water) and treating it under pressure with sulfuric or hydrochloric acid, table sugar (glucose) is obtained. When it is fermented by yeast, wine (ethyl) alcohol is formed - the main raw material for the production of synthetic (artificial) rubber.

Wood fiber, or cellulose, is widely used in chemistry. With its various processing, a wide variety of products are obtained: first of all, paper and nitrocellulose, or pyroxylin - an explosive (obtained by the action of a mixture of sulfuric and nitric acids). In turn, celluloid is obtained from nitrocellulose under the influence of alcohol and ether; when treating it with an alcoholic solution of camphor and after hot pressing - film; for other processing of nitro fiber - a number of other products. Cellulose is used to produce non-flammable cellulose acetate, which is used to make plastics and viscose (artificial wood silk).

When chemically processing 1 m3 of wood you can get: 200 kg. Pulp, or 200 kg. Grape sugar, or 6000 m2 of cellophane, or 5 liters of wood alcohol, or 20 liters of acetic acid, or 70 liters of wine alcohol, or 165 kg of artificial fiber (up to 1500 m of silk fabric can be made from them).

When pressing wood under strong pressure and impregnating it with special chemical compounds they obtain treated wood, from which, for example, bearings are made, which are more resistant than metal ones; In aircraft structures, such wood replaces aluminum.

Plywood, fibreboards, rosin, artificial wool, rubber, paints and varnishes, medications, food and feed products and much more are provided by tree species growing in our forests. A number of valuable products are also obtained through the chemical processing of bark, needles, small branches, roots and other parts of woody plants.

Currently, about 20 thousand various products and products are made from wood, of which up to 19.5 thousand are obtained by chemical processing. This number will increase annually.

Meaning of forest

The importance of the forest and its multifaceted role in the life of society can hardly be overestimated.

The forest is a source of valuable “weightless utilities” that do not have a material form: forests improve the climate, prevent destructive floods and mountain torrents, soil washouts and the formation of ravines, dust storms, fix shifting sands, promote the accumulation of soil moisture in the fields, and by delaying dry winds, increase the yield of agricultural crops. Forests use their leaves and needles to convert carbon dioxide into the oxygen necessary for life. Precipitation falling over the forest in the form of rain and snowfall largely evaporates back into the atmosphere, increasing moisture circulation; moisture is absorbed into the soil without forming surface runoff and feeding groundwater, which flows evenly into rivers and does not cause sharp fluctuations in their level; The moisture supply under the forest remains stable at all times of the year. In treeless areas, with the predominance of surface runoff, water quickly flows into rivers, increasing their level in the spring and causing floods, and shallowing in summer and winter, while the water supply in the soil decreases, which affects the decrease in yield.

By reducing surface water runoff, forests prevent soil loss and the formation of ravines. All this helps maintain soil fertility.

In areas with excessive moisture, the forest, by evaporating water, helps lower the groundwater level, preventing waterlogging, and, conversely, in the southern regions it protects the soil from drying out. A hectare of forest evaporates about 2 - 3 million liters of water per year. For 1 kg. Dry wood trees evaporate per year (liters): aspen - 900, ash - 850, birch - 800, oak - 650, spruce - 500, pine - 400.

The water evaporated by the forest makes the air more humid and, condensing into rain clouds, can fall again in the form of precipitation.

Thus, the forest is a keeper and regulator of moisture in the soil and air.

Planting trees and shrubs serves to consolidate sand, combat ravines, and create snow protection strips along railways.

No other vegetation can compare with wood in terms of its assimilating surface. The surface of the foliage or needles of the entire planting is 10 times greater than the area it occupies. 1 hectare of forest purifies 18 million m3 of air throughout the year. In addition, trees emit special volatiles, so-called phytoncides, which kill many pathogenic bacteria.

Around cities and industrial centers, forests play the role of powerful filters, purifying the air from harmful impurities. This is the great sanitary, hygienic and health value of the forest. The forest is the healthiest vacation spot for millions of people and contributes to their longevity.

The forest is a necessary environment for the growth of mushrooms, berries, nuts and medicinal plants.

Animals, birds and insects are found in the forest the necessary conditions for existence. In forested areas, hunting fur-bearing animals and game birds is one of the important industries.

Decorating the landscape, forests also have great aesthetic significance: their beauty and picturesqueness inspire the work of poets and artists. Contemplation of forest landscapes helps to cultivate a love for native nature. Outstanding Russian teacher K.D. Ushinsky wrote: “And freedom, space, and nature, the beautiful surroundings of the city, and these fragrant ravines and swaying fields and golden autumn - weren’t we our educators?”

What can destruction of forests lead to?

So, the role and importance of forests in the life of society is extremely great. Truly, the forest is man's green friend. Therefore, caring for the forest is caring for the future of humanity.

In a number of mountain and forest-steppe areas, forests have been destroyed due to livestock grazing, especially domestic goats, which are worst enemies tree and shrub vegetation.

The destruction of natural vegetation cover led to a sharp decrease in moisture circulation, the disappearance of previously abundant water sources, the shallowing of rivers and at the same time to their catastrophic floods, the washing away and blowing away of the fertile soil layer, the formation of ravines, increased droughts and dry winds, and the formation of shifting sands.

Predatory destruction of forests without concern for its restoration impoverishes Natural resources, leads to the transformation of vast areas into swamps in the northern regions of excessive moisture and in barren deserts in southern regions where there is not enough moisture.

This is how F. Engels described the water-protective and soil-protective significance of forests: “The people who in Mesopotamia, Greece, Asia Minor and other places uprooted forests in order to obtain arable land in this way, never dreamed that by doing so they laid the foundation for the current desolation of these countries, depriving them, along with forests, of centers for the accumulation and preservation of moisture. When Alpine peasants cut down the southern slopes of the mountains coniferous forests, so carefully protected in the north, they did not foresee that by this they were cutting off the roots of high-mountain cattle breeding in their area; Even less did they foresee that by doing this they would leave their mountain springs without water for most of the year, so that during the rainy season these springs could pour out even more frenzied streams onto the plain.”

Currently, there are many types of lining on the finishing materials market. Paneling made from pine and cedar of various varieties has become widespread. In this article we will look at some of the features of lining made from Altai cedar, and also tell you how to distinguish it from materials made from other types of wood.

This lining is unique in its own way, since the Gorno-Altai cedar, from the wood of which it is made, grows exclusively in the Altai mountains; it no longer grows in any other regions of Russia or the world. Untouched nature, the special climatic and geophysical conditions in which these trees grow give the wood special and unique properties. Residents of these places believe that these trees emit positive energy, drive away evil spirits and improve human health. Scientific research confirms that Altai cedars have a whole range of distinctive features and it is not for nothing that they have been considered extraordinary and very valuable since ancient times.

According to data obtained from scientific research, Altai cedars compared to other Siberian cedars have almost 2 times greater density and higher strength indicators. In terms of wood's resistance to rotting, it is superior not only to such a popular material as pine, but is also identical to larch, which is recognized as practically the standard for this parameter.

Now let's move on to the question of how lining made from Altai cedar differs and how not to confuse it with materials from other types of wood.

First of all, you should pay attention to the color. It should have slightly pinkish tints; by the way, after a while your cedar lining will darken a little and acquire a reddish-pink color, which will give the interior nobility and make it more sophisticated.

Second characteristic– an indescribable aroma, you will not confuse it with anything else, it is a fairly strong and very pleasant pine smell with unique notes inherent only to this breed.

The lining made from Canadian cedar, unlike our Altai cedar, is darker, the color is close to brown or deep red, the smell from the wood is barely perceptible. Far Eastern or Karelian cedar is slightly brown in color, just like its Canadian counterpart does not have a strong aroma, so it is difficult to confuse these species with their Altai relative if you carefully choose.

A separate question is how to distinguish Altai cedar lining from pine? Everything is quite simple - cedar wood is much lighter, it has a smoother and more uniform texture. Despite the fact that pine also emits a noticeable pine aroma, it is not as pleasant and strong as cedar. The pine smell should be familiar to you if you have eaten pine nuts, and once you smell it, you can’t confuse it with anything else. Also, pine wood contains a larger amount of resin, which not only worsens the appearance, but also makes this material unsuitable for finishing a steam room.

So, let's repeat the key features linings from Gorno-Altai cedar:

• color;
• texture;
• resinousness;
• smell.

Based on the above, we recommend that you take a responsible approach to the choice of finishing materials and turn your attention to cedar lining and imitation timber from Tsar-Kedr, which have a number of amazing qualities.

How to distinguish a log house made of cedar from a log house made of pine?

Cedar, as a building material, has been known to mankind since ancient times. We can find references to this in the Bible. Today, this wood is used when building luxury cedar houses, bathhouses, country buildings, etc.

Benefits of cedar wood

Cedar compares favorably with all other types of wood, including conifers. Its obvious advantages include:

• Durability. Houses made of cedar last a surprisingly long time. They easily tolerate the scorching sun and bitter frosts. Resistant to sudden temperature changes and moisture.
• Aesthetic qualities. Cedar is an excellent building material created by nature itself. Its wood has a beautiful texture and rich color scheme, from light amber to dark chocolate color. A cedar log house is valued for its unusual, attractive appearance.
• Environmental friendliness. Cedar wood, being a wonderful natural antiseptic, has a beneficial effect on health. Phytoncides secreted by cedar destroy pathogenic microbes and give the air in the room healing properties. The cedar aroma in the house lasts for many years.
• Air permeability and heat saving. The peculiarity of walls built from cedar is that they “breathe”. The air in such a room does not stagnate, and excess moisture is removed. I would also like to note that cedar has excellent thermal insulation properties. All this together creates a comfortable microclimate. It's nice to be in such a room.
• Practicality. Cedar is plastic, easy to process and at the same time has high strength. It is not subject to the decomposing effects of a humid atmosphere, and therefore is resistant to the formation of mold, rot and fungi. Bark beetles avoid it.

What is the difference between cedar and pine?

IN Lately, thanks to the above properties, cedar houses are gaining more and more popularity. However, their cost can be 1.5 - 2 times higher than similar pine buildings. And logs made from these materials, at first glance, are very similar, which some unscrupulous suppliers take advantage of by passing off pine wood as cedar.

To determine what the log house is actually made of, you need to pay attention to the smell. Cedar has a pronounced, characteristic balsamic aroma, while pine has a weaker, unobtrusive pine spirit. As for the color, the yellowish tint of the wood in pine logs is more pronounced and it darkens more slowly in the open air. Cedar logs can be identified by their pink core, which Pink colour, not like pine.