Resin extraction

Pecherei is the common in Southern Lower Austria expression for the extraction of resin from black pine. The Pecherei served the extraction of tree resin, also known as "bad luck", which was subsequently processed to a number of chemical products. Those exercising the Pecherei are called Pecher. In 2011, the Pecherei was taken in Lower Austria in the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Austria, which is created as part of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The most important use for the tree Pecherei was the black pine (Pinus nigra), which is the resin prolific tree of all European softwoods and has been used by the Romans for resin extraction. With 90 to 120 years, a pine tree was in the best age for resin extraction. In Lower Austria, the Austrian black pine is the dominant tree whose resin was of high quality and the Austrian pitch made ​​the best in the world.

History

In the southern Lower Austria, especially in the industrial district and the Vienna Woods, the Pecherei was probably operated since the 17th century. A document from 1830 describes this as follows:

" The people driving the field crops and possess far from the village in the mountains, its forests, from which they sell wood and pitch. "

From the beginning of the 18th century manorial system began to promote the pitch extraction, which led to the emergence of bad luck cabins resin processing. During this time the Pecherei and trade with the resin to an important source of income for part of the population.

In the first decades of the 19th century, the resin extraction and Pechsiederei experienced its first heyday, prices and income also increased due to increasing demand sharply.

A literary monument to the craft sat Adalbert Stifter his story granite. For farm families in this region, the resin extraction was an important source of income. However, from the 1960s, this commercial came slowly to a halt. This was due mainly cheap imports from the former Eastern Bloc countries and from Turkey, Greece and Portugal. In addition, advances were still in technical chemistry that made the resin as a raw material in many areas superfluous.

The Austrian social security law knows to this day the profession of "independent Pechers ", which is defined as follows:

" Independent Pecher, these are people who, without being due to a service or apprenticeship busy, exercised by extraction of resin products in foreign woods a seasonally recurring employment, if they are engaged in that occupation usually without the aid of non-family workers. "

Raw materials and processing

The raw resin is pale yellow. It is rich in organic hydrocarbons, poor in oxygen and nitrogen-free. Crude resin consists of a mixture of predominantly aromatic substances with acid properties. His aromatic- spicy smell owes the bad luck the essential oils contained in it plenty.

The resin flow is different depending on the season and weather, heat and moisture are beneficial. Per stem and year three to four kilograms pitch could be obtained. For a Pecher could live modestly with his family, he had to resins 2500 to 3000 trees. His working day usually began before sunrise with the march to work in the pine forest and often lasted ten to twelve hours.

The prepared from the balsam in the steam distillation process products, turpentine and rosin, were mainly used in paper, paint, soap, cable and shoe polish industry.

The annual work of Pecher

The work year of Pechers with different main activities divided in line with the seasons. Most important work in the winter were preparing the equipment and the making of the pitch -holes with the saddle planer.

Great focus was the work in the spring. Depending on the method used differed, the individual steps:

Grandl or scrap method

At the beginning of Pecherei was collected, the resin at the bottom of the stem end in simple, be smeared with clay soil pits. Because of the pollution caused by the resin was developed the Grandl or scrap method. For this, the Pecher a " Grandl " or " scrap " said recess in a wood- working for the resin absorption near the ground with the hoe out. Since the new resin tank had to be smooth and clean, the Grandl was with a narrower heel with a rounded cutting edge, the moon or scrap Hackl ( 3), smoothed. With a pointed piece of wood, the Rowisch (1), the wood chips were removed from the inside. At the same time Rowisch served as Zählstab: After every scrap re -built the Pecher cut a notch in the Rowisch. He always knew the number of finished trees.

With the adze, the later the guild sign of Pecherei was, and the hoe ( 7) of the Pecher was then removed the bark from the tree trunk. To be able to direct the resin flow into the sump, pitch -holes had to be applied across the trunk.

Followed about three times in two weeks from spring to early autumn, the places, the oldest working method. Here, the Pecher the bark to the master hit his Plätzdexel (11 ) down piece by piece, so that Laughed was getting bigger and the resin flow remained upright.

A Grandl or scrap took depending on size between 0.25 and 0.35 kg of luck. An edited in this way the tree was 12 to 18 years deliver bad luck.

Zeschen and squares

In the interwar period, the transition from the Grandl began - on the PTO cup method, were used in the Pechhäferl. This required new pitch trees, the " Winery " off the ground with a hoe be dressed. In this process, the Zeschen, the bark about one-third of trunk circumference was first with the Anzeschhacke ( 4) and then with the Rintler ( 5) removed so that a V-shaped demarcation arose.

Then the Pecher had a groove to accommodate the pitch loopholes that let, chop and collect the pitch slits with the Fürhackdexel (6) or with the Anzeschhacke each on the right side of the tree trunk. Just below the narrowest point was with the Fürhackdexel a beak chopped to accommodate the Pechhäferls, a run of bad luck including a nail length of nail (9 ) stamped and placed in the end the Pechhäferl with the lid. So that the tree for resin extraction was done prepared and had, as described above, geplätzt at regular intervals.

The several years gepechten trees were processed in a similar manner. When " Fürhacken " took the Pecher its attachments, the pitch slits, the unlucky nail and the Pechhäferl when climbing up the ladder with. After removing the bark with the Rintler ( 5), the Aufhacken, thus removing the verkernten part to the Lachte edges, the Laßhacken and the onset of the pitch slits followed instead of hitting the beak with the Fürhackdexel striking with the stop iron ( 10) and hammer (11).

Scratch

As with all processing methods had to the upper part of tree bark be removed previously with the Rintler (5) in the groove section, the cracks. Then the Pecher increased with Ritzer from several millimeters thick cortical layer. It was important an accurate cut. In this method, no planing contiguous areas, but v -shaped grooves formed in the trunk. As a result, the Pecher saved the onset of the pitch slits, because the resin could flow into Pechhäferl through the grooves.

Although at the Ritz method by eliminating the Fürhackens a labor and time saving arose, it has been applied only sporadically in southern Lower Austria, as the yield up to 50 % was lower than in the other two resin extraction process, the courts and planing. But the main problem at the Ritz method lay in the blockage of the grooves with resin. That's why most Pecher went back to the planer section. The grooves cut was applied mainly in the use of forest pine resin.

Zeschen and Planing

Since the courses was very tiring, the Pecher developed the new working method of planing. This was not only less stressful, but also required a smaller amount of time.

The working process for new and for several years worked unlucky trees remained the same as described above, except that instead of planing was Plätzens just applied. With the planer ( 12) of the Pecher cut with a single cut a wide, flat chip from the trunk. In places, this could only be achieved with many blows of Dexel. In this way, he needed only about one- sixth of the time which he had needed for the Dexeln.

Not only for newly created pitch trees, the so-called " wine tavern ", but also worked for several years pine planing was practiced and indeed as in places three times within two weeks, with the Pecher usually in the first week one time and in the second week aufhobelte twice. This was repeated six to eight times until the Häferl was full () and then started all over again.

The resin harvest

When depending on weather from spring to autumn held three to four times annually resin harvesting, " unsetting ", mostly to help with the family and relatives. The approximately 0.75 to 1 kg of the Pechhäferls were emptied with the pitch spoon in the comprehensive 25-30 Pechhäferl Pechpittel and this in turn added to the pitch barrel. The so-called " bad luck Scherrn " was the last work of Pecher in the fall. It had to be removed with the pitch shear Travel (15 ) the solidified resin from the Laughed. With the Pechkrickel the Pecher scratched from the rigid resin on the saddle edge and at the Let and took out the bad luck slits. Set in a loincloth, the Scherrpechpfiata, collected resin he emptied into the upwardly open Scherr pitch barrel and entered it firmly with your feet. This Scherr pitch was of poorer quality than the Häferlpech and therefore scored only a lower price.

Other Tools and Equipment

An indispensable tool for the machining of several years gepechten trees was the conductor. It's made of two thin, long Föhrenbäumchen that served as pillars, and made ​​tough Dogwood wood for the sprouts. Up to 22 rungs, which corresponds to a height of 6 m, a professional Pecher is hundreds of times a day climbed up, which dealt with the tribe and is then slid down the slip patches attached to the thighs and knees made ​​of leather.

According to ancient custom a Pecherhütte of wood was erected in the woods. They resembled a woodcutter hut and served mainly as protection and shelter in bad weather. Interior mostly stood a rough timbered table and a bank. Here the Pecher took also occasionally be eating. From time to time a furnace was erected. Almost always went the Pecher home every night, only in exceptional cases, he spent the night in the hut. Thus, the data required for processing of different tall trees ladders had to be taken not always home, a head space was built.

For the resin harvest, the unsetting, were initially ( Rinn ) pitch barrels hardwood later buried iron and plastic barrels last in the forest floor to the half and remained until the evacuation in the pitch processing plant in the forest. A full wooden barrel weighed 130-160 kg and an iron barrel between 180 and 200 kg.

To keep the snack brought especially cool in summer, built the Pecher in a shady place a water pit. For this purpose he raised from the ground, placed side walls with stones, also sat out of a stone on a lid and sprinkled at the end the small pit with twigs.

Impact on the tree

In contrast to the practice in the early pitches by burning the bark over the entire trunk circumference of pine, which died out of the tree, does not affect the more modern form, in which the bark is removed only by about one-third of trunk circumference, the viability of the tree. Although the trunk is in the area of the exposed wood more susceptible to the effects of weather and pests, but the tree wound is well preserved and protected by the exuding resin. It is therefore possible, for a second time a pine - to pitches - on the opposite side. The power of the crown with water and nutrients is then ensured by two narrow, opposing strips of bark, the "life", so that the tree can continue to grow even in this case. Such trees were called " Lebenszuleiter ".

The wood of trees gepechten However ungepechter of lower quality than that and is therefore only used as firewood.