The continuous system is discretized using the Ritz method. Initially, the load and critical mode of the profile, its natural frequencies, as well as the load-frequency relation are determined analytically as a function of the column geometry and material properties by solving the respective eigenvalue problems. Next, using the Newton-Raphson method and continuation techniques, the post-critical paths of the perfect structure and the non-linear equilibrium paths of the imperfect structure are obtained and the imperfection sensitivity is investigated, considering several types of geometric imperfections. Finally, the nonlinear oscillations and parametric instability of the column under harmonic axial loads are investigated. Non-linear equations of motion are solved numerically by the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method. The regions of parametric instability are determined as a function of the parameters of the orthotropic material, damping ratio and cross-sectional geometry. The bifurcation diagrams are obtained using continuation techniques and the brute force method, and the stability of the solutions is further investigated using Floquet s theory. The bifurcation analysis allows the identification of the bifurcations associated with the boundaries of parametric instability, as well as the existence of coexisting solutions. Then, the evolution of the basins of attraction of the coexisting solutions as a function of the forcing magnitude is investigated, in order to evaluate the dynamic integrity of the solutions. The results demonstrate that the column can lose stability at load levels well below the static buckling load and, therefore, the designer must be careful when dealing with these structures subject to time-varying axial loads.