Revised 12/25/2024

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SCIENTIFIC NAME(s):

Alnue rubra; Alnus rubra

 

COMMON NAME(s):

Red Alder, Alder

 

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

Alder, a relative of Birch, is almost white when freshly cut, but quickly changes with exposure to air, becoming light brown with a yellow or reddish tinge. Heartwood is formed only in trees of advanced age and there is typically no visible boundary between sap and heartwood. The wood is fairly straight grained with a uniform texture.

 

It is a soft, relatively low-strength, straight-grained, even-textured wood. Works well with hand and machine tools, but sharp cutting edges need to be maintained to prevent tearing the grain. The wood is rarely wider than 6 inches due to the small size of the trees.

 

REGIONAL DISTRIBUTION:

Alder grows in the Pacific Northwestern region of the USA and Canada along the Pacific coast between Alaska and California. It is the principal hardwood for commercial manufacture of wood products in Oregon and Washington and the most abundant commercial hardwood species in these two states.

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PHYSICAL PROPERTIES:

Alder is a relatively soft hardwood of medium density that has low bending strength, shock resistance, and stiffness. The wood of Red Alder varies from almost white to pale pinkish brown, and there is no visible boundary between heartwood and sapwood. Red Alder is moderately light in weight and intermediate in most strength properties but low in shock resistance. It has relatively low shrinkage.

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WORKING PROPERTIES:

Alder machines well and is excellent for turning. It nails, screws and glues well, and can be sanded, painted, or stained to a good finish. When stained, it blends with walnut or cherry. It dries easily with little degrade and has good dimensional stability after drying.

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ALTERNATIVES:

Soft Maple, White Birch, Beech, Cherry

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COMMON USES:

Furniture, flooring, kitchen cabinets, doors, shutters, moulding, panel stock, turnings, carvings, and kitchen utensils.

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GRADE:

NHLA Alder grade rules

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For Military Veterans, First Responders & Other Patriots

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