Questions on bark

[ArronOB]

Its time to make some potting mix.

It’ll likely be mainly bark. Most references to orchid bark in the US seem to be fir bark. I don’t think I can get that, only pine bark, which is probably radiata pine being the dominant forestry species here.

I’ve seen references to pine having more resin then fir, although no explanation as to why that is a bad thing.

So what is the current thinking on pine bark - I did a lot of googling and the opinions were contradictory and unscientific. Is it resinous. Is the resin a problem. Does it have other problems. Is there a process to remove or nullify the effect of the resin.

I know there is plenty of information out there on this subject but a lot is poorly informed and I can’t necessarily distinguish the good from the bad. I know there are people here with good botany or science background whose opinions I can trust.

Cheers
Arron