Red pine

Native peoples gathered the resin (or pitch) from red pine, white pine, balsam fir and spruce trees and boiled it down until it reached the consistency of raw molasses. They used this mixture to waterproof their canoes and repair birch bark roofs and containers. Because there are virtually no knots in the trunk of a red pine, it was used in the past to build sail boats, docks, etc. Today, it is used for woodwork, mouldings, poles, pilings and railway ties.