The
"Nó
de Pinho" ( Brazilian for "Araucaria-Pinetree-Knots"
)
is used so far, almost exclusively in Brazil, as the best natural
firewood
available. It is nowadays sold in 10 Kg or 15 kg bags.
.
These
"knots", heavy
pieces of 'conic-shaped' wood, which during many centuries
resisted
to decay under the soil, long after the trunks they were originated
from
had been naturally decomposed. These 'resin-impregnated'-KNOTS
(the
intersection of the big branches to their trunks) remained unchanged in
the soil and actually can only be disintegrated by fire. Their average
size is 30 cm long by 15 cm diameter.
.
While
burning in a
fireplace the flame lasts for several hours. A wise user,
mixes
them up with mature Eucalyptus firewood in order to provide intense
heating,
and saving the precious knots. |
 |
Every year they
become
more scarce. We may anticipate that in a decade or so the
"Nó
de Pinho" will not be available anymore. The ones presently used are
remnants
of the trees which existed many hundreds of years ago.
Back
Origin: For
hundreds of years, those huge Araucaria-trunks kept falling to the
ground
due to "aging" (the end of their life cycle), being struck
by lightning, fires etc.
Nowadays,
while
plowing their land, farmers collect the knots found, pile them up for
providing
an "additional income", to sell them as fire-wood.
.
The Brazilian
South
East was for thousands of years covered by the so called
"Atlantic
Forest"
( Brazilian
designation
for Native forests along the Atlantic ). Particularly in the
brazilian
Southern States: Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul,
Sao
Paulo and Minas Gerais, the dominant species was the ARAUCARIA,
also
designated "Pinheiro do Paraná" - araucaria
angustifolia
and araucaria brasiliensis.
.
These
trees reach
up to 52 meters height and their trunk up to 8,5 meters circumference.
Their cones are shaped like a ball with over 30 cm diameter and provide
seeds averaging 6 cm length. (These are edible by animals,
also for humans, who boil them adding some butter and salt ). |
 |
. .
The lumber
industry
(thousands of saw-mills) exploited these Araucaria forests almost to
exhaustion,
mainly for export. That "boom" which provided many thousands of
jobs
lasted only until mid last century.( 1950's)
Brazilian
authorities
nowadays protect the natural forests and particularly the
remnants
of Araucaria forests. These days, the cutting of any Araucaria, as well
as any native tree, requires a special permit from the local
environment
department. |
