Tunisian Aleppo pine wood: properties, potentialities and outlets[Le bois du pin d'Alep Tunisien : propriétés, potentialités et débouchés]

This chapter is a synthesis of the works carried out by different authors, on Tunisian Aleppo pine wood .It focuses on the technological properties of wood, its various uses and provides key elements on its real potentialities and the possibilities of its valorization at the local level. Currently, the principal industrial outlets for Aleppo pine wood in Tunisia are oriented towards the production of pallets and pellets for energy purposes. Despite its physical and mechanical properties, the use of Aleppo pine wood is limited, due to the recurrent presence of some physical defects: knots, bad shapes, low natural durability, pockets of resin, etc. In order to overcome the inherent imperfections in the wood material, various industrial processes are generally used, which can be applied upstream, with appropriate forestry or downstream, once the tree is beaten down and cut. Among the treatments applied directly to the wood material, one can mention the heat treatment by soft pyrolysis or the peeling in order to obtain veneers to make new engineering materials such as LVL (Laminated Veneer Lumber). This last process is still under study. However, there is an undeniable need to improve current practices for the exploitation of this resource. The revision of a classification, based on the needs mainly of the Tunisian market, on the one hand, and on the real qualities of this species, on the other hand, is a priority. It would highlight the qualities of the products made from Aleppo pine wood and relativize the prejudices, which characterize it as a material of poor quality.