Naval stores is the broad term used to designate the products derived from the resin or oleoresin of pine trees. The name dates to the days when sailing ships, in particular naval ships, were constructed of wood and had to be sealed and caulked. Rosin, pine pitch, and other resinous products from the trees were used. In colonial times, pine tree forests were widely distributed and many were readily harvestable for such products, which were shipped to the mother country as part of the mercantile system.