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Gene Wengert

Gene Wengert (1942-2025) was popularly known as “The Wood Doctor.” He trained thousands of people in efficient use of wood for more than 50 years and authored foundational resources on wood technology. He worked at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Virginia Tech. His popular "Wood Doctor's Rx" column has appeared regularly in FDM and FDMC magazine since 1978. Because so much of his advice was timeless, he asked that we continue to run his columns in memoriam.

Wood Explorer

Longleaf pine: Strongest of the southern pines

Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris and Pinus elliottii of the family Pinaceae), also called fat pine or heart pine, is one of the four major species making up the southern pines. It is the strongest of the four, the tallest (over 100 feet) and the most fire resistant.
By Gene Wengert, July 9, 2026 | 1:41 pm CDT