Abstract Replicas retaining the structural characteristics of softwood (Pinus sylvestris) were obtained by infiltrating pretreated templates with a methanolic methoxymagnesium methyl carbonate (MeOMgOCO₂Me) solution as a precursor which then hydrolyzed into MgCO₃ nanoparticles. Subsequent calcination at temperatures ranging from 500 to 1450°C yielded annealed MgO replicas on levels of hierarchy from the macroscopic to the submicron scale. The mechanical stability of the replicas could be improved through calcination at 1450°C. However, this treatment leads to considerable shrinkage (Δ_ax=56%). Even more stable MgO replicas were obtained by infiltrating the pine template first with MeOMgOCO₂Me, followed by a second infiltration step with an ethanolic tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) solution and subsequent calcination at 1350°C. The resulting replicas constitute an MgO framework overgrown with Mg₂SiO₄ (forsterite) and exhibit compression strengths of 31±8 MPa, as well as hierarchical structures combined with an anisotropic porosity.