The Chir Pine Explained

The chir pine (Pinus roxburghii) is a tall, long-needled pine that forms the dominant forest of the lower Himalayan slopes in India, and it is valued for its resin, its timber and its role in hill forestry. Its three-needled bundles can reach 30 centimetres in length, and the tree typically grows between about 500 and 2,000 metres above sea level, below the oak, deodar and fir forests of the higher mountains.

Chir pine is known as chil or chir in Hindi, and as pirul in the Kumaoni and Garhwali hills when referring to its needles. It is also at the centre of debates about forest fires, water and the changing character of Himalayan forests. This explainer covers what the chir pine is, where it grows, how its resin is tapped, what its fallen needles mean for hill communities and why foresters value and question it.

Quick Facts

Key Takeaways

• The chir pine is the common name of Pinus roxburghii, a conifer of the Pinaceae family that dominates the lower Indian Himalaya between roughly 500 and 2,000 metres.
• Chir pine needles grow in bundles of three and are among the longest of any Indian pine, commonly reaching 20 to 30 centimetres.
• Chir pine is the main source of resin in India, which is tapped from the trunk and processed into turpentine oil and rosin.
• Dry chir pine needles, known as pirul in Uttarakhand, burn easily and are a leading cause of the intense forest fires that occur in the hills in the hot, dry weeks before the monsoon.
• Chir pine has thick, corky bark that helps mature trees survive ground fires, which makes the species well adapted to fire.
• Chir pine forests are often compared with the broadleaved oak forests of the middle Himalaya, which hold more moisture and support more wildlife.

What is the chir pine?

The chir pine is a large evergreen conifer, Pinus roxburghii, that grows in the foothills and middle slopes of the Himalaya and bears long, drooping, three-needled bundles. It is a member of the pine family Pinaceae, which also contains firs, spruces, cedars and larches.

The scientific name honours William Roxburgh, a Scottish surgeon and botanist who worked in India in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries and is often called the father of Indian botany. The older name Pinus longifolia, meaning long-leaved pine, remains in use in some forestry literature.

The chir pine is the commonest pine of the Indian Himalaya. Unlike the blue pine (Pinus wallichiana) and the chilgoza pine (Pinus gerardiana), which prefer higher or drier sites, the chir pine occupies warmer, lower and more sun-exposed slopes.

Where does the chir pine grow?

The chir pine grows along the lower Himalaya from Jammu and Kashmir through Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand to the eastern Himalaya, and it extends into Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan. In India the forests lie mostly at elevations of about 500 to 2,000 metres, and individual trees may be found a little above or below that range.

Chir pine forests cover large areas of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, and they are among the most extensive forest types of the Indian Himalaya. Hill towns and ranges in these states, such as the lower Kumaon and Garhwal hills, the Shivalik ranges and the outer valleys of Himachal, are fringed with chir pine.

The tree grows on dry, rocky, well-drained slopes with a distinct summer monsoon and a dry spring, and it tolerates poor, shallow and eroded soils. These traits help it colonise degraded land, which is part of the reason for its wide spread in the hills.

What does a chir pine look like?

A chir pine is a tall, straight tree with a broad, rounded to pyramidal crown, long drooping needles and thick reddish-brown bark broken into deep plates. It commonly attains 30 to 40 metres, and some trees grow taller.

Needles

The needles of the chir pine are slender, pale to bright green and about 20 to 30 centimetres long, and they grow in bundles of three. They hang in soft, drooping tufts that give the tree a feathery look and that make a faint, whispering sound in the wind.

Cones and seeds

The cones of the chir pine are large, ovoid and woody, usually 10 to 20 centimetres long, and they open to release winged seeds carried by the wind. Seeds germinate best on bare, open soil in full light, which helps the tree to spread after fires or landslides.

Bark

The bark of the chir pine is thick, rough and deeply furrowed, with a corky texture on older trees. This thick bark insulates the living tissue beneath and gives the tree some resistance to ground fires.

How is resin tapped from the chir pine?

Resin is tapped from the chir pine by cutting a shallow wound, called a blaze, into the bark and sapwood so that the tree releases sticky resin, which is collected in a container. The resin flows from resin canals in the wood, and the wound is renewed at regular intervals during the warm months of the year to keep it flowing.

Resin tapping in India is carried out mainly by state forest departments and forest corporations in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir. Trained workers, called resin tappers, work on trees of suitable size, and foresters set limits on how many blazes a tree may carry so that the tree is not weakened or killed.

What is resin used for?

Crude pine resin is distilled to make two main products, turpentine oil and rosin. Turpentine oil is a volatile liquid used as a solvent in paints and varnishes, in polishes and in the manufacture of chemicals. Rosin, also called colophony, is the solid residue left after distillation and is used in paper sizing, adhesives, soaps, inks, varnishes and the bows of stringed instruments.

• Turpentine oil: paints, polishes, solvents, camphor and other chemical processes.
• Rosin: paper sizing, soap, adhesives, printing ink, sealing wax and varnish.
• Resin products: used by industry across India, and the hills supply a significant share of the country’s raw material.

Resin tapping provides seasonal employment in remote hill areas, and the sale of resin is an important source of income for state forest departments. Its production levels have changed over the years with policy, prices and imports.

Why are chir pine needles a fire hazard?

Chir pine needles are a fire hazard because they fall in huge quantities, dry out in the hot spring and early summer, and ignite easily because they carry resin. The carpet of dry needles, called pirul in the hills of Uttarakhand, burns quickly and can spread a surface fire across a hillside in minutes.

Forest fires in the Himalayan hills peak in the dry weeks of April, May and June, before the monsoon arrives. Chir pine forests are particularly vulnerable because the litter layer is deep and continuous, and fires may be started by lightning, by accident or by people burning grass in the hope of improving fresh pasture.

Although mature chir pines survive many ground fires thanks to their thick bark, repeated fires kill seedlings, damage resin-tapped trees and harm other plants and wildlife. Fires can also contribute to soil erosion and to the smoke and haze that affect hill towns.

How are fires managed?

• Fire lines: cleared strips through the forest that stop the spread of surface fires.
• Controlled burning: in some areas, carefully planned early burns reduce the build-up of needles.
• Needle collection: removing needles reduces the fuel load and gives communities a usable material.
• Watch towers and community patrols: forest departments and village groups watch for fires in the dry season.

What can chir pine needles be used for?

Chir pine needles can be used to make fuel briquettes, biomass energy, handicrafts, compost, packing material and animal bedding, and several hill states promote them as a resource rather than a waste. Turning the needles into products both reduces the fire hazard and creates local income.

Because the needles are acidic and slow to decompose, they are generally unsuitable as a direct soil conditioner without composting, and heavy litter can suppress grass and herbs on the forest floor. Collection schemes therefore combine safety, livelihood and ecological goals.

What is chir pine timber used for?

Chir pine timber is used for general construction, doors and windows, packing boxes, plywood, railway sleepers after treatment, and as pulpwood and fuel. The wood is moderately hard, resinous and easy to work, and it takes preservatives well.

The heartwood is yellowish-brown to reddish and the sapwood is paler, and the resin content makes the wood somewhat resistant to decay when seasoned. Untreated pine, however, is attacked by insects and fungi, so preservation treatment is the usual practice for outdoor use.

Timber from natural forests is regulated by state forest departments, and harvesting of green trees is restricted in many hill areas. Plantation chir pine and trees grown on private land supply much of the timber that enters the market.

Why do foresters value and question the chir pine?

Foresters value the chir pine for its resin, timber and ability to grow on poor soil, but they also question its spread because chir pine forests support less biodiversity and hold less water than broadleaved oak forests. The tree is hardy, light-demanding and quick to colonise open, degraded slopes, which makes it useful for greening bare hillsides.

In the middle Himalaya, chir pine has expanded in some areas into zones that were once covered by banj oak (Quercus leucotrichophora), a broadleaved evergreen tree. Ecologists link this change to logging, fires, lopping of oak leaves for fodder and the colonisation of cleared land by pine seeds. Oak forests are generally regarded as better at retaining water, enriching soil and supporting wildlife, and the change has led to calls for restoring oak and mixed forest.

How does the chir pine compare with other Himalayan conifers?

The chir pine differs from other Himalayan conifers mainly in its lower elevation, longer needles and heavy resin production. The table below compares it with several conifers found higher in the Himalaya.

What is the history of chir pine in Indian forestry?

Chir pine has been central to Himalayan forestry since the colonial period, when foresters promoted it for resin, timber and railway sleepers. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the British administration expanded commercial forestry in the Kumaon, Garhwal and Himachal hills, and the Forest Research Institute at Dehradun, founded in 1906, became a leading centre for studying Indian timber and forest products.

Resin tapping on a commercial scale began in the early twentieth century, and resin factories were set up in the hills and foothills of north India. After Independence, state forest corporations took over much of the work. In recent decades, policy has shifted toward balancing resin and timber with fire control, water conservation and the restoration of mixed broadleaved forest.

Bottom Line

The chir pine is the tree most associated with the lower Indian Himalaya. It provides resin, timber and cover for bare slopes, but its fire-prone needles and its spread into oak country make its management a matter of balance. Using fallen needles productively and protecting mixed forests are two of the main ways that hill communities and foresters are responding.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the scientific name of the chir pine?

The scientific name of the chir pine is Pinus roxburghii. It was formerly called Pinus longifolia and is named after the botanist William Roxburgh. The tree belongs to the pine family, Pinaceae.

Where does the chir pine grow in India?

The chir pine grows in the lower Himalaya, mainly in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, with some extension into the eastern Himalaya. It usually occurs between about 500 and 2,000 metres above sea level. It prefers warm, sunny, well-drained slopes.

What is chir pine resin used for?

Chir pine resin is distilled into turpentine oil and rosin. Turpentine is used as a solvent in paints and polishes, while rosin is used in paper sizing, soap, adhesives, varnish and ink. The resin is tapped from the trunk by cutting a shallow wound in the bark.

Why do chir pine forests catch fire so easily?

Chir pine forests catch fire easily because the fallen needles are dry, resinous and form a deep carpet on the ground. The hot, dry weeks before the monsoon make the litter highly flammable. Once alight, the fire spreads quickly along the surface of the slope.

What is pirul and how is it used?

Pirul is the local name in Uttarakhand for dry chir pine needles. They are used to make briquettes, biomass energy, handicrafts, packing material and animal bedding. Using pirul reduces the fire hazard and creates income for village communities.

Is the chir pine good or bad for the environment?

The chir pine has both benefits and drawbacks. It stabilises poor soil, covers bare slopes and provides resin and timber, but its dry needles raise fire risk and its forests hold less water and support less biodiversity than oak forests. Foresters therefore favour mixed forests with native broadleaved trees alongside pine.

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