Pine trees are amazing. Some grow to heights of over 80 metres, others grow high up mountainsides, and all have impressive survival strategies. The oldest living tree on Earth is a pine — it is over 5000 years old — so what are the secrets of this success? A key factor is resin (see the droplets exuding from the cut pine tree trunk in Figure A).
Resin is a complex substance secreted from ducts in the pine roots, stem and leaves. It works in two ways to protect the tree. First it quickly seals any wounds, and second it contains terpenes — hydrocarbons that repel insects and inhibit the growth of microorganisms. Humans have harvested resin from pines for centuries, extracting turpentine to use as a solvent, and leaving behind the rosin rubbed on bows by violinists to help the bow hair grip the strings.
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