![]() ![]() Use of the broad arrow mark commenced in earnest in 1691 when the revised Massachusetts Bay Charter included in its last paragraph a “Mast Preservation Clause” stating (original language): Persons appointed to the position of Surveyor-General of His Majesty’s Woods were responsible for selecting, marking and recording trees as well as policing and enforcing the unlicensed cutting of protected trees. Violation by the colonists of this rule would be assessed a fine of £100. Any tree of a diameter of twenty-four inches and greater at twelve inches from the ground, with “a yard of height for each inch of diameter at the butt” was blazed with the broad arrow. This was the symbol commonly used to signify ownership of property or goods by the Crown, in this case to be owned and used solely by the Royal Navy. Securing a shipbuilding material resource all to itself became paramount to the King and the Royal Navy, and the knowledge that the New England colonists were harvesting the largest of the Eastern White Pine’s at an unknown rate led to future supply concerns.Īcting as dominion over the forests of “New England”, the King assumed ownership of the best of the Eastern White Pine trees and appointed a legion of Surveyors of Pines and Timber to survey the forestland “within 10 miles of any navigable waterway” and mark all suitable trees with “ The King’s Broad Arrow”, a series of three hatchet slashes. England’s forests had been cut for firewood in the Middle Ages, and by the 17th century, the closest supply for mast timbers was in the Baltic, where they competed with the French, Spanish, and Dutch for the great Baltic firs. To maintain its world dominance of the seas, Great Britain needed the strongest and fastest ships and Eastern White Pine would make these ships the greyhounds of their day and a force to reckon with in any battle. Mast production was connected to the existing lumber production and led to the development of markets and channels of distribution for those products, as well. ![]() ![]() Other critical shipbuilding components such as frames, planking and knees, pitch and tar for seaming, resins and turpentine for paint and varnish, and spars to hold sails aloft were produced from the wood. Of all the species of wood used for masts around the world, these were the lightest in weight and the largest in size. Special, extra-long decks had to be added to existing ships to accommodate the Eastern White Pine mast materials. George River in 1605, where he recorded having “found notable high timber trees, (that would make) masts for ships of four hundred tons.” Twenty years following the Pilgrim’s landing at Plymouth Rock, “Masting” became New England’s first major industry as Eastern White Pine quickly became a popular item for export to shipbuilding ports in the Caribbean, England, and as far away as Madagascar.Ī “mast” pine several hundred years old, 5 feet in diameter at the butt and 120 feet in length might weigh 10 tons. English explorer Captain George Waymouth brought his ship, Archangel, into Pentecost Harbor (Maine), near the St. The colonists immediately discovered that the tall, straight Eastern White Pine was the perfect material for shipbuilding, particularly as masts for large vessels. With these qualities and its abundance, the colonists built just about everything out of Eastern White Pine…their homes, businesses, bridges and countless other structures, along with day-to-day items such as furniture. In addition, its organic characteristics and slow growth created a fairly high decay-resistant material. The woodworking properties of the species made it an extremely versatile wood, very easy for a builder to cut, shape and finish. Lumber from these trees was very light, yet strong. The tallest known height recorded was a 250′ Eastern White Pine tree noted in a 1760 publication by William Douglass. Trees 150 to 240 feet tall and trunks free of branches to heights of 80 feet or more were plentiful when the “New World” was being colonized by the England and other Europeans. The majestic Eastern White Pine is the tallest of the pine species in North America, basically the Sequoia of the Northeast. Eastern White Pine played an equally key role in events that led to the Revolutionary War and American Independence from England. The tax on tea was not the only issue that raised anger among American colonists in the 1700’s. Clases Tabla (Board) de Pino Blanco Oriental.Phytosanitary Certificates (HT Certificates) for Softwood Lumber Exports.On-Demand Export Wood Packaging Inspection Service.Export Wood Packaging Inspection Program.On-Demand Lumber & Timbers Grading Program.Virtual Tours – Residential & Commercial. ![]()
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