OK, I have calmed down now. My point, which was not well explained by myself earlier, is any southern yellow pine that is grown in modern pine plantations, where fast growth is the only goal, is not suitable for a truck bed. This is due to the fact that it has a higher ratio of "summer wood", which contains more air space which makes it weaker and more prone to take on water which leads to an increased decay rate. The "winter wood" is more dense and gives the wood more strength. When you look at the annual rings, the winter wood is the thin dark line that you use to count the rings. The summer wood is the wider, lighter colored portion that is between these dark lines. Slow growth southern yellow pine has many more winter wood rings per inch giving it far superior strength than what is commonly produced and sold today. Bottom line, tighter grain means stronger structure in southern yellow pine. I will probably go with black locust painted black.
