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Softwood

 
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Softwood is timber obtained from coniferous trees (mainly of the pine
Pine

Pines are Pinophyta trees in the genus Pinus, in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species....
 and fir
Fir

Firs are a genus of between 45-55 species of evergreen Pinophyta in the family Pinaceae. All are trees, reaching heights of 10-80 m tall and trunk diameters of 0.5-4 m when mature....
 families, collectively known as Spruce-pine-fir
Spruce-pine-fir

Part of a larger group of tree species known as softwoods, in the wood industry, Spruce-pine-fir refers to Canadian woods of similar characteristics that have been grouped for production and marketing....
). With the exception of bald cypress, tamarack, and larch
Larch

Larches are conifers in the genus Larix, in the family Pinaceae. They are native to much of the cooler temperate northern hemisphere, on lowlands in the far north, and high on mountains further south....
, softwood trees are evergreen
Evergreen

In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant having leaf all year round. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage for part of the year....
s. Softwood is mostly obtained from the Baltic
Baltic

Baltic may refer to:...
, Scandinavia
Scandinavia

Scandinavia is a historical and geographical subregion in northern Europe that includes the Scandinavian Peninsula. It consists of the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark; some authorities also include Finland and some might even include Iceland....
, and North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
 and is the source of about 80% of the world's production of timber.






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Picea Abies
Softwood is timber obtained from coniferous trees (mainly of the pine
Pine

Pines are Pinophyta trees in the genus Pinus, in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species....
 and fir
Fir

Firs are a genus of between 45-55 species of evergreen Pinophyta in the family Pinaceae. All are trees, reaching heights of 10-80 m tall and trunk diameters of 0.5-4 m when mature....
 families, collectively known as Spruce-pine-fir
Spruce-pine-fir

Part of a larger group of tree species known as softwoods, in the wood industry, Spruce-pine-fir refers to Canadian woods of similar characteristics that have been grouped for production and marketing....
). With the exception of bald cypress, tamarack, and larch
Larch

Larches are conifers in the genus Larix, in the family Pinaceae. They are native to much of the cooler temperate northern hemisphere, on lowlands in the far north, and high on mountains further south....
, softwood trees are evergreen
Evergreen

In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant having leaf all year round. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage for part of the year....
s. Softwood is mostly obtained from the Baltic
Baltic

Baltic may refer to:...
, Scandinavia
Scandinavia

Scandinavia is a historical and geographical subregion in northern Europe that includes the Scandinavian Peninsula. It consists of the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark; some authorities also include Finland and some might even include Iceland....
, and North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
 and is the source of about 80% of the world's production of timber. Softwoods of longleaf pine
Longleaf Pine

The Longleaf Pine is a pine native to the southeast United States, found along the coastal plain from eastern Texas to southeast Virginia extending into northern and central Florida....
, douglas fir, and yew
Yew

Yew may refer to:...
 are much harder in the mechanical sense than several hardwoods.

Properties

Perhaps the most noticeable difference between softwood and hardwood is found in the microscopic structure of the wood. Softwood contains only two types of cells, tracheids and parenchyma. Thus, softwoods lack the vessel element
Vessel element

A vessel element is one of the cell types found in xylem, the water conducting tissue of plants. Vessel elements are typically found in the angiosperms but absent from most gymnosperms such as the conifers....
s for water transport that hardwoods have; these vessels elements manifest in hardwoods as pores. In softwood water transport within the tree is via the tracheids only. Some softwoods, such as pine, spruce, larch, and Douglas fir, have resin canals, which provide transport of resin
Resin

Resin is a hydrocarbon secretion of many plants, particularly Pinophyta. It is valued for its chemical constituents and uses, such as varnishes and adhesives, as an important source of raw materials for organic synthesis, or for incense and perfume....
 as a defense against injury. In general softwood is easy to work: it forms the bulk of wood used by humans.
  • Prime material for structural building
    Building

    In architecture, construction, engineering and Real estate developer the word building may refer to one of the following:# Any man-made structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or continuous occupancy, or...
     components
  • Furniture
    Furniture

    Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects which may support the human body , provide storage, or hold objects on horizontal surfaces above the ground....
  • Millwork (mouldings, doors, windows)
  • Raw material as pulp in the production of paper
    Paper

    Paper is thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon or packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....
     and board
    Board

    Board may refer to:*Board, a piece of Timber, or other rigid material made of wood, milled or sawn flat*Surfboard, skateboard, or snowboard ...
  • The finer softwoods find many specialty uses.


Controversies

A trade dispute over softwood lumber has been ongoing between Canada and the United States.