About the tree
The Chir Pine (Pinus Roxburghii Sargent) is an evergreen that grows to approximately 55 m (Chandra, 2013) and can grow well on degraded soil. The chir pine forest extends from Pakistan, Northern India, through into Nepal and Bhutan (Aggarwal, Dhirender, Kaushik, & Mehra, 2010). The chir pine grows between a range of elevation of 900 and 1950 m in sheltered valleys and in the foothills and it can grow to an elevation 2700 m in some regions (Forestry Nepal, 2014). In the west of Nepal, the chir pine forms large areas of almost pure pine forest on north-facing and south-facing hillsides (Forestry Nepal, 2014). The hillside growth of chir pine forests creates the possibility for the resin industry to remain within the hills of Nepal and therefore contributing to the prosperity of Hillside farmers.
Tapping the chir pine for resin
The Chir Pine tree is the only species tapped for resin in Nepal (Chandra, 2013). Tapping of the pine tree is practiced in Nepal in over 80% of the forests (Subedi, 2014) and the chosen method depends on the technology available. In Nepal, resin can be harvested using the light and continuous tapping method (Forestry Nepal, 2014). This method is considered more environmentally sustainable because only one section of the bark is removed at a time and the exposed section is tapped for four to five years (Forestry Nepal, 2014). After the four to five year tapping period, a new section of bark is removed and tapping continues using the new section.
Using the Resin to create Healing Pine
Healing Pine is manufactured using the resin harvested from the chir pine tree. The unprocessed resin has traditional uses in Nepal because of the existence of essential oils and antibacterial chemical compounds in the resin (Ali, Basalah, Salem, 2014). Traditionally, the resin reduces swelling and inflammation, and soothe boils. The goal of Healing Pine is to capture to indigenous knowledge about the benefits of the resin, and extend its use outside of Nepal (Aggarwal et al., 2010).
Sustainable Production
Forests are home to great biological diversity as well as other useful natural products [1]. For example, edible mushroom, herbs with medicinal properties and wildlife traditionally used for hunting and furs can be found in chir pine forests [2]. Resin can be harvested without cutting the tree down which will preserve the forests for traditional use. The resin tapping industry has potential to conserve forests by giving economic value to a standing tree. However, sustainable taping methods are vital as to remove the risk of a tree dying prematurely from overuse. The resin is an extractive, and removal of the resin does not mean the death of the tree (Anderson, 1955). Therefore, if done sustainably a tree can be tapping continuously for decades (Forestry Nepal, 2014).