RED ALDER
Its Management
and Utilization
By Norman
P. Worthington, Robert
H. Ruth, and Elmer E. Matson Forest Service Miscellaneous Publication.
U.S. Department of Agriculture
•
No. 881
Forest Service
CONTENTS
Introd uction____________________________________________
Run e and distl'i u ion __________________________________ _
Species churactenstlCs____________________________________
Gener app e al' ance___ ______________________________
E.cology_;- ____________,___________________________ __
Site reqmrements___________________________________ _
Silvicul features__________________________.___________
Acreage und volume ____________________________________ _
Growth und \-iel cL _ _ ___________________________________ _
Comp nson with conifer yiel cl s____ -;- __________________ _
Rotutlon ___________________________________________
Forest pr actices on commercinl sites ______________________ _
H tlrVest cut tings____________________________________
Logging met hods___________________________________ _
Sbsh dispos aL___________ .:. __________________ .:. _ ______
Regen er ut io n _ _ ____________________________________ _
Experience in the coasttU t1r8[1 neur Hebo,. Oregon _ _ _____
Cultural practices _ _ ________________________________ _
Dum nging ngen ts____________________________________
Control of tllder on coniferolls sites _ ___________________
Wood pro perties _ _ _ _____________________________________
::\bchining properties ___________________ ________________ _
Planing _ ______ ______________________ _ ______________
i�:�;� :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
).Iortising_ _ _ _______________________,________________
Seasoning _ _ _ ______ ____________________________________
...-iir-dIJing____ - ________________ - - _______ - ___________
I(iln-cITjing_________________________________________
Iajor uses_____________________________________________
Pulp_____________________________________'_________ _
Lumber and miscellaneous product s_ _ _ _ _______________
Log grades and lumber recovery__________________________ _
Storage loss-logs and pulpwood _ _________________________ Future trends in u tiliz a tion_______________________________ Bibliography___________________________________________ _
Appendi ___________________________________________ ___
COI?mqn and scientific names of botunical species menbo n ed _ _ _ _________________________________ ______
Official grading rules for Pacific coast hn.rd'woocllogs____
_
Issued-J :1nuary 1 962
For
ale by the Superintendent of Documents. U.S. Government Printing Omee, Washington 25, D.C . • Price 20 cents ,
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Red Alder-Its Management and
Utilization
8y Norman p, Worthington, Robert H. Ruth, and Elmer Matson,
!
research Foresters, Pacific
Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station, Forest Service
INTRODUCTION
Since World ,Val' II, attention .of Pacific X orthwest forest in­
dustries has been increasingly drawn to the comparatively untn pped
native hardwood resources of the region. This interest in the com­
mercial possibilities of hardwood man agemen t and utili zation is
neither accidental nor transitory . It is a permanent outgr o wth of
diversification and expansion throughout the X ntion s w ood- usin !!
industries .
Red alder , the most important hardwood in Oregon and ,Ya::;h­
ington , comprises about t\yo-thirds of the hnrdwoo(l timber resonrce
in the two-State region. About 11; billion board feet are It Y<tibble
in commercially operable stands, nearly all of which occur ,yest of the
Cascade Ran,Q'e.
Several factors have prompted an acceleratin g industrial demand
for red alder: (1) t echnological adyanc es in a kler pulp i ng, chietly
over the past 10 years, ha\'e expanded this use to the point of ex­
ceeding all other uses combined: (2) n. decline in hardwood quality
on the national scale, particularly in the East and South h a s stimu
l ated a growin g recognition of alder as a wood possessing- both hi711
(IUality and value: (:3) expansion of local markets on the west const.
particula rly in Calif orni a , has substantially favored locally gTO,Yn
hard,v.oods in r ai1ron c shipping costs: (-4:) l ong recogni zed as it
versatIle ,yood in furmture manufacture. re d alder has continued to
meet the expanding requirements of the furniture industry: ,md (,))
effective promotion by an association of hardwood producers and
landowners, both in establishing new markets and further exploiting
current manufacturing outlets, has stressed the species desirrible
qualities.
The unprecedented industrial demand for reel alder has stimulated
interest in its management and utilization. Because considerable new
information has come to light since the most recent comprehensiye
account of red alder management and utilization was published
(,Johnson et al., 1926) / this booklet has been prepared to consolidate
.
past and present knowledge.
­
1 De('eased.
: Author names accompanied by dates of publication refer to
p. -to.
Bibliography,
1
2
u.s.
DEPART::VIEXT
OF
.\GRIGCLT1JRE ::.nsc. PUB .
881
RA N G E A N D DISTR IBUTIO N
Reel alder (Alnu8 rubl'fl) is the largest llnd most numerous of all
the alders. The species is so cnlled b ecll llse the fresh l y cut sa pwooel
soon turns a reddish brown. Other common nnmes include Pacific
Coast alcler Oregon alder, and western alder. The genus ·name
Alnu8 is derived from the classical Latin name for the tree (Little,
1953) .
Stands of commercial value gro\y in southeastern .Alaska (Yakutat
Bay), British Columbia, \Yash i llgton , northern Idaho, Oregon, and
the Santa Ynez mountains of California (Sargent, 19;):3), extending
from 60° south,nrcl to httitude :-)-4:0 (fig. 1). Although it is found
1150
I
1100
I
1050
\
1000
\
BRITISH
COLUMBIA
\
1100
FIGURE
I.-Runge
of red alder.
RED
ALDER-ITS
::\H....
'<AGKMEXT AX D "C'TILIZATIO)f
3
along strelU11S in northern Idaho , ordinarily it occurs no farther in­
miles from the Pacific Ocean. It is lU1COmI110n above
elevations of 2,500 feet (Col1ing"'ood and Brush, 1!);,);»).
The tree grows best along borders of streams and in adjacent bottom
l an ds , ot' in moder at ely wel1-drained soils in areas 'where annun.l pre­
cipitation exceeds 40 inches. In suc h arens, red alder often forms
pure s t ands v arying in size and shape fr om n narrow stringer of only
a fe w acres to continuous stands seyeral hundred acres in extent
(fig. :2) . Scattered trees occur in varying degrees of m i xt ure through­
out the con iferous types of the coastal plains, the interior yalleys, and
the lower slopes of the Cascade and Coast Ra nge s and Olympic
:Mountains.
land than 100
F-3:!0967
FIGURE 2.-A typical pure stand of mature red alder gro\Ying in a modertltel '
well-drained bottom land; trees ..ary from 10 to 16 inches d.b.h. Xote UlHler­
story of Sitka spruce nnd western hemlock.
Recent Forest Service estimates indicate that about 802,000 acres
of commercia l forest land in Oregon and ,y tlsh i ngton are occup ied
by stands predomin antly red alder ; the area on which the tree is inter­
mingled in stands predominantly conifer is far greater. The a r ea
suitable for growing alder is be ing gr adually reduced, however , by
bnd cl e aring fo r agri cultura l and industrial cle ,-elopment in the lower
rive r valle ys and coastal plains.
Red alder attains maximum yield and tr ee size in ",estern Or egon
and western vVashington. In southwestern W ashington it is suffi­
ciently abundant to be c lassed as a major commercial type. The
large s t concentrations in western Oregon are in the const counties of
Clatsop, Columbia, T illamook, Lincoln, Lime, Douglas , and Coos. Al l
counties in western Wash ington hn.ve import ant commercial volumes.
:iYIost 0'£ the present supply is on privately o-\vnecllands.
4
u.s.
DEPART::'IE)fT
OF
AGRICULTURE
MISC .
PUB .
SS 1
S P ECIES C H ARACTERISTICS
General Appearance
The tree is straight clear boled for 50 to 60 percent of its height
when grown in relatiyely dense stands, and it has rather slim branches
which droop in a narrow, long , domelike crown. Heights of 65 to 100
feet are normal for mature trees, with maximum heights to 130
feet. Diameter at breast height is commonly 18 to 24 inches, but
sizes up to 3-4: inches are found. The trunk bark on most mature trees
is thin (rarely exceeding three-fourths of an· inch), smooth, and
mottled light gray to whitish. The bark on large trunks is· , ery
shallow seamed, ,vith thin, fiat, narrow rIdges. and often conred
with green moss. Twigs are clear, shiny, reddish, and sometimes
slight}y hairy, especially near their ends. .Mature leaves are onll.ot'
elliptlcal, smooth and deep yellow green above, paler and coated wIth
short rust-colored hairs underneath. Leaves are ordinarilv :3 to G
inches long and their toothed borders are very slightly curleel toward '
the under surface (S udworth 1908). The seed consists of a small.
compressed, l1tUTo,y-,,·inp:ed nutle t, without endosperm llnd is borne
in pairs atthe base of each cone scale.
The most striking features of the tree are its clear grav-to-white
trunk, its smooth bttrk. and its domelike crown. It o cui·s charac­
teristically in groups.
.
·
Ecology
Alder grows both in pure stands and in mixture with natin coni­
fers and hardwoods. ,\Yhen growing in mixture. it is nearlv always
in a dominant or codomimll t posit ion. Stands' are predoi'l1in a ntly
even aged, whether pure or mixed, since alder is usually the first tree to originate in openings. Because of its intolerance, it rarely fills in after a stand has been established. :Jiixtures occur onlv in
voun g growth coniferous stands less than 100 veal'S old: however.
;·t1der n:U1Y occur in openings in older stands. Onl on sites best suited
for alder growth does it succeed itself. Characteristic tree associates are Douglas-fir,3 'western redcedal'.
western hemlock, grand fir, Sitka spruce, bigleaf maple, vine maple.
Pacific willow, bitter cherry, and black cottonwood. Given time.'
conifers will often attain dominance as the alder canopy breaks up
because of age, disease, or insects.
Associated- shrubs and prominent herbs are elder, salmonberry,
western thimbleberry, !unerican devilsc1ub, whortleberry, osoberry,
salal, trailing blackberry, western swordfern, and nettle.
On poor alder sites the tree commonly grows in mixture with
Douglas-fir. The latter although slower in initial height growth
survives when not directly overtopped and about the 20th year begins
to equal or exceed alder:s annual height development. Hence, the
Douglas-fir and alder develop on a competitive basis until approxi­
m ately the 40th year.
Theretlfter, Douglas-fir usually attains a
dominant position, and few alders remain by the 60th year. This
'
y
-
.
3
•
Scientific names of speCies menti oned are included in the appendix,
p. 43.
RED ALDER-ITS
L-L"\""AGL\IENT .-L"\-D tlTILIZATION
D
association of the two trees often results in a smoother boled, smaller
limbed Douglas-fir, and an impl'oyed soil and moisture condition
clue to formation of a mull humns In vel' and buildup of nitrogen
from alder leaves. Alder may occnr in :'1. gl'onpwise mixture, OCCUl)Y­
ing small areas (1h acre or larger) where soil moisture is too high
for best development of Douglas-fir.
Alder is common along streams and adjacent moist bottoms. In
nddition, it is usually the first tree to appear on the moist, rich soils
of benches or gentle slopes after a coniferous forest has been remond
by cutting or burning. On such sites it is frequently associated with
willow, cherry anel bigleaf maple, which are "slower growing. "Whether or not it will persist to form the ma jor component of the
new stands depends on the occurrence of coniferous reproduction.
Apparently, within a certain range of soil and moisture conditions,
alder will win; outside that range the conifers will gain ascendancy,
if present. Alder frequently becomes established on sites that are more valuable
for production of conifers. ,Yith a smal1 hea.cl start, it may prewnt
conifer reproduction from becoming established. and so may dominate
the area. In such cases. it often forms a stand characterized bv
" a
great number of stems. few of " h i ch reach merchantable size.
,- _-Uder occnpies two or three rimes more ,!!rowing: space per tree than
nati,'e conifers. This is due ro its wider !?l'o"-n and intolerance of
shade. However, it is tl relntiwly short-lived tree, p:iYlng way in
many instances to the illdi,Q:enous conifers. During irs life it enriches
the soil and under certair conditions may Pl'o,-i(le a nurse crop for
the Douglas-fir, hemlock. reckecbr. and grand fir that succeed it.
Generally speaking', alder is a pioneer rype. succeeded by conifers
except in extra-moist soils of high organic-matter content, where it is usually the climax type. ,
S ite Requirements
...:-\.l. cler requires abundant soil moisture and is pre,-alent on soils
of restricted internal draimw:e. However. it is not found in bottom
lands subject to overflow of ,long duration. Deep. well-drained soils
produce the best trees. but alder also does well on coarse sands and
gra.vels if moisture is tl.dequate.
Although alder roots do not penetrate deeply. windthrow is not
common. This is clue in part to intermin lin of the trees with taller
coniferous associates and to absence of foliage .luring the winter and
early spring when winds are severe and 'soils are- saturated with
moisture.
Red alder seeds naturaJly wherever bare mineral soil is exposed by
.
logging, fire, windthrow, or road construction.
_
S ilvical Features
Red alder flowers are borne in the sprin2'. both sexes on the same
tree, and are produced in catkins which we're formed the preceding
season and expand before or with the leaves. Staminate catkins occur
in small tassel like clusters;) to 6 inches long tUld % inch thick. They
604728°--62---- 2
6
u . s.
D EPART1-IEXT
OF
AGRICrLT'C'RE
::.nsc.
prB.
881
are naked and erect during "winter but elongated and pendulous at
maturity. Pistillate aments, also erect and usually naked eluring the
"winter, enlarge but slightly at flowering and de,-elop into ovid
strobiles or conelets. 111e clark-bro"\vn conelets are % to 1 inch long:
and % to 1;2 inch thick at maturity. They contain 50 to 100 small,
flatteneel nutlike seeds. Leaves are shed in the late fan and winter
while still green, leaving the fruit very prominent.
Red alder is a prolific. seeder. Seed dispersal begins shortly after
ripening in late summer and continues until early the following
spring. IVind, the chief dispersal agent, often cnrries the seed for
considerable distances. ('Tood seed crops occur about e\-ery fonrth
year, with light. erops in internning years. Optimum seed-bearing
age is from 2:5 years to tree maturit;y-. Seed yield is approximately
1.1 pounds per bushel of cones, with 0(1),000 seeds per pounel (1).S.
Forest Selyice, 10-:1:8).
Germination, which rakes place in the spri n g fol1o\\-ing: seed (lis­
persal, is best 011 moist mineral soil. Initial gro\vtl;J. is rapid-heights
of S to 10 feet in )) years and :iO to :1:5 feet tlt 10 yea rs ,l1'e common.
Such growth enables alder to assnme dominance over C'ompetinp: trees
and shrubs at an earlv ag·e. On better sites. the tree reaches hei g'ht s
'of 100 to 120 feet iI; ;') () years, and diameters up to 2-:1: inches ar e
common.
In ful1y stocked stan ck tl'ees are eliminated rapid ly b.'- :mppl'ession
until approxim ate ly 1;'')0 stems per acre remain at ;')() yetlrs. The
tree has a· tendency to dewlop \yater SPl'Onts or epiCOl'llli(' b ra nc he s
if the stand is opened up by hen,-y thinning Oi' pHrtinl cutting'.
Othenvise, limbs are shell rapillly un til only the n p pe r :1() to -:1:0 per­
cent of the crown retains branches: the rest of the bole is limb free.
Alder contributes borh to physical and chemical impl'O\-ement of
;3oil. Its litter decomposes ra pidly . forming :1 mull humlls l ayel'
\,ith subsequent impI'OYement in soil structure.
\.nd it contribute:;
to impro\-ed soil fertility through symbiotic fixation of ni t rogen by
organisms contained in the root nodules. The role of snch or!!.'Hnisms
lUl been conclusively demonstrated with European alder (Bond,
c_
ID56) .
Indirect e,·idellce of nin-oQ.·en fixation bv red alder is also available.
Alder foliag'e contains muc1; greater tlmO l1lts of nitrogen than leaves
of other incligenous tree species (Tarrant et al. 1D51) and soil nitro­
gen, nitrogen content of fir foliage, and gro\vth rate of fir all increased
significantly in mixed plantings of alder and Doug:las- HI.' (Tn.rmnt,
1961). The mean annual accumulation rate for nitrogen in these plant­
ings was about 56_0 pounds per acre. Studies of a recently cleglaciated
aren, in Alaska show the mean annual accumulation rate for nitro.g-en
to have been 55 pounds per acre during the period. of plant succession
in which Sitka alder was becoming established (Crocker and :Major,
1955) .
Alder is useful for erosion control on steep slopes or where soil
has been disturbed, especially along -roadbanks. The heavy cO\-er,
ineluding the litter layer that is created wi thin 3 to 5 years, effectively
protects the soil.
;
RED
ALDER-ITS
}IAXAGE IENT
AND rTILIZATION
7
ACREAGE AND VOLUM E Pure r ed alder type in western O reg.' oll and "-esterll 'iYa:'ihingL on
occupies SD1,T()() acre . c Ol ll parell with l.-:l:DO.SOf) ac re s of all other
hn.rcbyoocl types ( t lble 1), Howe\'er thi s acreage does not repre:::ent
the ent ir e area OIl \\"!lich the tree occm's, for it has been estimated that
t'yo-thirds of the totnl aldel' ,'ol ume !..?T()\\"S in st an(l s of \\"hich it is a
minot' component, This tendency t'O gr o w in mixture \yitll soft­
woods tl ll cl other h:ll'cl,,'oolb eomplicate:; management of the spe L' ies.
as will be cli:.:cussed Inter ( fi.!..?',; ),
The m ost t'ecent es timat e of alder sawtimber ,-olume in the P:lcific
Xorthwest is 11.8 !) mil l ion bOHnl feet (Scribner rule). of \\"hich ().O;)
m i llion board feet is in \Yestt'rn 'iYas h il1 !..?"t on aHcl .i.T" mil lion bonrd
feet in we:::tern Oreg' on (table 2), It. l.'l'presen ts 'ti, p e r cent of the
total hard \Yood sa wtimber :::tand in the two half-State ll'ens, Othet'
prin c i pal ::;p ecies are bi!-rlt':d mapll' ( 1, perl'ellt) alltl blaek cottonwood
(;S pel'l'ent), The l'emain,ler (U),-± millioll boar cl feet) cOIl:iists
la r gel y of oa ks , The rl'lat h-e supply of hal',l,,-ood:-i is generally be­
ie n(l to be holdi l lg np better th an that of ;;Oft\\"OOll:-;, Pl'ohnbly the
YOlUllle of har d wooels is i llL'l'l'nsi ng in s o me arens, H elll 0\':1 I of the
I'il'!..?'in (' oll ifer stand tends to fnl'()l the IUll'lI\\"oods 1)\, !..?'i\'ill!..?' rhem :Ill
OPtCH)l't1l1l it:- to gl'O\\ in the open t'olHlitions JllO:-5t f l ' ()l'abie to rheir
den lo pmem ,
Reeent e::; rim ate::: of :'ioftwl)o(1 ro1 ume!-i for \\"(,:'itel'1l Ore !..!'ol1 and
,,'estern 'iYn;o;hill!..?'toll r otal ti;',f; billioll b o ard feet. l'l'iJjllel' l'ul;, Tl\ll
the hnr(lw()()(l \';)lnme (1,.'-'-+'-) minion bOllt'll feer. t\\"o-rhinls of \\"hich
i:-i :tI,ler) is :lpPl'fJxil1lately ::
pel'l'ellt of rhe :-;ofrwoo(] ,·olullle .
.\1tllOll!..?'l1 it:' \"olnme i:, l'ela rireh' :-imnll. l'l'd a lde r i:-; of !..?T(min!..?' illl­
P0l't:lI11:e in I()l'nlitie:-' where 1'f1Ilt' ntl':lte, l \,oll1l11e:-; are l:'a;o;lly :l1..'('e ;o;ibh·'
to mannf:t('fl1ri11!..?' facilities, . \:'i the l'enminin!..?" ol,l-!..?'l'o\\"th :-:nfr\\"()otl
'
'
tinlhel' is ltalTPs red alllel' :ulIl nthel' hal'd\\"n(;d ('all he expl:'('ted ro
p I' o " i de n11 in,'rpa il1 ' s hare (jf total tilllbel' :illpplied in the regioll ,
FWUI{E ;:l,-Red 111111:'(' ill llIixt1l1'p with I>on;rl:t:.;-ti[' on lin old hnrn,
1110['1;> ('('IllUlllnl \' in lllixture rh:1Il ill lIlU'l;> :.;t:lud:;,
.
.\l(ler
.=:-1'1"":-;
8
u.s .
D EPART)'IENT
OF
AGRICULT"CRE
MIS C .
P"'C"B .
8 81
T.'l.BLE I.-Extent of red alder a n d othe'J' lw,rdwood types on rornme1'­
cial forest land in u.:este1"n Oregon (md weste'i'n 1Vc{i�hin{Jton
1
(In thousands of acres)
Seedlings, sap­
lings, and
poletimber
Sawtimber
Location, by county
1---..,------.,-__----,____ " ___--;-__ __
Red
alder
Other
hard­
woods
Western Oregon:
Clatsop__________
4. 8
Columbia________
. ;:)
Coos____________
19. 1
Curry _ _________ _
. :3
, Dou glas _________
2.0
Hood River______ _______
Jackson__________ ______
Josephine________ _______
Lane _ ___________
5. -!
3. 8
Lincoln__________
1.5
Tillamook______
:3.5
All others________ _
_ _
TotaL________
1 ___
-w. D
Western Washington:
Clark____________
Cowlitz _________ _
Grays Harbor" __
I and___________ , h.mg___________ _
Kitsap__________ _
Lewis __________ _
. Iason___________
Pacific__________ _
Pierce __________ _
Skagit___________
Skamania _______ _
snohomish______ _
Thurston ________
Wahkiakum______
Whatcom________
All others________
_
Total
1. 1
2.0
13. :3
.j. -!
:3..J.. n
23. 5
:3. 0
-I:. 8
:3.2
3 4. 0
9. 1
27.
1
,
.-1:
6. 7
7. 8
4 6. i
Other
hard­
woods
Red
alder
-------I'
1
_______
-! 1. 0
52. -1:
:3 7. 6
10:3 . 1 i
____
:35 -!.6
2. I
9. 1
23. \)
5.0
12. \)
3. D
1:3. 7
-1: 1 . \)
...J.
6 3. 5
1.3
. 9
32. -!
5. 0
O. -I:
I. 1
1.6
-!O. 1
5. 9
. 6
0.2
1 1. 2
-!. 2
9. -!
2.3
',2
2. :3
1
1
8. 1
I
6. , i
1 :3
. !) I
2!1. 6 I
11 :3. 6
1.-l:
In.
-l:
:32. -l:
S. 0
105.:2
l..J:.'
27. 6
18.0
12. 1
5:3. 5
:3-1.
:2
1. 5
68. 8
-1:. :3
.f.8
1 8. 2
87. 6
Red
alder
i
1
,
12. 1
5.9
8-1. 9
1. 1
1. -I:
- -- ------
1 1. 9
2. 1
59.2
6. 2
2. 6
1
60 8. 2
12. -!
:3. 0
:3. 9
2.0
21. 5
-1. :2
.2
4. 1
78. 1
')
. ;:)
82. :3
18.5
-
­
1
75.0
)
1 .
I
0. 6
23. :3
15. 4
:3:3. 1
10. 1
94. :3
3. 4
1. 6
2. :3
12. 8
92. 7
8 6. 6
85. 8
5-1\). :3
154.5
962. S _______
- ------
12.1 ' _______
1:3. 5
5 1. i
:3 4. :2
10. 5
..J.8. :2
:35 6.2
Other
hard­
\voods
')
.... 0
22. :3
..J.5. i
12. -!
5. 7
1:3.0
1..J.0. 1
:38. :2
:30. 6
22. 8
15. :3
88. -I:
43. :3
1. 6
0 6.5
4.7
1 1. 5
2 6. 0
1 3 4. :3
2:3. \)
S. 8
3-1. d
8. 1
.2
17.8
1 20.0
2. 9
1 45.8
10.8
1. 6
107.4
6. 2
l:t -t
5 2 8. 0
TotaL_________ 225. 5
2 1 7. 5
5 1 1. 7
:3 10. 5
7:37.2
1=====1======1:=====1======1====1== ======
1, 490. 8
Both States __________ 2 6 6. 4
572. 1
625. :3
!)18. 7
89 1 . 7
1 To classify as a red alder type, more than 50 percent of the stems (in young
stands) or volume (in older stands) must be hardwood, and the plurality of stems
or volume must be red alder.
Source: Statistics for named counties from Forest Survey reports, 1947 to
1932 to 1946,
adjusted for changes in area as occurring in named counties. U.S. Forest Servo
Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Expt. Sta., Portland, Oreg.
1 9 60; for all others from Forest Survey unpublished estimates,
RED
ALDE R-ITS
MANAGKMENT
A}fD
9
UTILIZATIO)T
TABLE 2.-Estinwted 8atotimbervolwne8 (ScJ'[bne)' rule·) : Red alde')'
and othe1' lW'J'Cbcood8 inweste'J'n O')'egon and [l'e8tet'n TVa8hi-ngton
(In million board feet, Scribner rule)
Red
alder
Location, by county
West ern Oregon:
CIatso p _____________-'
C oillm bi a
Coos___________________
Curry__________________
DouglllS
________
Hood River
J ackson
Josephine
Lane
Lincolll
_
_ __
TUlanl 00k
_ _
All others _ _ ___
__
_ _ _ _ __________
_______
:32:3
179
498
00
203
124
110
333
56
2:3
_ _ _ _ ________ ________ _______
________________
_ _ ____________
_ _ _ _ _ _____________
_ _ _ _____________
__
__ _
_
____ _
___
__
_
TOtllL
_______________
Wes t
1
41
1,093
1,713
1, IOn
36:3
5,
II'
!
Bigleaf
Black
maple cottonwoodj
2
8
549
126
15
366
1,5 18
Other
Towl
---- i ----
__________ i _______ _
26
0:3
_
1, 004
200
__________
3
.,
,)
_______
46
60
44i
1,6 6 1
1 . S39
1. 124
i Sl
1,8.1,1
9.147
57
398
Ii
2
__________
1
6 '
3.1,6
265
iO.1,
1, 23 S
5S!)
_
11
1====: === ===
n
:38
87
173
Cl r��
t _ _:
_
1-l8
liD:)
428
Cowlitz
66:3
}.')
Grays Harbor ___________
078
102
:3
105
Island _
_
_
_
:3%
325
14
1
King
56
277
415
138
Kitsl1p _________________
Le"is
:312
ii i
:3
295
(3Si
262
M asOIL
178
19
(iO :
21
507
_
_ _
,I
52S
Pllcific _ _
- u_
-? I1
? I'8
", -' ,
-!:3.1,
P·lerce
6.1,:3
Skagit _________________
154
11
4:3-l
5-l
1.') \)
_ _ _
:3:3
Skamania
_
_
11 i
_
:300
2:3
18:3 !
071
1:39
1. 016
Snohomish _
_
- 1Q.)
Thurston _______________
lJ7 i 2 ----------,
20 i
210
Wl1hkiakum ____________
19:3
15
2 ------- ;;- :
:30
2!)"j
1\)4
Whl1tcom
1v 1
1. 207
All others
1,104
39
1
64
1---- 1 ---- 1 ---- --- 1--801'
1:3:3 '==S=
,:=!))S
TotaL_______________ 6,052
1,41 2
=
1==== 1==== 1=====:=== I
2, 930
Ii. 545
812
1, (}i.1,
Both States
11,829
I
______ _
____ ____________
__
_ __
__ _ _
__ __
_ _ _ _ ______________
___________ _______ ________________
___ ____ _ __
_ __ _
_ _ _ _ _ ____________
_ _ __
_ __
_ _ _ __
_ ___ __
__
_ _______
u
_
___ _
__
_
_
______
I
_ _ _ ___________
_ _ ____________
______ _ _ _ _ _ _____
________
i
I
Source: Statistics for named counties from Forest Sun'ey reports, 1!)-!i to
1960; for all others from Forest Survey unpublished estimates, 1932 to 19-!o
adjusted for changes in volume as occurring in named counties.
U.S. Forest
Servo Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Expt. Sta., Portland, Oreg.
GROWTH AND YIELD
Until recently there has been little interest in the management of
reel alder, since n;railable supplies appeared to be sufficient for all
present requirements ttnd little thought was given to future needs.
For these reasons, reliable data on growth and yield of the species was
nJmost nonexistent. The need for more information, howe,'er, has
led government and private foresters to join.in producing new, com­
prehensive yield tables that make more satisfactory estimates possib le
(vVorthington et aJ. 1960).
10
u.s.
T.ABLE
D EPART}IE)[T
OF
.-\.GRICULTrRE
MIS C .
PUB.
881
3.-E,lJ((}nple8 of i'eel aldel' meall I{nmtal /'ncl'em.ent and
Y2'eld in n'este,'n O'1'egoll !(})f.l IN. fe)'n TV({.'J!ingto·n
total
(Per-acre basi:;1
Locution
Western Oregon
and wes tern
Washington.
SiusIaw National
Forest (Lane
County,
Oreg.) .3
Age
of
stund
Yr8.
4i
60
:\LA.I.
Yield
Cubic Scribner Cuhic
vo lume! \'olul11e \'OIUllle
Rd./!.
Cu. II.
:21, ti6:3
-1-. 500
- - ------
10, .510
I
C'l. Jt
lO:{
- - - -----
Rd.ft.
-1-. :388
- -- ---- -
1:37 :\IcCleary Experi­
mental Forest
(Grays Harbor
County,
Wash.) .';
.f5
-1-. 6.50
:20. :305
10:3 Large private
land holdings,
southwestern
Washington."
50
:2. 660
- -------
I
5:3 Basis
.f80
16 selected
fifth-acre
p lots, p ure
alder type.
17.5
Ill\'entorv of
:2,000 acre:,;
of 60-vear­
old stun ds.
,
. , .)
,)-
Snohomish
County, Was h.
S c r i b ner
volume
--------
D.)
-1--"
--------
.f selected
I-acre plot,;,
pure alder
type.
In\'entorvof
100-ac re
:,:tnnd with
:3 1 percen t
conifer
mixture .
150 fifth-acre
plots me­
chanicallv
spaced within hardwood
types.
! All trees larger than -t.!) inches d.h.h. to a minimuIll -1--inch top (inside bark) .
Johnson et al., 1926.
Aufderheide, Robert. Some notes on alder management.
1\:)50.
(Unp ub­
lished repo rt on file at the Pacific ?\orthwest Forest and Range Expt. Sta.)
4 Lloyd, 1955.
5 Worthington,
orman P. Fourth annual supplement to :\'lcCleary Experi­
mental Forest :\iunagement PIan. 1953. ( Copy on file at the Pacific Xorthwest
Forest and Range Expt. Stu.)
6 Data on file at the Pacific
orth'Yest Forest and Runge Expt. Stu.
2
It is not easv to measure increment of ,'olume of n.lder stn,nds. since
the tree grows"in restricted areas and most of the volume is contained
in small groups scattered through the coniferous forests. For ex­
n,mple, n, 55-year-old mixed stand 011 the :340- acre IcClettry Experi­
mentaJ Forest (site II) in Grays Harbor County, ",Vash., contained
3 300 board feet per acre of alder, or 1:2 percent of the stand. The
pBriodic al1l11utl iIicl'e ment of the alder alone was 00 board feet. On
the 220-acre Voight Creek Experimen!al Forest ( site III) in Pierce
County, Wash., however, alder I'olume 11l a' .fO-year-old stand was only
RED
ALDER-ITS
);IA)TAGE);IEXT AXD
11
rTILlZ.-\TIO)T
iOO board feet per acre (6.7 percent of stancl), \yith periollic annual
increment of 20 board feet. These examples illustrate the n1.l' iab ility
in growth and yield of alder in the grea t mtljority of stn.nds.
Estimates of growth and yield are ginn i n ttlb Ie :j. :JIenn nlln u al
cubic-foot increment per acre (-4:-inch minimum top diameter) l'tln�!"es
Trani ;'S3 to 137: board-foot. increment (Scribner). from 1'1."5 to -4:S0.
The Siuslu.\v )[at.ional Forest example of 17;) board feet is for a :2.()()()­
acre area, and thus alder is undoubtedly 11. component of ;;nollalder '
types. The other examples of -4:;)r) and .f80 board feet represent sma11
areas of pure stands.
,Vhere alder gro,,-s in pure or nearly pure well-stocked stands on
ayerage sites, mean annual growth rates of -ton to ;300 board feet per
acre are possible. This means II yield of :20.l)nO to :3.).000 botlr d feet
per acre on a ;")0- to 'IO-year rot ation. Cubic-foot g'l'O\nh may equ al
00 to 100 cubic feet pel' acre per year \yirh hnal yi eld s of up to
0.1;")0 cubic feet (table -4:). The se yields m ay be exceellec1 by 13 to :20
pel'ce nr on sm<tl1 llreas of ,'ery Illn)l'able sites.
T.\BLE -t.-£,j'/I/JI p7es
of yie7rl tll1>7fs /OJ' red /dele,'
( Per a c re ha,-i,,)
-
P.-\CIFIC XORTHWEST YIELD T_i..DLES
Board-foot
. Age
(years)
Average
net
volume
i
yipld
:,[eall
:tllllllal
inCrPllll'llt
.
10___ ________________________1 __________ ---------100
15. SOil
:30__ _________________________
227
-1:0 _______________·____________
l:Li"O()
:)..J.2
50__________________________ J
20. GOO
-1: 12
27. :)00
-1:.').')
60___________________________ :
,0___________________________ j
:):). 800
-18:)
20 ___ ________________________
1
I
1
Cubic-foot yil'lti
.\ \·pnu!p
lll't
\·Olllllll'
1.
I
10 __ _________________________ _________ .--_______
20_ _ ___ ____________ _________
:) ..J.OO
1,0
..J.25
12.750
ao___ ________________________
,1:0 _________ ______________ ___
2:3, .')00
,j88
615
:30, ,50
50 _ _ __ __ ____ __ __ __________ _ __
.')8:3
:35, 000
60___ __________________ ___ __
· ..
_
_
_
,
:, [eall
:llltlllal
illcrenll'tlt
120
12
81
08 1520
2. n:)o
. -1. 0:)0
101
0!)
0-1:
88
-1. n-tO
5.
li-1:0
G. 1.')0
B RITIS H COLu:'IDU. F. ::3. YIELD T A B LES
3
j
1. 520
152 1..J:2
1:32 117
2.3;"50
:-;, n50
..J.. 6 75
5. 200
5. 600
10..J:
9:3
1 Worthi n gto n
et at., HloO.
Site index is 00 fe e t (50 years).
PNW table: Scribner rule for all trees larger than 9.5 inches d.b.h. to a fixed
top diameter o f 8 inches (inside bl1rk). Scaled in 3-foot logs.
BC tl1ble: BC rule for all trees larger than 6 . 5 inches d.b.h. to an n.verage top'
diameter of 8 inches (outside bark). Scaled in 8-foot sec tio ns .
3 PNW table: All trees larger than 5.5 in ch es d.b.h. to n. mi n i m u m +-inch t o p
(inside bark).
BC table: All trees lo.rger than 0.9 inch d.b.h.
j British Columhia Forest Service (1947).
Site index is 96 fe et (50 ye urs)
.
u.s.
12
D EPART::-IE)TT
OF
AGRICULTURE
MISC.
PUB .
881
Comparis o n With Conifer Y ields
Yields of alder on a"nrage sites are normally less than those of
conifers. As sho,"n in table 3. alder increments are roughly" one half
to three-fourths tho:3e of hemlock and Douglas-fir. Chief rensons for
this are (1) [tider h,1S tt much larger crowll arett per tree, hence the
number of trees per acre is less; (2) alder has t1 shorter merchantable
tree height--±O to ;')0 feet at ;30 yetl.rs, compared "with 6;3 to DO feet for
conifers.
T_lBLE
5.-Yields
0/
I'ed aMe!'. Icp::deJ'n hem1ock. and Dougla8-fi:JI at
rotation Ilge 1
Species und rotation age (yeurs)
,
I
'I
I
I
I
Cubic volume
s cribner volume
__
__
�vre(l.n
ttllnmtl
increment
Yield
::'Irean
:.nn ual
increment
Yield
I
.!
I
_________________----- ------- ----- ----- -----
Douglas-fir:
'
,0
110
2
Ed.
ft.
Ed. ft.
Cn. ft.
O. G.3 0
_ _ _ __ _ ____ __ ___ ___ __ ___ _ __ ___ __ _ _ ___ ____ __ _
West.ern hemlock:
00
80
3
6:31
______________________
j
,
0:3, 000
1, 162
:
_ _ __ _____ ___ __ _ _____ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ __ _ _ ____ __ _ ____ ____
_ __ ___ _ _ _ _ ___ _ ____ _ _
:3: . 800
1
I
-:1:8:3
1:38
'
_________ _ __________
_ _ _ _ ____ __ __ __ __ ___ _ _ __ _ __ __ __ _ _ _ ___ __ __ __ _
Red alder:
-1:0
70
GO, -WO _ _ _ ____ __ ___ _ __ ______ _
Cu. It.
,
1:3. 800
"
. __________
I
-1:. 0:30 i
2:30
__________
\- - - - - - - -- -1-- ,
--
-
10 1
- - --
1 Yields ttttained on "ites assumed to be average for each species and to specified
utilization standards us follo\y;> (site index for Douglas-fir and western hemlock
is bused 011 height at age 100, ",hile alder ;,;ite index is based on height at age 50):
])ouqlas-fir
Site index (feet)
::'IIinimum d.b.h. (inches)
:Minimum top diameter (inches)
_______________________
__ _____________
_________
140
5.0
4.0
Hemlock
150
6. 5
Entire stem
Alder
00
5. 6
4.0
et ai., H)49.
Barnes, George H .
Yield of e ven-aged stands of west ern hemlock.
1953.
(Unpublished report on file a.t the Pucific Nort hwest Forest and Runge Expt. St u .)
4 Worthington et ai., 19GO.
2
3
McArdle
Average diameter gro-wth of alder is somewhat higher than that of
Dou las.1ir, at least for the first 40 years. The Soil Conservation
Service, Iyorking with a ;)O-year-old alder stand in Snohomish County,
"'VasIl., found 6-yenr diameter growth of 1.3;-} inches on thinned plots
and o.n inch on umhinned plots for all trees larger than T.D inches
d.b.h. (Llovd, 1955). This latter fig'ure compares with 0.70 inch for
fully stoclred stands of Douglas-fir of comparable age and site.
.Johnson et" al. ( 1D26 ) gave average brenst-high diameter at age 50
years as 16.0 inches for alder; }Ic -\.rcne et al. (lD4D) reported 12.(3
inches for Douglas-fir of the same age. However, ·the Douglas-fir
figure included many intermediate and suppressed trees, whereas the
alder avernge -was based on dominants llnd codominants only.
RED
ALDER-ITS
)'IA...'iAGE:\IE
T
A..."\"" D rTILIZATION
13
Rotation Alder i s a shOl't-li,-ed tree. maturinf!' i n most instances at 60 to iO
yetlrs of a!!'e. Hence, sawtimber rotations or ,lbout iO years on the
better sites and fiO y'enrs on poorer ones appeal' to be appropriate
for pure ::itnnds. Often these rotations are extended in mixed conif­
erous stands. where rotations ,u'e set b,- the lllot'e slowly mnturinu'
"
l'onifers. HoweYer alder halTest l'tln seldom be (lelayecl past Dr)
years. Corcb-ood or l'ubic-foot ,-olume rotations \yould nppear to
range from about :3,'S to -:1:0 years.
v
v
FO REST P RACTICES O N
CO M M E RC I A L SITES
H arvest Cuttings
Few red ,deler stands are inrensiyeh- 111 lUlaQ'eel. This is the result
of unstable markets: 10\\ stumpage ,:alues: 'i'elatinly low volumes
pel' tlCre: and the scattered distribution of merchantable sa wtimbel'
stands, which requires high initial road inYe:3tl1lenrs in relation to
sa,y-Iog yolume. }Iost merchantable ,dder is in :3l1lnll ()\\"ller hips.
re"- o,yners htu-ing ac quire d areas lttr;.re eno\l!!h for snstained ... yielll
management. The expanding market ror alder pulp,,'ood. hOWe\'el'.
is changing this situation. ...l. trend toward blocking up of o\yuership
and more inrensi ,'e alder management is t1 ppn t'ent.
To be conullerci,llly operable under pre enr utilization practices
in most arens. alder sites mllst PI'OllllCe mature trees with a minimum
breast ...high diameter of 1:2 inches tmd at least t,,"o relatinly
" cleal'
8-foot lo s. In western Oregon and western ,\Yashingtol1. except
where soils are or glacial origin. such sites occur most frequently in
narrow str ips along streams. These strips may be se\'ernl miles in
lenf!'th but seldom exceed 1.300 reet in width. }IanY
" are less than
600 feet wide.
Site varies 2TeatlY onr short distances. \Yithin only ;')on feet of
II creek botto m, site cln,sses on a h illside mny encOmptlSS the entire
range, va.rying from the best site to the poorest.4 Stands on upper
slopes generally do not attain commel'cial size or fIuality. Som(
high...quality stands. hO\ye,·er. are founel on moist flats and benches. In
the Puget Sound area of '\Yllshi n gton. most deep, medium-textured
glacial soils will support commercial stands if a ,-ernge annual precipi ...
tation exceeds .'SO inches.
Red alder is well adapted to e,-en-aged management and should be
hm>yested by clear cutti ng. A typical harvest cutting ror the saw-log
market removes all trees V1 inches d.b.h. and oyer, an d many of the
more accessible and better quality 12-il1ch trees. This results "in prac­
tically clear cutting the area in the stream bottoms and leaying an
incre lsing'ly hettyie'i> residual stand lS loggin g progTesses up the 'hill...
sides. Eight... to ten... inch minimum top diameter refluirements a re
! A.. ufclf>rhei(le. Rohert. . A.. plnn IIf nUlllngptllent fnr red nlc1f>l' in the :\eRtncca
working d r de . 1040. (COllY on tile. CS. F(I\'e t el'\. Siuslaw :\ational FOl'e::>t.)
604 i:!S 0 -1)2 -3 ,
14
u.s.
DEPARTMENT
OF
AGRI CULTURE
:MISC.
PUB .
88 1
common. A l;ecently developed alder pulp market, llO"TI"ever, is fos­
tering imprond utilization in stands tributary to pulp plant s.
L oggi n g M ethods JIost alder is logged by small operators who buy stumpage from
landowners or public agencies. Some i s harvested by ranch­
ers or farmers who supplement their income by logging, often on their
o',n lands. ..:- considerable " olume of alder adj acent to conifer stands
or mixed with conifers is logged with the conifers.
One-man chain saws are generally used for felling and bucking red
alder. The wood is more brittle than that of the softwoods. and care
must be taken to minimize breakage. JIanv trees lean hetl l"ilv. neces­
sita.ting side notching to prevent 'splitting " of the butt log. Also, in
mixed stands. larg'e softwood trees falling on alder log's canse con­
siderable bretl lmge. To ayoid this, the al'der is often I'ogp:ed first.
Yarding is usuallv done with a, small tr ac tor. but horses are fre­
quently llsed. ' On steep topography, cable yarding and hig'h-l entl
systems are employed. Because of low volumes p er acre and the
usual occurrence of merchantable alder in narrow strips along
streams, port[1. ble yarding equipment adapted to frequent mm-es from
l anding to landing is most efficient. O n some operations, trees are
varded whole and then bucked into log's at the landing.
JIost loading is done with an "A-fl·ame." :JIethocis rang·e. how­
e,-er, from luuld loading at a rolhray to use of shonl l oaciers "'i r h
air tong·s. Logs are hauled in 16-foot lengths on short log' trucks
or in 8-foot lengths loaded crosswise on flatbed trucks. A considerable
volume is roug h-sawed at the logging site with a portable or semi­
portable mill.
-\.lder l oggers often have difficulty in obtaining suit able winter
loggin g shows. Annual precipitation averages more than -4:0 inches
and sometimes exceeds 100 inches. Heaviest rainfall occurs from
Xo"nmber to ' .June, making surfaced roads a necessity for wintel'
logging. " Vith me,r chant?- ble alde r in l opg narrow strips and only
small volumes avaIlable m any one clramage, alder alo ne does not
justify high road-construction costs. As a result, alder loggers usually
restrict their operations to the dry season. This seasonal operation has
led to an oversupply of logs in ,the summer and scarcity in the winter,
thu s contributing to fluctuations in log prices. Cutt ing alder logs
in the summer ancl storing them for winter use is not practical becaus e
they are highly susceptible to decay.
" JIost Doug'Ius-fir loggers hav-e a low regard for alder. "[""sua l prac­
tice has beell to leave it on the area whenever possible. Reasons for
this attitude include high costs of logging alder with hen;vy equip­
ment, difficult:y of se_p arating alder from. conifer logs, and unstable
market conditIons. Some operator s reqmred by contract to take the
alder, luwe yar.ded it to t1, landing only to find no market available
for the logs.
A general change in the situation is underway, however. A few
alder remanufacturing plants equipped with dry kilns have helped
to stabilize the market. Also, rapidly incr asing stumpage prices for
Douglas-fir and other conifers have caused many loggers to turn to
alder, which they have found can be logged p rofitably without large,
expensive equipment.
private
v
,
,
RED
ALD E R-ITS :1!A...
,{AGE:\lE::-iT A
D
UTILIZATION
1,j
S las h Disposal
Alder slush is usually left unburned because of low fire hazard on
itIder sites, ra piel decay of slash, and the danger of killing resid un I
alder trees below merchantable size. ",Vhere brush is a p rob l e m and
sufficient fuel is present, h0've,-er, broadcast bur ni ng is recomme nded
as a control measure.
Broadcast burning is difficult. because of moist conditions, green
underbrush, and the nonresinous, light slash. ",Yhen slash ' ill the
creek bottoms becomes dry enoug h t o burn adj acent south slopes and
ridges are often too drv for safe burning. After a vear, alder slash
is llsually shaded bv ireen brush and b ecome s ,-irtlmllv impossible
to burn except duri llg extremely dry 'weather whenv burning is
hazardous.
Regeneratio n
Red alder is an abundant and regular see l producer, and m o st com­
mercial alder sites are ideallyV situated for natural regeneration. Clear­
cut strips along streams receive a sho,,-er of seed from stands on
adjoining hillsides. F a il u re I)f this species to regenerate naturally
is usually attributable to factors other than seed supply.
JJder will regenerate under a 'wide range of so i 1 and seedbed con­
ditions.
Dense stands become established on areas o f exposed m in e ra l
s o ils, such as skidroncls and landings. _-\.IdeI' also establ ishes i tsel f
alongside truck roads. ,,,here it sometimes be c o m es l major mainte­
nance p roblem. It often groW's in the middle of roek-surfneetl logging
ronds, anll many operators h a n returned to ,lreas log-ge(l but. .) years
p r e,-iousl y to find the road blocked by a dense stand of ,l l d er to ±
inc he s in diameter. j..Ider a lso seeds in readilv nn(l makes fa i l' QTo wth
in small openinQ-s if direct o,-erhencl lidlt is "tn-a i la ble. Roacl ridlt­
of-w·uy c l en. ri ngs through a tall conifer"::;t nnd and tractor lan llin g s in
tl thinned conifer stand are examples o f modified s ha d e conditions
t hat al der ,,,i ll tolerate. Alder ",ill uoe grow in dense shade.
Regeneration problem areas a re those (lominated bv bmsh. he rb s,
or [I, medium-to-dense residual timber srand.
Brush Vis p articularly
a problem on the bet ter alder si t e s which are also good br ush sites.
Ittjor brush spec ies competing with alder reg n eration ar e sa h;:lO n­
berry, western thimbleberry, and salaI. Other Im p ort an t competItors
include vine maple. _A.merican de,-ilsc1ub, elder, and ''' hortleberl':Y.
Important herbaceous plants include trailing blackberry and nettle­
both p rev al en t in ",Yashing"ton but less common in Oregon-and west­
ern swordfern, which is part i cul arl y common on north slopes.
B rush is usually present under alder stands, and it increases in
density as the alder matures ( fig. ± ) . \\11en the overstory is re mo ved
in logging brush is exposed to full sunlight but usuully is ot he rwise
1ittle disturbed. Even when knocked clown and defoliated. the shrubs
are seldom killed. They sprout from stem and root c ro ,,:n and soo n
form a dense cover that effectively prevents seedling establishment.
Regeneration on some of the best alder sites is l imIted to exposed
mi neral soil on skidroads, truck roads, a nd landings, where brush
has been destroyed.
,
,
16
u.s.
FIGC'UE
4.-A
D EPARTiIE)TT
OF
.-�GRIC'C'LTuRE
:'\II S C .
Pl,-B .
:;O-yea r-o\cl alder :,; tn lHl w i th lwn:-:h ll IHIE:'l':-: to l'r
U regoll l'on:-;wl a rE:'tl.
881
t 'lJil'a l
of
thp
Copp ice reproduction is not etfecri ,'e for llle l'chanr able retl a Idel'.
a ,'el'tl!..6 ll!!· 1-4:.1 inches d,b.h, 'Yel'e cut on the
Casc l<.le Hea d Experimental Forest i n western Oregoll in 1D-4:0, Cnt­
Hng was done during aJI four seasons and i n four locations. By the
fall of 1D-4:1, only 54 percent o f the stumps hncl E,-e SP l'outs. ..cUI b ut
Olle 01' two sp routs were then cut from some stumps, as m ight be done
under the coppice method, and all sprouts were left o n other stumps
as a. check. Of 20 stumps reexamined in 10-4:5, only 1 had living
sprouts, and in this case root gTtl.fting was suspected because of prox­
imity to a. living a.lder tree.5 In contrast to trees of merchnntable
nge, young alders often sprout vigorously following cutting.
FOl'n· - e i .du a lder trees
Experience in the Coastal Area N ear Hebo', O rego n One of the first attempts t o manage reel alder ,yus made on the
Hebo 1Vorking' Circle of the S iusbw "Nationa.l Forest in Oregon.
Here, early h al'vest cuttings in 55- to 65-ye tr-old st:l.nds took 11 trees
14 inches d.b .h . and over. Later observtttIOlls showed that chameter
growth of residual trees averaged only 1 inch in 10 years, height
growth [titer cutting was negligible, and released alder developed
s i de branches that reduced bole quality. In addition, heavy under­
brush and shade from the residual stand prevented ,tIder regenerat ion.
As ,t result of these observations, diameter-l imit cutting .... .wtls aban­
;; :JIunger. Tho rnton T.
Finnl report on reel alder spront :-: tu(ly at CaRcnd e
Hettll Experimental Fo rest. It),!;') .
( rnpublished report OIl file ut the Pacifie
)\orthwe:;t Fore:;t amI Range EXllt. S tu . )
RED
.\LD E R-ITS
.:vIA...."'"AGE .rE
T A
D
'GTILIZATION
17
cloned a.nd the logger encouraged to take e,'ery tree that would pay
i ts wa v . 6
.
S ubsequently. alder IYtlS harvested on tt clear-cutt in!l' basis. includ­
ing' trees dOli'll to 11 inches in diameter. At first natural re!l'enera­
timl was relied upon, but rapid brush development indicated tha t
natuml regeneration had l ittle chance except on exposed mineral soil.
where brush htid been destroyed. Planting to conifers was tried
next.. The plamations survived well the first year or two but then
were overtopped by brush. Current practice on the Hebo ,Yorkin!l'
Circle is to clear cut, broadcast burn to retard brush development.
and t hen plunt to conifers,
'
Cultural P ractices
\ erv little cultural work is bein!l' clone in red n l der stands, The
recent trend toward more intensive utilization, however, w il l result
in more \york of this type. Some research on cultural practices ha s
been comp leted.
v
Thinning
rnder condit ions ftForable fo l' re!2:eneration. yonn!l' reel alder st ands
may contain senr,ll thousand stems· per acre, few of which can grow
to merchantable size. .AJthou!l'h na tural thinnin!2: starts at an earl v
age, many stands remn:in roo dense, a fe\y rending' to st agnat e a s ear1}'
as the 15th veal'. Dense :20- to gO-vear-old stands lun'e remurlmbh­
e\'en crO\yn canopies. \Y1rh only sligllt yarintions in r ree heights ( Hacl­
dock, 1948 ) , Thinn inQ"S llre desirable in such stands to concentrate
vohul1e gro\nh o n high-quality stems, C ommercia l thinn ing's \vi l l
probably become st andard sil,-ieultural practice as soon a s markets
are available for the smal l stems that ,vould be removed.
Several thinning experiments in red alder haye been started in
recent years, but few hn,-e been established long enough t o yield con­
clusive results. Consensus of foresters \yorkin!l' in dense alder stands
on good sites is that light and frequent stand inlprovement thinnings,
begun earlv in the l ife of the stand. are desirable. Priorit.v should
b egiven to" removing dying, defectiye poor-quality, and lean{ng trees.
If a single, hea,J' thinning is all that can be undertaken, it should
be made when the stand is 15 to 20 yeurs old CWtuTack, 1940 ) . In
addition to encouraging epicormic bl'anching heavy thinnings in
some areas mn,y stimulate brush development under stnnds. The lat­
ter would hinder establishment of a new stand following clenr cutting
of the overstorv.
Available thinning datn are from relatively heavy precommercia l
thinnings made in stands where stagnation wus not a serious problem.
They do not show appreciable benefits from the thinnings. In one
studv on the Cascade Head Experimental Forest near Otis, Oreg"
an 1 i-year-old alder-conifer stand was treated by removing all conifers
and thinning the alders to a spacing of about 8 by 8 feet. At age :3 1
the volume for trees 5,5 inches d.b.h. and over was 3,539 cubic feet .
6 Aufderheide, Robert.
Some no t es on alder management.
W50. ( Unpu b­
lished report OIl tile at the Pacific X o l·thw est Forest and Range Expt. Sta. )
18
u.s.
DEPARTMENT
OF
AGRICULTURE
MISC.
Pt;B . S S 1
This ,vas 13 percent less than an adj acent unthinned alder stand. The
individual trees released in thinning showed neg:ligible accelerated
growth, partly because spacing ,yas ell1phasized in tll:eir s lection and
they may not have been the best crop trees. In the unthmned stand
the dominant and codominant trees appeared to be little affected by the
presence of the suppressed and intermedin,te trees ( Berntsen, 1061a ) .
In a second study established i n 2 1-year-old red alder on the same
experimental forest, the thinning treatment was to girdle a sca tt ered
overstory of 80-year-old Douglas-fir trees and thin heavily in the alder
stand by removing 36 percent of the cubic volume ( t 'ees 5.5-inches
d.b.h. and larger ) . A nearby stand had the overstory gIrdled b ut was
left unthinned. Both alder stands had a net growth of 1 1 1 cubic feet
per acre per year during the subsequent 20-year measurement period.
In the thinned stand, however, this �:rowth was concentrated on 1 7 per­
cent fewer trees. Their averag:e d.b.h. at. age -:1:1 was 9.5 inches com­
p ared ,vith 8.9 inches in the unthinned shlnd. This difference was
p robably not enough to haye justified the cost of the precommercial
thinning 20 years previously. But had there been a market for the
thimled material, the operation ,,"ould have yielded an intermediat e
r turn, concentrated grO\yth on larger stems, and yet caused no reduc­
tIon in annual Q."rowth.7
l third stliCly was established in a 26-year-old stand near }Ic ­
:Murray, Wash., in 1047. F ifty-fin percent of the number of trees
( -:1:0 percent of the basal area ) was remo,-ed from two plots, and t,yO
plots were left unthinned. Growth measurements from the second
to the eig'hth veal' following thinning' showed that gTOSS gTo wt h was
about tIle sanle but that net growtIl '"as best on the tllinned p lots
( Lloyd, 105 5 ) :
Acemge fllllllWI grolfth per acre
C ubic-foo t volume : 1
Gross ..__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Net _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Board-foot volume (net) 2 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Thinned
stand
Ullth ill ned
stand
1 :3:3
1 :2 8
93
366
1 33
916
1 Trees 5. 6 inches d.b.h. and over to a 4-inch top.
2 Trees 1 1 .6 inches d. b . h. and over to an 8-inch top, Scribner rule.
The difference in net cubic-foot growth was largelv due to natural
mortality of intermediate and suppressed t.rees in tlle l;nthinned stand.
These were the same type of trees which, in the treated stand, were re­
moved in the precommercial thinning.
,Pruning
Artificial pruning of red alder is not a common cultural practice.
Results of one experimental pruning project on the Oregon coast indi­
cate no substantial increase in wood quality, due t o form ation of
epicormic branches. These branches usually originate on tlle clear
bole at points where the original branches have been pruned. Section­
ing of the study trees 22 years after prlming showed rot to be present
in every dead branch stub, whether artificmlly or naturally pruned.
The rot rarely extended beyond tlle extremities of the knot, however,
and only the occurrence of epicormic branches prevented increment
of clear wood ( Berntsen, 1961b) .
.
7 Ber ntsen Carl :'\1.
A 20-year growth record for 3 stands of reel ald e r . 1061.
( L'npublished report on file at the Pacific Xo rth west Forest and Runge Expt. Stu. )
.
RED
ALD E R-ITS
MAl.
'l"AG E 1ENT
Seeding and Planting
.....
.' ,\D
19
UTILIZATION
Red alder can be successfully seeded o r planted. but very little o f
either has been done. Alder was sown successfully o n t h e Olympic
Xational Forest in ",Vashington in 1D:32-33 ( fig. 5 ) : of 5 p lots exam­
ined in 1Dg() 3 had 3 ,270, 3,800, and 5,560 trees per acre, 1 heavily
grazed by elk had 700 trees per acre, and I-seeded on heavy marsh
grass-"was a failure. Planting stock was grown successfully at the
,VincI River ursery, C arson, "\-V ash., from 10:-)2 t o 1 03-:1:. Several
plantations "were established on the Olympic X ational Forest, and an
alder firebreak was planted around part or the ",Vincl R iver E xperi­
mental Forest.
Demand for red alder seed or planting stock has not been great, and
nursery production of alder planting stock does not seem ,ytu'ranted
at this time. If artificial regeneration should be desi red, it probab l y
could best be accomplished by direct seeding,
I nsects
D amagi n g Age nts
Red alder is host to insects of many kinds, but in general they
cause little damage. Several species are abundant, however, and
under intensive management some may become sufficiently important
to warrant control or preYentiYe measures.
The ,,'estern tent caterpillar (J!rtlrtC08011W pl1l;virt7e ( D y a r ) ) , the
forest tent caterpillar ( ..ai, di88tria Hbn, ) , the striped n.lller sll 'yfiy
( HP.lnicluo(l. crocea ( Fourc. ) ) , ,md the alde r flea beetle ( Altirrl
a ln.b iens ( Lee . ) ) sporadically defoliate alder stands. Se \"ere out­
. .
' .1 >
"'
•
"
F-278987
FIG"C'RE 5.-Red alder in July of the second .growing season following seeding o n
an abamloned, grayeh:urfaced railroad grade in northwestern "\Yashington.
Seeding rate was 1 pound per acre.
20
FIGURE
u.s .
,
DEPART)'-IE)[T
O F AGRIGCLTURE
':'IISC .
PUB .
881
F-4j3336
B.-A. young red alder stand in mid-July, completely defoliated by the
western tent carerpillar.
b reaks-.particularly of tent ca terpi ll a rs-re duc e tree gro\\"th for a,
ye ar or t,yO but kill only trees that ha ye been severely weakened by
other causes ( fig . 6 ) . No attempt has been ma de to control any of
these insects in the forest. Aerial s p raying might be e.fi'ectiye if
warranted.
The n,lder bark beetle (A Zniphag1l.s a8pericolZis (Lee. ) ) bores be­
tween bark and wood of the main stem and large branches of weak­
ened, dying, and recently felled red alder throughout the tree's rnng .
_A..pparently the beetle does not attack vigorous trees ; hence, no special
control measures n,re needed.
Three species of ambrosia beetles ( Gnathotriohu.s aZni Blkm., Tr?/­
podendron ca1Jifron8 (Mann. ) , and XyZeboru8 arb uti Hopk. ) com­
monly bore into the boles of weakened and recently felled alder trees.
Lumber cut from attacked trees is degraded by the small entry holes
and accom:panying stain. Prompt removal of logs from the woods
during sprmg, summer, and fall will prevent this type of damage.
#
D isease
Red alder stands below age 50 . are relatively free from decn,v,
although even young alder will decay readily following injUl y
from logging or other causes. Stands more than 50 years old become
progressively more detective, with the heartwood of some trees rotted
out completely. Diseases n,ttacking red lder include cankers, lenf
curl, leaf spot, n,nd one in which the scales of the fertile catkins are
deformed. One canker disease has killed many small trees over an
RED
ALD E R-ITS
MA_�A GE ::VIENT
.\ND
lJTILIZATION
21
extensiye area. No data are tn-ailable on t h e extent of losses or !l0\\"
losses might be minim zed by n anagement pr ac t ic es . Ho\y ver. if
.
st a nds are htU'yested at ;) 0 veal'S of a ge or voullgel'.' and If, cure IS t a k e n
o
t
to avoi d injury during tlli llni n g o pe m ti ns he economic loss from
decay and diseases should be minor.
Decay of al der logs is a serious p r o b lem. They often show Sig11S of
inc ip i en t decay within a fe w weeks after felling and bu c kin g and
sometimes become unuseable TI"ithin tt few months.
I ce
Red alder is readily susceptible to ice c amage. One experiment al
plot in a 3 6 year o l d alder stand on the Oregon const had a ba s a l area
or 1 6 square feet per acre in 1041, with tl c onifer understory of 10
s qu ar e feet per acre. ..A. se vere ice storm early in 1 !)'±:2 kiHell 31 t l der
trees but only 1 c onifer. B v 1 0-:1:6 t he alder stand w a s reduced to 10-:1:
square feet iIl basal area ancl t he understory c o n i fe rs . lun-irig been par­
t ially released, had increased t o , 26 square reet. The alder canopy,
ho\veyer, again los e d over the conifers and in 1 0 6 6 averaged :2:2 feet
tal ler. s
In areas of repeated ice c1nmnge alder may be k i l l e d or its growth
restricted nough to favor competing c oni fers l es s su s c e p tib l e to t h i s
tTpe of inJ ury.
-
-
.
Fire
Fire hazard is generally so low in a l de r stands t h at t h ey may be
used as tirebreaks. An alder stand with n, clo e(l canopy that h a s
shaded out brush and other gTouncl cover has a low tire hnzard during
the season \vhen it is in full leat about April 15 to Octobel' :?O. Den (l
fuel is scarce and sufficiently moist to be of low flammability, and t h e
canopy shields fu e l s from the sun and any tire from wind, Thin li n e r
permits easy eo ns t ru c t i o n of fire lines.
Du r i n g m o de ra t ely llry wenther w i t h moderate wind, fires spreading
ra pidly on t he gr ound in such fuels as logging slnsh. coni fer s ee dli ngs ,
dead weeds, and brush may be checked b y st ri ps of alder 40 feet t all a n d
several hundred feet \vide. Control with a fireline is then relati\"elv
e asy . If the al de r st rip is in a moist gu l ly , the fire often goes ou t .
If the wind is sufficient to carry embers over an alc er strip the fire
will continue, leaving the alder 1mburned. I n the coastal fog belt and
in other places where the canopy is broken or thin, underbrush is dens e .
and fireline construction may be difficult. Litter may burn re ad ily on
occasional dry, windy days when alder is not in leaf.
C o ntrol of Alde r o n C o n ifer o u s S ites
Red alder often encroaches o n sites being managed for conifer pro­
duction, at low elevations generally and p articularly al o n g creeks on
the exposed soil of skidtrails, truck roads, and land in gs . Because of
rapid initial height growth, it readily overtops both n a tu r al and
p lant ed conifer seedlings. It greatly retards their grpwth and causes
Berntsen. C a r l :\1. Effect of ice damage on de,elopment of a ill-yea r-old red
alder stund with a conifer understory. 1959. ( Unpublished report on file at the
Pacific orthw es t Forest and Runge Expc. Stu. )
22
u.s.
D E PART::VIE)l'"T
OF AGRICuLTURE
:MISC.
Pl1B.
881
many of them to drop out of the stand. All degTee of mixture occnr,
,
v<trying· from almost pure alder to nJmost pure comier.
On many sites, however, alder is destined to temporary occupa ncy.
:JIany young stands in the region appenred to be alder fo their first
15 t o 20 veal's, then became coniferous stands as the comfers accel­
erated ancl the alders decelerated in height growth. j\fanv conifers
eyentually overtopped and crow·ded out llearby alders ( fig: T) The
resulting' stand, ho"\"ever, was often understocked with conifers, and
their growth had been retarded during the struggle up through the
alder canopy. Also, many were deformed by wind-whipped alder
branches, which repeatedly killed back the conifer leaders. :Much of
the alder that encroaches on conifer sites is limby, rough, and short
boled. 1Yhen this is the case and there is enongh alder to reduce
conifer stocking below a desirable level, some redllction in the alder
component of the stand is needed.
Several methods of alder control are used. These include slashing
with lnnd axes, usually followed by chemical treatment of the stumps;
chenucal basal treatment of the stems ( Ruth and Berntsen, 1956) ; and
foliage spray applied from the air. Spraying from the air with 1 to
;) p ounds aciel equivalent of 2, 4-D (2 i-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid )
per acre is the generally accepted method of releasing young conifer
stands from alder competition. About 2 pounds per acre in a w ater
carrier is a common treatment.
.
W O O D P R O P E RTI ES
",Vood from freshly cut red alder is nearly white. with no clear
distinction between heartwood and sapwood. Shortly after being
F-415333
FIGURE 7.-This high-site conifer land on the Oregon coast was dominated by
red alder .following fire. Scattered conifers are now pushing through the
alder canopy, but quality and stocking are poor.
RED
AL D E R-ITS :MA
A GE::'lE
T
.-L D
rTILIZATION
23
sn-wed. the ,yood turns to reddish b rown and maY further chang'e t o
v
li o'ht vello,yish brown ,yhen thoroughly dried. The color o f alder
w od IS determined to some extent b}:-- the temperature used in drying,
but it presents little problem since in use much of the wood is s tained
to imitate walnut or mahog·tUlV.
Red alder has a fine, even texture and is characteristica ll y straight
grained. The ,,-ood has no characteristic odor or taste. Althou.s:rh
each year:s gTowth ring' is marked bv a thin whitish or brownish lille
at the outer....margin,
...
tllere is virtually no distinction between spring­
"'ood and summerwood.
A distinct charaderistic of red alder is the scattered occurrence , on
the face of fiat-gTained lumber. of narrow brown streaks c aned ray
ecks. These run p arallel to the grain and may be as much as all
lllch long.
Red alder:s physical properti es make it well suited for furniture
manufacture. It is moderately lig'ht in wei ght and moderatelY h ard.
It machines well . takes finishv well. and is e asily glued. The ,yood
does no t split readily when nail ed. 'and -when properlY seasoned does
v
hot shrink check, or warp a ppreci ably.
Physical properties of red alder may be judged further by com­
p aring' them with those of nine commonly . used ,yoods ( t ables 6 and
7 ) . It will be noted that. for the p roperties shown, alder is similar
t o yellow-poplar and ponderosa pine. Yellow-poplar is the standard
for use as furniture core stock. whereas ponderosa pine is the leading
species used for mill ,york and containers. Red alder is also similar
to yellow-poplar and ponderosa p ine in many other wooclworkin!.!.'
characteristics.
..
T.\'BLE
"
,
fi ve p ,'o pertie8 impO?'tant tn flU!
peel alder (md nine othep com.. mon "woods 1
6.-Comparative 1)(tlue8 to?'
pl'oce8sing
({mel use
of
Ease of
kilndrying 2
Species
Ahility to
Ease of
stav" in
working
pla"ce 2
with handtools 3
i
:
Ease of
gluin g 3
Abilit" to
hold paint
(outside
use)4
,
Alder, red
Y ellow-poplar
Pine, ponderosa
Douglas-fir
Sweetgum
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
____ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Cherry, hlacL
Walnut, hlucL
Birch, yellow
:\1aple, su gar
Oak, white
_ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
2
2
1
1
:!--l:
:3
2
2
3
4
1
1
1
3
2
-l:
-l:
2
3
4-5
3
2
-l:
-l:
-l:
3
2
3
3
3
i
2
1
2
2
2
3
:3
:3
-l:
4
3
3
4
4
3
4
5
-l:
4
5
1 Species rated relatively high in the property listed are assigned the lowest
numbers ; species rated low in the property are assigned' the highest numbers.
For some properties the woods are divided into five groups; for other properties,
into three or four gronps.
2 From " Strength and Related Properties of Wood" CYI:arkwardt and Wilson ,
1035) .
3 From " Wood Handbook" (U.S. Forest Service, 1 955) .
4 From " Wood Properties and Paint DurabilityJl (Browne, 1947) and supple­
mentary data .
24
u.s.
T.\BLE
D EP.-\RT)"-IE:0TT
OF
AGR I CULT"GRE
)"-IISC.
SS 1
PUB .
i.-Compm'atil.'e values for 8e1.Je ral physical propertie8 of red
aldel' ([nd nlne other com /non woods
Weight
per cu bic
foot at
1 2 -percent
moisture
content 1
Species
Alde red
Yellow-poplar
Pine, ponderosa
Dougla.s-fir
Sweetgum
Cherry, blacle
Walnut, black
Birch, yellow
)'bpl e , SUgUL
Oak, white
_ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _
____ _
__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
____ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Pounds
28
29 28 34
36
36
38 43
44
46 Comparative values
Volumetric B e n d i n g
shrink- s t r e n g t h
age
1 00
99
80 99 1 30 92 94 1 35
120
I
124
b
1
1 00
1 00
84
1 18
1 12
122
1 46
1 39
1 50
1 34
Hurdness
2
Stiffness
100 92 85 121
Shock
resistunce
1 00
1 09
81
1 :3:3
1 06
1 08
1 20
1 27
1 50 181 181 2 40
225 ')
1 _:)
1 28
1 10
1 00
1 06
70
119
Hi
1 56
1 74
230
1 90
1 76
1 Based on average specific-gravity 'values in "Wood Hn.ndbook" (r.:3. Forest
Service, 1 955) .
2 Based on values in "Standard Terms for Describing Wood "
(C.S. Forest
Products Laboratory, 1956) .
M AC H I N I N G P R O P E RTIES
The suitability of alder for furniture. millwork. 'wood turnings. and
similar products is indicated by results of machining tests pe rf ormed
recently at the L.S. Forest Products Laboratorv ( Davis. 1D60 ) . Both
red alcler and bigleaf maple "vere entluated in p laning. shaping. tUl'n­
ing, boring, and mortising, and the quality of machining was j-u dged
by the smoothness of cut. In general machinability was e,,-alnnted by
determining the proportion of defect-free pieces tlnd comparing the
results with those of previous tests on other hardwoods.
Overall, red alder did not compn,re as ftn'orably with Gther well­
known hardwoods as did biglettf maple, but alder s specific machining
properties are generully satisfactory, as shown by results of indivichml
tests.
P lan ing A knife cutting angle of 100 proved best for alder at 6-percent
moisture content. A 200 cutting angle was almost as good but a BO°
cutting angle gave poor results. Comparative results from planing
several hardwoods are based on an average of the three best cutting
angles for each species and are not the results achieved w'ith the best
cutting angle :
.
D efect·free piece8
( perce/I t )
Species :
Yello
birch___________________________________ __________
63
Red a1der______________________________________ __________
61
EraI'd maple l _________________________ ___________________
54
52
Bigleaf maple__________________________'__________________
S\yeetgum ___________________________________ ____________
51
1 Commercial name for lumber cut from black maple and
sugnr muple.
RED
A LD E R-ITS
::'L-L
\' AG E::'I EXT
AXD
25
'UTIL I Z ATIO:-.f
The chief defet' ts i n p 1 n n ill!2,' e i t h e r a l d e r o r b igle tt f m a p l e \wre ch i p
ma rks antl ch i p ped gra in,
S ha p i n g Tests made ,y i t h a double-s p inclle sImper on h a r dw o o ds at f)-pel'cen t
content h n,,'e sho,,-n that ;) eastern hardwoods yielded a ll
l1 Wl'ng-e of :2 ;') pe rcent of good to exc e l lent sha p ings, Sha p i llg propel'­
t ies of red a l der n,s compared ,,- ith fOllr o t he r harchyoods a re :
m o i st u re
e.l'('cll(,1I t
GOtl1i to
. h I l Jl ill !l'
( p erccll t )
S p ec ies :
Ii:.!
H n rrt ulnple 1 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
,i i i
B ig'len f llln p Ie _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
:2 1
Re(1 . Ulll " _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Re(I nlder __ ..:. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ O
Yell()\Y-l)( )vlar _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
1:2
1 C OIllIllet'l'ia l luulle fo t' lumber l'\1( frolll hlnek maple Hllli ;-;nga r lllallle,
" l' ollllll e l'l' i n i lHl m e fot' l u m be r l'Ut from ,;\\'eer, Ulll,
Tu r n i n g
T wenty- fiye e a st e r n h n l'ch-oods pre\-iousl }' t est etl i n t U l'n i n g' a t ()­
p e rc e nt moist11re eolltellt y i e l de d 38 to 01 percent o f goofl to eX('el lell t
tur n i ngs. with llll ll.Yernge o r 'j!) percent. As i n d ica t e d in th e fol l o \\' ing'
t nbnln.tion red ldtler is \Yell above t h e n ,-e l'nge :
c.rer/TI'II t tIl/'ll ill II" ( /len' ni t ) Good t o
Spec-ips :
B l a ( ' 1\: \Yl\ In u t_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Rp( I n llle l' _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
H a r d lll:t p i e t _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Y ell( )\\' h i !'l'IL _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Bi;.deaf mll I )I e _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Soft m a p le " _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
1
Dl
."ii'
,'\:!
KO
:)0
i()
C l lllllll Preia l llllllle [Or l u m b e r ('Ur frolll hind\: llltl ple ,l 11l1 ;-;u;.mr lllaple,
C Olll lller<:iu l nume for lumber eu t , frolll rell llln p i p awl ilyel' lllHple,
Boring
The 2 5 e aste rn harc1,, ooc1s preyionsly tested yielded from 62 t o 100
percent of good t o excellent holes. Red a lder was near the low end of
t his range and compared w i t h th-e o t he r hardwoods as follows :
Gooll t o
ea:cellel! t
bOl'illljH
( p ercell t )
S p eci e!'; :
Hard
InapIe 1
yeUow-poplar
Bigleaf m ap le
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
:.- _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_______ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ ___________
S oft
Iuaple =
Cotton\vood
___
-' _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
Red al d er _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ : _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ______ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
on
S7
SO
SO
70
60
Commercial name for lum ber cut from blal'k , maple 11nd sugar maple,
2 COlllmercial name fur lumber c ut fr ) m red muple and silver llltlple,
1
26
u.s.
D EP ARTivIE);"T
OF AGRICULTURE
).IlISC. P U B .
SS 1
M ortising
.:)Iortising tests on eastern hardwoods yielded from 18 t o 100 per­
cent of fair to excellent mortises, the average being 70 percent. Red
alder is below average in tllis property, as indicated by t1 comparison
with five other hardwoods :
Fair to
e.ccellcl1t
Species :
}Iahogany
Biglenf mnple
Hard maple 1
Red gtlnl
Red nlder
CottonwoocL
'm()rti8e:
( percell t )
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
___________________________________________
1
100
100
05
58
52
52.
Commercial name for lumber cut from black maple and sugar m aple.
Commercial name for lumber cut fr()lll sweetgum.
SEAS O N I N G ,
Because of its low density, moderate moisture content, high, perme­
ability, generally uniform ,yood structure, and the moderate di fference
between radial and tangential shrinkage, red alc er is one of the easiest
hard'woods to season. Ho'wever, it requires somewhat more care than
the softwoods. Kiln-drying is the best way to season alder, at least
in the ordinary thicknesses, and it has been dried this way commercinl1y
for many years at temperatures ranging from 1200 t o :WO° F . For
stock more than :2 inches thick, preliminary air-drying may be
"
desirable.
A ir-Drying
Since t h e sapwood of red alder is susceptible to stain, mold, and
decay, alder lumber should be piled with stickers as soon as possibl e
after sawing. Use o f an antistain chemical dip before piling may be
desirable during periods of warm, humid, weather ( Verrall ailcl' Schef­
fer, 1 949 ) .
Rapid and uniform drying and straight lumber will result if the
following practices are observed when piling alder for air-drying : good
yard layout ; a substantial pile foundation, 12 to 18 inches high ;
vertical aEnement of stickers, spaced not more than 3 feet apart ; 'and
roofing of the piles ( Peck, 1956 ) . Stickers shoulc be placed close t o
the ends of the boards to minimize end checking, and stock more than
2 inches thick should be treated with a wax emulsion end-coating or,
if necessary, a more highly water-resistant material ( MdJillen, 1956 ) .
In laying out an air-drying yard, there should be several feet between
the sides of the piles, and somewhat wider spaces between rows of p iles.
In a y ard where the p iles are built by hand, a space at the front ends
of the piles is provided by the main alley, but there should also be a
rear alley of about 6 feet.
In a study by the Oregon Forest Products Laboratory ( ...L\..n derson
and F rashour, IV54) , a high-humic ity treatment before air-drying
eliminated sticker stain. The treatment also resulted in a desirable
and uniform shade of color when the lumber was finally kiln-dried.
Best results were obtained by preconditioning the lumber for 18 hours
at 1-:1:00 F. with a 40 F. wet-bulb depression.
RED
ALD E R-ITS
:VIA.. AGE IE
T A.. D UTILIZATION
27
Except in periods or very low humiclity, ttir.. drying \yill not reduce
red a lder's moisture content enolw:h fol' use in furniture manufacture.
Small quantities can be dried in a room heated 15° to 20° F. above the
outdoor n,ir temperature ( Rasmussen, 1946 ) , but kiln.. drying is more
practical for large-scale operations. Also, co ndi ti oning in a, kiln is
needed ir casehnrdening is or consequence.
Lumber producers state that it is more difficult to obta,in the light
honey color desired by furniture manufacturers when alder lumber
is air seasoned before kiln-drying. Generally, best color results when
green lumber is sent directly from the S[t"W to the dry kiln.
K iln-D rying
Alder is dried best in :1 kiln with forced-air circulation and auto ..
matic temperature control. Recommenc,ed kiln schedules are T10-D-:I:
for -:1:/-:1: ( I-inch ) t o 6/4 stock and TS-D3 for 8/4 ( 2- inch ) stock ( 1).S.
Forest Products Laboratory, 1!)60) . These schedules, s11O\vn in table
8, like those used for other hardwoods are based on average moisture
content of the lumber, as determined by kiln samples. Recommended
procedures in the use of kiln samples are described in U.S . Forest
Products Laboratory Report 1 607 ( 1054 ) . The schedules can be
simplified ( Espenns 1% 1 ) or reduced to time schedules after ex ..
perience is gained. For 1 0/-:1: and thicker stock, hnrd,Yood schedule
T6-C3 is suggestec,.
T.\'BLE
S.-Recom mended kiln schedules /01' se((8oning 1'ecl (dder
SCHE D ULE T1D-D4 (4/4 TO 6/4 STOCK)
Treatment or moisture content
turt of step (percent)
a.t
\Vet-bulb
Drv-bulb
tempera.ture
te mperature
D egreelS F.
D egrees F.
I
I
Rf>lutive
humidity
------- il ------ t------ ij-----
Drying:
50 1r
50
JO
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .. _ _ _ _ _ .. _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .. _ _ _ _ _ .. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ..
35
30
25
20
15
Equalizing
CondiUoning
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .. _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .. _ _ _ _ .. _ _ _
_ _ .. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ .. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .. _ _ _ ..
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .. .. _
_ _ .. _ _ .. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ .. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .. _ _ _ _
140 HO
140 140
150
1 60 170
180
180
170
1 :3:3
1 30 1 25
1 15
1 10
1 10
120
1 30
H5 1 60 Percent
82
7.1
G-1:
-1()
28
21
2-1:
26
-11
78 SCHED"GLE T8-D3 (8/4 STOCK) Drying :
50 1r - - - - - - - - - .. - - - - - - - - - - - 50
40
35
30
25
20
15
Equ[\. i in ..
-
..
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ .. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .. _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
.. _ _ _ _ _ _ .. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ .. _ _ _ _ .. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .. _ .. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .. _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .. .. _ _ .. _ _ .. _ _ _
_ _ _ _ .. _ _ _ .. _ _ _ _ _ - _ " _ - _ _ - _
,
C o ndltlOmng
_ .. _ _ .. _ _ _ .. .. _ _ _ _ _ .. _ _ _ _ _ _
130
130
130
130
140
150
160
180
180 '
170
1 25
1 23
119
111
105
100
1 10
1 30
145
1 60
86
81 71
54 31
18 21
26 -11
78
28
u.s.
D EPART IENT
O F AGRICULTURE lv'IISC.
PUB. 8 8 1
Althou,g'h the same schedule is recommended for -4:/! and 6/-4: stock:
on a. moisture-content basis, and 4/-4: and 6/:1: stock: could be included
in an S/4 charge using schedule TS-D3, it is well to segregate cli:tferent
sizes because the thinner stock dries more rapidly. Drying times
of 5 to 6 clays have been reported for 4/4, ancl 14 to 16 days for S/4
lumber.
,Vhen previously air-dried, 4/4 stock can be kiln-dried in 3 days
and S/4 stock in 7 days. For material that has been air-dried kiln­
drying can start at the appropriate step of the standard schedule
corresponding to the moisture content of the samples If the stock
has been subjected to a prolonged period of high-humidity weather
j ust before kiln-drying, it may be desirable to predry it 1 day for each
inch of t.hickness at a higher relative humidity than cn..llecl for in
the schedule.
For some exacting uses, such as for furniture, it is desirable that
alder lumber be nniformily dry and free of caseharrlening stresses
in order to avoid later distortion oJ wood parts and loosening of
assembly joints. roisture content of individual boards or items can
be made lmiform through use of an equalizing treatment, und uniform
moisture content throu.!:!:hout the thic1m ss of each board and relief
from caselmrdening str sses can be obtained with a hig-h-tempernture,
high humidity conditioning treatment ( U.S. Forest. Products Labor­
atory, 1960) . Casehardening stresses denlop when lumber is dried.
bem1.use the surfaces become drv before the interior and cannot 5hrink
normally . These stresses in d y lumber cause resawn pieces to cnp
badly and machined pieces to distort, often rendering them unsuit­
able for use. In a cOliditioning treatment following equalization of
moisture content, the wood is plasticized so that the casehnrdeninp.'
stresses are relieved. Following such treatment, dry lumber can be
resawed and worked to pattern without the risk of distortion.
The equalizing and conditioning treatments shown in the schedules
in table S upply to lumber dried to an average moisture content of
'7 percent. In this case, equalizing should be started when the driest
sample is down to 5-percent moisture content, and conditioning when
the wettest sample is down to 1-percent moisture content. Condition­
ing will require 16 to 24 hours for 4/4 stock and 32 toA8 hours for
S/4 stock.
A.Ithou,gh the surface of alder turns reddish brown soon after cut­
ting, the interior may stay almost white or take on considerable color,
depending on drying conditions. Schedules TIO-D4 and TS-D:3 itre
designed for rapid drying with a minimum of seasoning defects and
should produce a. moderate amount of coloration. If u darker or
lighter colored product is desired, the drying schedules ca.n be modi­
fied : High-temperature, high-humidity kiln-drying is belieyed to
give most coloration and-conversely-Iow-temperature, low-humid­
ity kiln-drying to give least coloration. It is suggested, therefore,
that hardwood schedule Tll-D3 be used if deep coloration is desired
and that hardwood schedule T5-D5 be used for least coloration.
Both schedules are included in U.S. Forest· Products Laboratory Re­
port 1900-5 ( U.S. Forest Products Laboratory, 1960) .
RED
ALD E R-ITS
'fA GE.iYIENT A...
'fD
MA.,.
UTILIZATION
29
M AJ O R U SES
Accurate fig11reS are not a;vailable. but it is estimated that approxi­
mately 200 mIllion board feet of reel alder was logged in Oregon and
,Yashlngton in 1959. The logs 'were manufactured into the following
products :
Volume ofloqs IUed
(M board
feet)
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
300, 000
laO, 000
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
200, 000
400, 000
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
1
TotaL
(Cord3)
150, 000
50, 000
Pulp
L umber und miscellaneous products
1
Miscellaneo us products include paper plugs, veneer, and novelties.
P ulp
j...l though commercial pulping o f alder i s a relatively new develop­
ment, it now exceeds all other uses for this species. In 1959, five pulp
companies were using substantiaJ volumes of aJder, and two other
companies used limited amounts on .1, trial basis. Since pbns a re
underway t o construct a new mill on the Oregon coast to use alder
exclusively, consumption of the species for pulp should continue to
exp and.
Alder is being pulped by the standard sulfate and sulfite processes
and is the one species in the Pacific Xorthwest being pulped by the
neutral sulfite semichemicn.l process. In addition, pUlping of alder
by the sod,n cold socb , grouncl-wood, and chemigroundwood processes
has been successfully demonstrated .
N e u t ra l S u lfite Sem ichemical Pulping
The neutral sulfite semi chemical process was clevel ped by the u.S .
Forest Products Lnbor<1tory t o encourage use of avaIlable hardwood
timber. Increase in demand for corrugated boarel and insu1::tt ion
board since ,Yorld vVar II led to commercial adoption of the process
in the Lake States and Southern States and, more recently, to its use
with alder in the Pacific Northwest ( fig. 8) . Production of neutrul
sulfite semi chemical pulp in the United States was about 2 million
tons in 1959.
B ecause of relatively high chemical <1nd fiberizing requirements,
red <1lder is somewhat more difficult to pulp by the neutrnl sulfite
semichemical process than many eastern and southern hardwoods used
commercially. Alder:s chemical and fiberizing requirements are not
impractically high, howeyer.
Red a.1cler semlChemical pulps are suitable for use in cont<1iner board
and in bleached papers, according to the results of trials at the Forest
Products Laboratory. Also, corrugating boards o f excellent strength
and ' resistance to flat-crush were prepared from neutral sulfite pulp
cooked to yields as high as 80 percent of the original wood. Stronger
pulps made in a yield of 70 percent showed promise for use in liner­
board, although the low tearing and folding values characteristic of
short-fibered pulps were evident and indicated the desirability o f
blending with long-fiberccl pulps. Pulps made i n yields o f 6 5 t o TO
percent were blenched to high white values in <1 conventional three­
30
u.s.
D EPARTMENT
O F AGRICULTURE
lISC .
PUB .
88 1
F-!!)5500
FIGURE S.-Alder cordwood in storage for "" eyerhaeuser Company ' s neutral
sulfite pulpmill ut Longview, Wash. Each pile contains 400 to ;3 00 cords.
stage process 'with economical amounts of chlorine to gi,"e final yields
slightly belmv 55 percent of the original wood.
Greaseproof pnper made from red alder semichemical pul p has good
formation and strength equal or superior to that of a. standard high­
quality, commercial, soft-wood sulfite product. Alder semichemical
pulp is now being used by tl, pnper company in western \Yashingtoll
.
for the production of greaseproof paper.
Because of its nature and properties, bleached semichemical pulp
from red alder could probably be used successfully in bond and book
papers ; much as this kind of pulp is used in the Eastern United
States. ,Many or the pulp products now made from western soft­
woods could be improved by adding alder semichemical pulp.
Sulfite Pu lping
One harclwood pulpmiI1 in the Pacific Northwest is pulping alder
by the ammonia-base sulfite process. Alder pulp produced a.t this
plant is blended with softwood sulfite pulps to make high-grade tis­
sues. The short, soft fiber produced from alder is well suited for
this use.
Su lfate and Soda Pulping
Red alder pulped by the sulfate and soda processes at the U.S.
Forest Products Laboratory gn,ve relatively high yields-about 50
percent and 47 percent, respectively. Both .types or pulp had strength
values falling in the range of those for eastern and southern har d­
woods, whicll are pulped III large quantities by these two processes.
RED
ALDE R-ITS
1iIANAGE IENT
AND
UTILIZATION
31
Experiment al yields o f sulfate semichemical pulps from alder were
in the range of those ordinarily obtained for other harclwoods pulped
nnder the same conditions ; namely, 60 to 75 percent. These pulps de­
creased in strength with increase in yield. The pulp with highest
vielel was considerably lower in bursting strength and tearing resist­
lllce than pulp of similar yi,e ld made by the neutral sulfite semi ­
chemical process. A t lo"" er yields t he differences were not so great.
Reel alder sulfate and socb pulps should find the same uses as other
h ardwood alkaline pulps, that is, in p roducts where a short-fibereel
pulp is desirable and high strength is not required. Products of this
type include book and other printing papers and tissue and towel ing
pa pers. Actually, only a small amount of red alder sulfate pulp is
useel i n t his way. These products generally require that the pul ps be
bleached. Red alder sulfate pulps can be bleached by practical proce­
dures only slightly modified from t hose now used to giye acceptable
semibleached and fully bleached hnrch,ood pulps. A resinous sub­
stance. which sometimes appears as clark, reddish-orang-e threads in
the alkaline process pulp, can be eliminated in the multistage bleach­
inp: process if the proper cond itions are maintained.
Douglas-fir is the primary species used by western sulfate pulp­
mills. This species has the largest and coarsest fiber of the wpstern
softwoods and giYes a bulky sheet with a relatiyely poor finish.
E xperiments haYe shown t h a t bond and magazine papers and mi1k­
carton stock containing Dougl as-fir bleached snlf,lte pulp can be im­
p royed by adding short-fi b ered red a lder sulfate pulp.
Cold Soda Pu lping
The c olel soda process, which was first announced by the F.S. Forest
Products Laboratory in I D-!-D . is still in the experimental stages but
is now undergoing commercial de,'elopment. It is simple to operate
as a batch system, ,md the possibil ities for continnous processing- are
-rery promising. It is an excellent process for producing pulps from
hardwoods in n, yield range ubm'e 8 :') percent. In the batch process,
chips are steeped in n. solution of soelium hydroxide at room tempera­
to :2 hours. depeucling on the pressure
ture. The time varies from
applied. The treated chips are t hen fiberized in an attrition mill.
Optimum conditions for pulping red alder by this process were
found to be similar to those used for the more easily pulped hard­
woods, such as aspen and paper birch. The energy required to fiberize
the treated alder chips was about 50 percent greater than that needed
for chips from an average eastern or southern hardwood treated under
the same conditions. Yields ranged from 87 to 02 p rcent.
The reaction of the caustic soda upon the wood durmg the process
resulted in a slightly darkened, reddish pulp that was easily semi­
bleached i n a single-stage calcium hypochlori e bleaching treatment.
S trength of the red alder cold soda pulps increased with a decrease
i n p ulp yield within the limits of the experiments; Another finding
was that strength could be increased by adjusting fiberizing condi­
tions. The strength values of the cold soda pulps were in a rang-e
onlv slightly lower than the best that have been obtained from other
lun:clwooels. Also, strength -ralues were not so high as those of red
alder pulps made by the neutral sulfite semichemical process but
they · 'were somewhat above those of the strongest softwood ground­
wood pulp.
U
32
u.s.
D EPARTMENT
OF
AGRICULTURE
).nsc.
Pl1B .
SS 1
The strength p roperties of COlTUgating boards made from 100­
percent red lder cold soda pulps con1p al' ed favorably with those of
commercial hardwood semichemical corrugating boards. The high
resist t c e to flat-crush shown in tests on these boards ,vas especiaily
prOmlSll1g.
A newsprint- w eight paper made from 40-percent red alder semi­
bleached c01d soda pulp and 6 0-percent western hemlock ground"\yoo cl
pulp was about t he same in strength, brightness, and opacity as a
commercial grade of ne "\v sprint made from 2 0 -percent western hem­
lock sulfite and SO-percent western hemlock groundwood pulps.
Groun dwood and C hem igroundwood Pu l p i n g
Though groundwood pulp made experimentally from red alder has
a reddish color, it is easily semibleached by a single-stage hypochlorite
b leaching treatment, making it satisfactory from this standpoint for
use in ground wood book paper. However, its strength is only about
half that of a book grade of aspen groundwood, so the amount that
could be used in a paper furnish would be limited. A paper made
from a furnish containing 35-percent red aJder semibleached gl'oun d­
"\vood, 45-percent subalpine fir groundwood, and 20-percel1t Douglas­
fir bleached sulfate pulps is comparable in strength and color to a
commercial paper.
Pulps with greater strength and other improved properties can be
made by pressure treating- the wood with an appro.ximately n eutra l
soluti <?n of sodium sulfite before grinding (chemigroundwood) .
C hemI,grOlmdwood from red alder tested stronger than ll1Y softwood
grouncrwood and approached red alder nentral sulfite selllichemicttl
pulp in strength and other properties. Chemigroundwoo ll pulp . how­
ever, lacks bulk and certain other properties possessed by ground wood
pulp, and so it is not wholly a substitute for sofhyood ground wood
i n pal? ers in which those properties ure needed. Like semichemical
pulp, It can be used in mixtures with hardwood groundwood to provide
the strength generally lacking in th.nt product.
Re d alder groundwood and chemlgroundwood pulps are too clark
colored to use in printing- papers without semibleaching-. A news­
print-weight paper made from 40-percent red alder semibleached
chemigroundwood and 60 -perce t s balpine fir groundwood pulps
, newsprmt m strength and color, and the
was above average for
opacity, porosity, and ink rec epti vity were satisfact ory. A good­
quality groundwood book paper was made from 40-percent alder
semibleached chemigroundwoo d 40-percent subalpine fir gro1l1ld ­
wood, and 20-percent Douglas-fir sulfate pulps.
Alder groundwood or chemigroundwood pulps should be suitabl e
for softboarcl o r hardboard production : Experiments a t the U.S.
Forest Products Laboratory have shown that red alder. steam treated
by the Asplund Defibrator Process to a yield of about 85 percent, can
be made into harclboarcl that meets class I specifications.
,
Lumber and M iscellan eous Products
Lumber
One of the most important uses for alder is the production or
lumber. :iYlost of the lumber is cut in small stationary or portable
RE D
ALDE R-ITS
::\1A..."L\G E::'IENT
A...
'l"D
.
t'TILIZATIO)f
33
mills. Lob,YS are ordinarily S feet long, ttlthough tl. few companies
find it advantageous to produce lumber in longer leng,t hs. In tl,le
past, much alder lumber was sold on a rough, green, mIll-run basIs.
Production was geared to maximum volume and much poorly manu­
This practice gave nJder a,
factured hmlber was put on the market.
bad reputation that has been difficult to overcome. In recent years the
trend has been to cut more of the lumber at mills equipped to produce
accurately manufactured kiln-dried, and surfaced lumber ( fig. 9 ) .
( Photo courtesy Weyerhaeuser Company. )
FIGURE D.-Alder saw logs cu::;touiurily are stored or sorted in log ponds.
il'Iost of the alder lumber p roduced is used bv the furniture in­
dustry. During 1959, furniture plants in Oregon and ,Vashington
used approximately 28 million board feet of alder. It is estimated
that another 20 million feet was shipped from Oregon and Washing­
ton to out-of-State furniture plants, primarily in the Los Angeles
area, where it competes with eastern hardwoods.
Because of its physical properties, described in a previous section,
alder is suited for core .stock as well as for turned and exposed parts
of many types of fur llture. In solid form, it is used for medium­
priced dining room, kItchen" and bedroom £:lrniture ( fig. 10) . It is
",Iso used for bottoms and SIdes of drawers 111 more expensive furni­
34
u.s.
D EPART)'IENT
OF AGRICuLTt"RE
l>IISC.
PuB .
SSl
(Photo courtesy B. P. John Furniture Corp . )
FIGURE lO.-A double dre::;ser of solid red alder.
ture. Better grades of unpainted furniture-such as chairs, cabinets,
tu,bles, dressers, and beds-also are made of alder. It is well suited for
this use since it can be painted or enameled readily.
A small amount of alder lumber is used for production of ,yall
paneling, molding, and interior trim. Some of the p anels are one­
p i ece boards in 8'::: or lO-inch widths. and some are made by gluing
narrow pieces into 12-inch widths. Alder paneling and molding- have
n. pleasing nppearance can be easily nailed, and do not warp and twist
in use. Use of these products will probably increase.
Veneer
A. sman amount o f alder veneer is produced for the Northwest
furniture industry. This veneer is used primaril y for crossbands,
RED
ALDER-ITS ::Y1A.:.
'TA GKi'vlE
T AND
35
UTILIZATIO::;
with minor amounts used for face st ock .
Experiments at the r.s.
Forest Products Laboratory sho"- that good ald e r yeneer can be pro­
duced without he a t ing the bol t s ( r.s. F or est Prod. Lab., 11):3 0 ) .
Ho\yeyer, quality " as improyed when the bolt s were heated in w ater
at n, t emp e ra t ur e of 14:0° F. To get l1defluate penetr a t i on , a n -inch
bolt ± feet long should be heated at this moderate temperature for
about 8 hour s ; a 16-inch bolt, for 15 hours.
O\ving to its small size and the occurrence of knots an d other defe ct s ,
alder is at some"what of a disadvantage for yeneer production. How­
eyer, in t e gr at i ng pulpwood cutt ing with ,-enee r -bo lt produc t i on offers
a p ossi b i l ity f or s e gregati n g the prem ium material for yeneer use .
Paper P l u gs
Practica ll y all pa per p lugs made in the Pacific :\ort h\yest ,lre aldel'.
These plugs are inserted in the ends of p aper rolls to facilitate hall ­
dling and to keep the pa p er in place. B e c a use of t he ease with which
it can be turned, bored, and dried, alder is well suite d for this use.
A l de r p lugs are turned in various sizes from small poles or from
s awed material (fig. 1 1 ) . They are pr oduce d from green materi a l
and then dried and pol i shed. ",Yith pulp production ex p an din g , t he
de man d fo r p a p er plugs should continue to incre ase . Ho,,'enr, a l der
plu gs pl'obably will face i ncre asi ng competition from molded pln s
no w being made from \yood fiber.
( Photo COl1rte r Oregon Foretlt Rel'earch
Center.)
IfIGURE 11.-Nearly all paper plugs made in the Pacific Xorthwetit are alder.
Novelties and Smal l M iscellaneous Products
B ecause of its good machining, " gluing, and painti ng properties,
tlnd its ability to hold its shape with changes in moisture cont ent
alder i s \Y e ll suited for the manufactnre of novelties and small mis­
cellaneous products. Toys, brush handles shoe sol es , trays, tl,nd
numerous other small items are now mnde from alder.
,
36
u.s.
D EP.-\.RT)'IE
T
OF AG RICULTURE
lISC. PUB .
88 1
L O G G RA D ES A N D L U M B E R REC OVERY
Until recent. veal's. much of the alder lumber produced was sold
lmgraded. -VVitll inc reasing emphasis placed on lumber quality,
however, it became important to have a set of Jog rules and to know
the type of lumber that can be expected from the various log grades.
A few mills developed their mYll grading rules, but there was a Inc k
of standardization throughout the industry. Therefore, a cooperati,-e
project was undertaken in 1952-;3 3 by the Oregon Forest Products
Laboratory and the U.S. Forest Service to :
1.
2.
3.
Determine whether the hardwood log-grading rules developed by
the r.s; Forest Products Laboratory for eastern hardwoods could
be applied to alder.
Ascertain the n pplicability of National Hardwood Lumber
Associa tion grading rules to this species.
Compare alder lumbe ' recovery with that of commonly used
eastern hard wood speCIes.
A report on the study " as published by the Oregon Forest Proel­
ucts Laboratory in coopera tion with the r.s . Forest Products Labora­
torY ( Pfeiffer and 'Yollin. 195-1-) . ..A.. suggested set of log grading
rul s for alder was developed during the '-course of the snld} and is
summarized in t able 9.
TA.BLE
9.-Sugge8ted log gi'adpf� for 8-foot red alder factory-type
loq.'5 1
Log grade
Log grade factors
1
·
i
,
Diameter, minimum
inches
Length
feet
Clear cuttings (on each of the three best faces) :
Length, minimum
feet
Number on one log face, maximum
Yield in face length, minimum
Sweep and crook deduction, maximum
percellt
Cull deduction, including sweep , ma."\: imum
percent
____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _
______
_ _
2
16
8
10
8
:3
2
5/6
15
40
2
2
4/6
:30
50
"
.:>
8
8
(3)
2
3/6
50
50
1 Adapted from " Red Alder Log and Lumber Grading" (Pfeiffer and Wollin,
1954) .
.
2 Exceptions :
3.. Logs classified as below the X o. 3 grade when graded from the second from
the p oorest face "ill be admitted in the No . 3 log grade when two sides are of
No. 2 log grade quality.
b. Grade 2, lO-inch diameter inside bark, must be of grade 1 surface quality.
c. Sound end defect (blue stain) in excess of 50 percent of the area on either
end of the log will cause a one-step degrade.
3 Unlimited.
Because it is the predominant practice to cut short ( S-foot ) logs
in alder, the proposed rules for alder contain il1odificntions to the
hardwood log grading rules developed by the U.S. Forest Products
Laboratory. The modifications, though fe!"" could have tt pronounced
effect on lumber grade recoyery. It was obsen-ed by those making the
RE D
ALDER-ITS .:YLL
'rAGE.:YIE::.'{T
.-L'iD
37
"CTILIZ ATIO:0l"
TABLE 10.-L u711Jbei'-grade recove'f"lj in red alder, lo r; g'J'ude .Vo. 1 by
diameter 1
Lumber-grade recovery Log diameter (inches)
FAS
16
17
18
19
20
21
10. 7
14. 0
16. 3
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
- -
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
All diameters
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
3
1
1 7. 8
1
1 5. -1
1 2. 8
8
7
6
5
5
-17. 1
-15. 2
15. 1
1 0. 6
42 . 6
!)
-15. I
-11. 4
-17. 8
:3 A
2C
Percellt
:3 0.
25.
22.
19.
1 7.
1 6.
1 5.
1 6.
33. 8
39. 0
-12. 9
1 1.
9.
7.
1.
8.
1 0.
1 3.
1 7.
)fa.
-:;o.
;
Percent
Percent
17.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
lC
Select
17. 5 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
') - - - - - - ?- - - - - - - -
23
P!Tcent
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
i
)fa.
!
I
!
I
I
5
8
0
1
1
0
9
6
Percent
9.
1.
5.
3.
2.
2.
2.
3.
21. 2
7
0
0
6
7
4
7
0
5. 1
Basifi
(logs)
)fa .
3B
Percent
-J:.
5.
5.
6.
6.
6.
5.
0
1
,
I
Sumber
!)
6
3
3
1
4
1
-1
-1
2
2
-1. -1
5. -t
7
3
I
29
1 Curved data, adapted from " Red Alder Log and Lumber Grading" (Pfeiffer
and Wollin, 1 95..J:) . Lumber graded by X u.tionul Hardwood Lumber .-issoeiatioll
standard rules, but without limitation on the amount of 8-foot stoc k .
TABLE l 1 .-L umbel'-grade reco l)er-y i-n ]'ed alder log r;r·ade .Yo. J, by
diameter 1
Lumber-grade recovery
Log diameter (inches)
11
P!Tcent
0.
.
2.
4.
5.
6.
7.
7.
8.
8.
8.
7.
7.
6.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
12
13
14
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
15
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
16
17
18
19
20
21
'J')
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
- - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - -
23
24
25
26
27
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
All diameters
_ _ _ _ .. _ _ _
Select
FAS
-
0
6
Percent
1.
2.
:3.
3.
-1
6
3. 6
2. 0
5. 7
3. 9
------
---
-
Percent
1 7.
20.
23.
2 6.
29.
31.
33.
35.
37.
39.
41.
-1
0
6
.:1:, 0
-1. 3
4. 5
4. 6
4. 6
4. 5
4. 3
4. 0
3. 5
3. 0
-- 1. 6
. 8
0
3
4
2
8
1
2
1
7
0
1
No.
lC
-
6
9
8
5
1
5
7
8
7
5
1
!
I
::\0.
::! C
Xo.
3A
::\0.
Percent
Percent
Percent
)
1 ' '2
-
-
-
- -
46. 6
47. 2
31. 8
-
-1-J:.
-13.
-13.
-12.
0
9
2
3
-10.
:39.
37.
:36.
3-1.
33.
31.
29.
27.
2
1
7
3
8
1
4
6
6.
·n.
42. 5
43. 8
44. 9
Ba::: i s
-
--
:3
23. -:I:
21. 1
- - -
:39.
1
24.
22.
19.
1 7.
1 5.
1:3.
12.
1 1.
1 0.
9.
9.
9.
9.
9.
- - - -
3B
6
2
7
4
5
8
2
3
6
2
1
-1:3
3:3
28
25
1a
12
5
2
3
1
.
8
1 4. 4
6
21
51
:37
5. 3
6. 8
8. 6
:3
-
Xumber
1 0. 0
7. 9
6. 2
-1. 8
3. 8
:3. 2
2. 9
.,
0). 0
3. -1
)
4 .
:3
1 1. 4
1 2. 6
(logs)
-
- - - - - -
1 3. 4
1 6. 3
5. 1
- -
-
- - - - -
1
1
282
C urved data, adapted from "Red AJ<!.er . Log and Lumber Grading" (Pfeiffer
L umber graded by N ahonal Hardwoo d Lumber Association
standard rules, but without limitatio n on the am ount of 8-foot stock.
1
and Wollin, 1954) .
38
u.s.
D EPARTMENT
OF AGRICULTURE
:\II S C .
PUB .
88 1
study that the lumber grade yield from alder logs, graded by the
modified rules, compared favorably with lumber yields from eastern
hard-wood logs of roughly equinllent grade, although no exact COlll­
p arison is possible. Lumber grade yields as determined in the study
of suggested log grades are reproduced in tables 10, 11, and 1:2 since
there are no published lumber recovery data based on the log rules
no,"v in effect.
The :yortlnvest Harclwoocl Association, ,vhich was formed in 1055.
made it a first order of business to consider log grading rules for alder.
In 1956 the association adoptecl u simplified s et of log grading rules
which are still .in use. Grading rules for alder lumber were adopted
bv the X orthwest Hardwood Association in 1057 and incorporated as
P 1rt of the :National Hardwood Lumber Association rules that same
year .
9
T_lBLE
l:2 .-Lwnbe?'-qrade
Log
diameter
(inches)
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
__________________
__________________
________ _ ____ _ _ _ _ _
__________________
_ __________ _ _ _____
__________________
__________________
__________________
_________ _ ________
_ __ _ ____ __________
21
22
_ _ _ _ ______________
_ __ _ _____________ _
_ ___________ _ _ _ _ _ _
23
24
___ ______________ _
___ _______________
All diameters
_ _ _ _____
reeo'very
£On
diameters
i'eel alde}'.
1
Zoq ql'ade JTO. 3. by
Lumber-grade recovery
F.lS
Select
Percent
Percellt
O. I
2. 3
')
.... I
2. 0
1.
1.
2.
3.
3.
4:.
4:.
-!.
,j.
,j .
5.
-1-,
4:.
4:.
1. 9
1.
2.
2.
2.
2.
2.
3.
3.
9
0
1
3
6
9
3
8
4. 4:
5. 0
5. 6
2. 5
0
9
6
2
8
2
6
8
O
O
0
9
6
3
3. 6
No.
Ie
Percent
I
I
Xo,
o.
o.
2C
3A
3B
Pe1cent
Percellt
Percent
6
9
9
6
1
3
3
0
4:
6
5
2
6
8
38. 6
39. 4:
-+0. 0
-!O. 6
-! 1 . 1
-! 1. 4:
-H. 7
-! 1 . 9
-U. 9
-! 1 . 8
-! 1 . 7
-! 1. 4:
-! l. 0
-!O. 5
39. 9
24. 4:
41. 0
9.
12.
15.
1:-3.
21.
2-!.
2 6.
28.
30.
3 1.
32.
33.
34.
34.
34.
Basis
3 1.
28.
26.
23.
2 1.
1 9.
1 7.
15.
9
2
7
-!
3
-!
6
1-!. 1
12.
1 1.
10.
9.
9.
8.
8
6
6
8
3
9
18. 9
(log::: )
18.
1 6.
l·t.
12.
10.
9.
8.
7.
6.
6.
5.
5.
5.
6.
6.
Sumber
2
°
0
3
8
-!
3
3
6
1
8
I
7
0
5
9. 6
I
I
7
13
19
22
25
2-!
17
8
10
6
3
2
1
1
3
---161
1 Curved data, adapted from "Red Alder Log and Lumber Grading" (Pfeiffer
and Woll in . 1 954) . Lumber graded by National Hardwood Lumber Association
standard rules, but without li mit ation on the amount of 8-foot stock.
STO RA G E L OSS-L OGS A N D P U L P WO O D
Red alder i s very susceptible to decay. Logs and pulpwood cut
during summer months will show stain and inc i pient decay wi thin a
few weeks if not used. Therefore, the period between logging and
milling should be held to a minimum. This is especially trlie for saw
ogs, since stain is n, major detect in most lumber uses.
9
Included in the appendix, p.
44.
RED
ALD E R-ITS
}L-L AGE)'IE)l"T
A)l"D
1;TILIZATIO)l"
39
Fresh-water stora.!!e for 10Q"s is recommended. Industry has found
placed in \Y;1ter deteriorate much more slo wly than
similar logs placed in colel decks. If \yater storage is not ayailable
logs should be held tor onlv short periods and decking should be
done on well-drained arens \ -ith .!!o od air circula t ion .
The Pacific )Torthwest Forest lild Range Experiment S ta tion has
studied the decay rate of alder pulp chips in outside stomge C'iY rig'ht ,
ID5±) . . This pil ot study o n small p iles of chips showed that even du r­
ing the cool part ot the year decay \yas evident a f ter 5 months, although
there is limited evidence thnt decay proceeds much slower in large p iles.
that alder logs
F UT U RE TRE N D S I N U T I L IZATI O N
Prospects tor continnec1 imp L'o, ement in ut ilization of red alder aTe
promising. The oYel'all increas e in markets for wood p roducts and
the decreasing per-capita. timbe r su pply are directing more attention
to western hardwoods. Althoudl
alder use has increased m arke dl y
'
since . the l at e lQ5(fs, the spec ies is still not harnsted llS fast as it IS
growmg'.
,Yhen properly manufncturecL n ldel' lumber can compete success­
fully ,yith eastern hardwoods i n western turniture pl ants. This
market should continue to expand to keep pace wit h furn iture needs
for the ra p idl y gl'o\ying "-estern populat ion. In addition, the recently
developed market tor pulpwood pl'o\-ides an important gain in ntilizn­
t on of alcler since only trees growing on moist sites reach sn w-log
Slze.
B I B L I O G RA P HY
J.. DERSON, B. G .. AXD FRASHOUR. R. G.
1954. STICKER ST.UN AND BOARD COLOR IN O E-IXCH RED ALDER LU :\IBER.
Forest Prod. Res. Soc. 4 : 13: -135. illus.
.T our .
BAIRD, P. K., :'\L-\"RTI , J. S. • AXD FAHEY, D . .T.
1960. BOND A D :\UGAZINE BOOK PAPERS AXD :\IILK-C_ RTOX PAPERBO.\.RD FRO :\ C
OLD-GROWTH DOGGL. S-FIR A N D RE D ALDER peLPS.
G.S. FOl'est S e n . Forest
Prod. Lab. Rpt. 2042, 14 pp. [ Processed.l
BERNTSE . CARL :\1.
1961a. GROWTH AXD DEYELOP){EXT OF RED ALDER CO:\[ P.\'RED WITH co:'nFERS IX
3 0-YEAR- OLD STAXDS. LS. Forest Sery. Paeitic' Xo n h \Y e:" t Forest and Range
.
E:s:pt. Stu. Res. Paper 38. 20 pp., illu s .
[ Pl'(ll'e se<l. ]
1961b. PRUC'l'ING
59 : 675-670.
BETTS, H. S.
1960. RED ALDER.
AXD
EPICOR)fIC
BR.\.XCHIXG
U.S. lfo l'est Sen'
BOND. G.
1956. EYIDEXCE FOR FIXATIOX O F
FIELD COXD I TIO XS . Xew PhYtol.
.
.i:i l 2 ) :
HY ROOT
147-1:i3.
•
.Tour.
ALDER.
Forestry
Rev. et1. -1: p p .. mus.
-\.mel·. ",Yood:-; Set'.
XITROGEX
BROWX. K . .T., A X D :\l C Go \ ERN J . X.
1053.
HIGH-YIELD COLD SO D.\. peLPS
Indus . 35 ( 1 ) : 66-6\).
RED
•
B RITISH COLU:\[BL-\.. F OREST S E R nC E .
1947.
YIELD TA B LE S 1!H7.
i' 1Il> . . p lus ta b l es.
·
IX
NOD U LES
OF ALDER
UNDER
WOODS.
PUI)er
[ Proeessed . ]
.
B ROWNE. F. L.
1947.
WOOD PROPERTIES AXD P.liXT
629. 10 pp., illus.
. N D PIW D C CT S F R O ( SE\'ERAL
DURABILITY.
COLLIXGWOOD. G. H . • AND BR e S H , IYARRE D.
1055. KXOWIXG YOUR TREES. :328 pp., illus.
r.s.
.-\.gr. :\Iisc. Pub.
Dept.
IYasllingtoll. D . C .
CROCKER. ROBERT L . , A D :\lAJOR• .TACK.
RELI.TION TO VEGETATION
1955. SOIL DEVELOP :\lENT I
GLACIER BAY, ALASKA. Jour. Ecol. -:ill : 427-1:1:8.
.I.N D
SUHFACE
DAVIS. EDWARD :\1.
11)60. :\UCHIXIXG PROPERTIES OF RED ALDER AXD BIGLE.I.F :\[APLE.
worker 78 ( 11 ) : 10-11 , 25. illus.
ESPEN.-\.. S , LEIF D .
1951. T H E SEASONI G OF OREGON HARDWOODS.
Cir. 6, 35 pp., illus.
Oreg. Forest Prod.
AGE
AT
The \\'oocl­
Lab. Inform.
HADD OCK , PHILIP G.
1948. A PROBLE:\{ CHILD REFOR:l[ S :
EW PERSPECTIVES I
THE :l[AXAGE)[E:->T
RED ALDER.
'C'niv. Wash. Forest Club Quart. 22 ( 2 ) : 9-15.
OF
HYTTI E , AxEL, AXD S CHAFER , E. R.
1955. GlUNDING PRETREATED HARDWOODS : EXPERD[EXTS ' ON Q UAKIXG A SP EN .
SWEETGU){, RED ALDER, BLACK TCPELO, SUGAR :\L-\"pLE. RED OAK. A N D COTTO N W OOD.
U.S. Forest Servo Forest Prod. Lab. Rpt. 20 1 5, 21 pp.
[Processed.]
JOH"NSON, HER:lLl.
:\'1.. HANZLIK, EDWARD .T., AND GIBBOXS, WILLIA:\{ H.
1926. RED ALDER OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST .: ITS UTILIZATION. WITH XOTES ON
GROWTH AND :\Ll.NAGEME T. 1:.' . S. Dept. J..gr. Bul. 14 37. 46 1>1>., illus.
-1:0
RED
ALD E R-ITS
IA
AGE IENT A...'m
41
L"TILIZATION
L . . :\L RTE . .J . S . , , .x U KI .x G S B LTRY. R , :\ L
ID56.
S D l I C H D f ICAL P F LPI.xG CHARACTERISTICS O F P,\CIFIC
DOlJGLA S-FIR. WESTERX REDCEDAI . A .x D WESTEHX H D lLOl'K,
[ Pr()ces e(l. ]
Forest Pro d. . Lab. RIlt. I01:!. 23 pp., illU8.
KELLER, E .
KELSI':Y. HARL.\..x P .• A .x D D AYTON, WILLLU[ A.
19·!:.!. ST.-I. .x D ARUIZED P I .A i'i' T .'\A'\fES. Ed. 2 ,
LAU::-f D RIE .T. F .
ID58.
COXTI.xT:OT:S
oj;)
COAST
CS.
RED
,U,DER.
Forest S ery.
Pl>. Harris burg. P a .
•
COLD SO DA PULPI:.:IG O F W E S T COAST R E D ALDER. T A .x O A K •
BIGLEAF .\UPLE.
U.S. Fo re st Sen'. F ( ) l'e t Prod. LUll. R p t .
2162, 1 3 llP. [ Processed. ]
.\( A D R O X E .
A .x D
LITTLE. ELBERT L. . .JR.
19;),'3 .
C HECK L l ST OF
I INCLCDI X G
::-fATIVE AND
,\I .,\.8KA ) .
LLOYD. 'YILLIA .\[ .J.
C.S.
::-fATlJIUI..IZ ED
TREES
1\):)5. AL D E R THE.xI.x G-PROGRESS REPORT,
Consen' . Teeh. X o t e : . I) pp. [ Pr o cessell . ]
U . S.
---A X D
Ins:;,
"G . S .
'YILSO .'\ .
STATES.
L .S.
THE
C X ITED
T. R, C,
A X D H E L .\ TE Il PIWPERTIES OF W OODS
De v t . Agr. Teeh. Bn1. -tin, Dll llP . . ill Ut'.
l .x
( ; I W \\, .x
1.x
THE
C X ITED
PROPERTIES
OF
RI C H A R D E . . :\ I EYEH. 'Y ,I. LT E R H . . .\..xll BIWCE. Dox ,\'L U .
I!).!!) . T H E YIELD OF DO UGLAS-FIU IX T H E P.\.CIFIC X O R T U W E S T .
Tech. B u t :.!Ul I re\·. ) . ,-l: VP., i l lm;.
::\IcAltD LE.
:\IC::\IrLLEX . .T . :\ 1 .
1!)i)t). COAT I X G S
Fore t Sen'.
ST.\'TE S
G H O \\' N
S1'I EXGTH
Dellt. A:.;r. Teeh, BuL IJH. 3H llll,
STREXGTH
G .x ITED
W OO D S
CO.\[P,\.R ,\.TI\'E
ST,\.TES ,
THE
Soil C l I llser", Sen'. ,\Voo<11alld
::\L-I.RKw ARDT. L . .J.
1930.
OF
Dept. Agr. HamI l l . ·41 . -i':.! Ill).
FO R T H E
Forest
PllE\'EXTIOX OF
Prod.
L.S. D!:'l)(.
Agr.
E X D CHEC K S I X LO(iS .\ X U LC\[ IIEH, T " . S .
I re\'. ) . 1 pp .• illn . [Pr()('e etl . ]
Lab. Rpt, 1..J::-!:i
PE CK. E D \Y . R D ( ' .
10i)6. AIR Il RYIX G OF L G :' I B E R , U.S. FOl'!:'st Ser\,. Ft ) r e t Protl. L a b . Rpt. l().:; '
I re\' . ) . [ Ii;'; P D . ] ' illus. [ Pl·oce:-::-:etl.]
PFEIF f ER .T. R.
10;)3. ll ..\ SIC D.-\.T, FOI ORE G O X K\HIl\\' OOIlS.
..:f: 0 P 11. . illus. [ Pr()('es etl . ]
'
•
---.-\..x D ,Yo U I X . •l . C .
1\)5-:1:. R E D A L D EU U)(, A X D r.r:.r nEI
[21 pp. ] , illu s . [ Pl'oce sed . ]
( R..\. U I .x G .
Oreg. F()re t Prod . La l l . R V L G-l ,
Oreg, F O l 'es t P l' Ot l . Lab. R I l L r -:3 .
RAs.\[rSsEx. E J) ( " c m F.
10-i6. .-\. [ ETHOD OF SE,\S O :.'i' I :.'i' G S:'L\LL q G,\':.'i'TlTIES O F LL'.\( JlJ.o:H.
Forest Pl·()Cl. Lab. Rpt. RIGOS. , 1>I> . . illns. [ Pl'o('e ea. l
U.S. F O l'e s t Ser\,.
RUTH ; R O BE RT H. . ,\.XD B ER X TS E X . C,\ltL ::\1.
10:')6. C H E :' fIC.\'L ll,'l.SAL TRE.\'T:'fE:.'i'T TO COXTROL ImD ,\ L D E R .
U,S . Fore::;t Sen'.
Pncinc Xol'thwest Forest nnd Runge EXl1t. S tu. R es , X o t e l:!:-:. \) Pl>. . illus.
[Processed. ]
RY}lER, K. W .
1051. RED ALDER r ::-f llRITISH COLU:'InU.
FOl'estry Branch But 98, 10 pp" mus.
S A RGE"X T .
C H .'l. H LE S S P RAGlJE.
1933. :'L-I.::-flJAL OF T H E TREES OF )l"ORTH
910 PD . . illus. Boston and Xew YOl·k.
SCHWARTZ,
1958.
S IDXEY
A:MERICA
( EXCLGSIYE
OF
}l E X IC O ) .
E d . 2,
L.
RED ALDER A::-fD FRO.\[ A :' f IXTURE OF SLOW -GR O W T H
U.S. F orest Servo F or est Prod. Lab. Rpt. 212;-). :!O pp . .
[ Processed. ]
HARUBOARD
SOUTHER::-f
illus.
Callad, Dept. Resonrees and Deylpmt..
FRO.\!
OAKS,
S eDwORTH. GEORGE B .
1008. FOREST TREES
O F T H E PACIFIC SLOPE.
-H I Ill)., illus.
TARRANT. R OBERT F.
1961. STA ::-fD DEYELOP:'[ENT A"XD SOIL FERTI LITY I X
PLA::-fT.-I.TIOX .
Forest Sci. j : :'!:3R-:.!..W. i l lns.
A
Washington. D.C.
D O U G L.\S'FIH-RED
--- I SA.\C. L. A . . •\XD CHAN DLER. R. F.
1\);)1. OBSERY.-\.TIOXS O N LITTEH FALL ,\XD FOLIAGE "rTRIE)l"T CONTEXT
.Tour. F()l'e try ..:f: !) : !) 4-nI5.
P..l.CIFIC XORTHWEST TREE SPECIES.
,\LDER
O F S O :'! E
42
u.s.
DEPAR T);IEXT
OF
AGR ICULTrRE
MISC.
U.S. FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY.
1ViiO. VEXEER CUTTI:.'l'G .I..S D D[{YISG PROPERTIES, RED ALDER.
2 pp.
[ Processed. ] ,
PUB .
Lab. Rvt. D 1766-2.
1954. USE OF KILX S,UfPLES IX OPERATUG A LLJn ER DRY KIL�;'
[15 pp. ] , illus.
[Proces ed. ]
1D56.
STAXDARD TERJfS FOR DESCRIBIXG WOOD.
[Processed.]
1960. KILN SCHEDCLES
[Processed. J
.lXD DRYIXG TDfE.
U.S. FOREST SERVICE.
1948.
WOODY'PLANT SEED
llius.
1955.
WOOD HANDBOOK.
UX1.-AL.
88 1
L ab . Rpt. 1607,
Lab. Rpt. 1169 ( re,'. ) , [ 12 pp . ]
Lah. Rpt. 1DOO-;). 30 pp . •
illllS.
"C.S. Dept. AgI;. :'\Iisc. Pub. 654. 416 pp.,
D . S . Depr. Agr. Hnndb. 72. ;;28 pp., illus.
Y ERRALL, A.. F .. AXD SCHEFFER. T. C.
11)49. CONTROL OF ST.HX. roLD. AXD DEC.-IT IX GREEX r.rJfBER A X D OTHER WOOD
PRODUCTS. Forest Prod. Res. Soc. Preprillt .') 8. !) pp., illus.
IT'ARRACK. GEORGE.
IDol!). TREAT fEXT OF RED ALDER IX THE COAST. L REGIO:\" OF BRITI S H COLU (BIA.
Brit. Columbia Forest Servo Res. Xores H. 7 llP.
[ Pr()ce setl. ]
IYORTHI::'l'GTON. XOR U X P . . .TOHXSOX. FLOYD A.. . ST.I..E BLER. GEORGE R .. ,I.. X D LLOYD.
lYILLLI.M .J .
XOR r.-\'L YIELD TABLES FOR RED .\'LDER.
"C . S. Forest Set'),. Pacific Xorth·
1(1)0.
west Forest and Range Expt. S ta. Res. Paper 3t>. 3 PIl., 13 tu bles, illus.
'YRIGHT, ERXEST.
In;).!. .1.. PRELDfIXARY STLDY OF TITE DETERIOR.I.TIO:\" OF .I.LDER AXD DO UGLI.S-Fffi
CHIPS IX O"C'TDOOR PILES.
'C . S . F()rp t Serlo Pae itie Xorrh'.... est F o rest a n d
[ Proeessed. ]
Range Expr. Stu. Res. Xote DB . .j p p.. ill us.
APPE N D IX C o m m o n a n d S cie ntifi c N ames of B otan ical Species M e ntio n e d "Check List of Na tive and Naturalized Trees of the rnited States
( Little, 10:'5 3 ) is the aut hor ity for tree names used in this publication:
"Standardized Plant
tlll1es: ( Kelsey and Dayton , 10-4::2 ) is the
authori t y for names of shrubs and herbs. A p pron d common names
not often used bv foresters in the Pacific X orth west have the locally
used nmne in pal:entheses.
Trees
Bigl ea f maple _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _
Bitter cherry_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Black cherry _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
B lack cottonwoocl_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ _
Black ma ple _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Black 'ya l nu L _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _
Cottonwood _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
D ou gl as - til' _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
E n rope n n ald er __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Grand fir _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ _ _
ra hoga ny _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _
Pacific
,yillmY _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _
Ponderosa pine__ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ ____ _ __ _ _ _
Red aldec _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Red m ap l e ___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Silver mapl e _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Sitlm alder _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
::;
..." It kya spruce_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ _ _
Subalpine fir _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Sugar maple_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _
Sweetg:.un _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _
,T '
y me map I e _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _
1Vestern hemlocL _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
1Vestern redcedal' _ __ _ _ _ _ ___ _ _ _ __ _ _ _
vVhite oak_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Yellow-poplar _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Yellow birch _ __ _ _ :... _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
S hrubs
and
A ce?' ]}7({ci'op h y 17 u 1lu
Pl'unus enw1'g ltlld(/"
P. seJ'othw
Pop ulus t)'ic1I O(,(I J'pa
A ceI' n igl'u-7n
Jug7a.ns lI ig )'((.
POP Uhl8 spp,
P8e udot.wga m e n z;e8/i
A 7nu.'j glll tin ow.
A b ies amndi.'$
SIC?'ete"11 Ia. n7 (lct'O p il y 77a
;;;"'rdix la8iand)'I{
Pi/HIs po n der08(('
A l mls l1.l b m
A cer ru b l 'wn
A , -'S(tcchm'i-tll llJl.
A lnwi 8inu((ta
P lCert
'
' h e-nf.:l8
'
8lfe
A b ies 7asio(,(t/,/)({
A ceI' :wcchffrmn
L ifjuidam brf,?' s tY?'llci-jl l.la
"
.1
'l.
cer C1/I'cmatwn
T.'i1lga he te'l'ophyll(l
Th1tja p7icrttl l
.
Q u e )'c?l8 alba,
L i-rio den dron tulip//era
B e tu la alleghanien8i8
Herbs
American devilsc1ub _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Op7oprtnare lwrt"l'du8
Elder _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ Sambucus spp,
Nettle - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - _ _ _ _ _ Cl'tic(t spp.
OsobelTY ( I ndi an phun) - -...:. _ _ _ __ _ _ _ . O.'mwro-nia, ce?'((8i/oJ'1ni'l
Salal _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _____ Gaultherut 81w17on
43
44
17 . 3 . D EP'-\RT IE T OF AGRICULTURE
Salmonberry
Trailing . blackbel'l'y
vVestern s\\'ordfern
1Vestern thimble berry
vVhortleberry (huckleberry)
________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_____ __ _ ________
______ ___________
_________ ____ _
________
II S C .
PUB .
88 1
Rub us 8peotab-ili8
Ru b us m aol'o 7Je tI11118
Polystichum Jn1.lnitum
Rubus pa1'vijlo }'us
Vacoiniu,?n spp.
Official Grading R u les for Pacifi c C oast H ardwoo d Logs (Applicable to Red Alder and Big·Leaf Ma ple)
General rules :
1. These rules. adopt d by the Xorthwest Hardwood Associa tion ut its .\p r i l
H. IO.i() Quarterly }Iee ting a t '·ancomer. B . C . . s h u l l he t h e I )tfidul grud­
ill!5 rules to gorern the measurement. snle and pun'hase of hardwoo d
logs by As::: o dutioll memlwl'l'.
2. All logs shall be rH'(){lu('ell from lh-e, standing trees, uncI s h n l l b e clean,
free of me ra l ami o ther foreign lll atter, an d sh ull hun all liml>s ' trim­
'
lll e d tlush Iyith the bark snrfnee.
3. X0 sweep or erool;: to exeeed nne-half the m id-diameter of the log i n a n
"'-foot leuf,'ih s h a l l he a l l o ,,"ell i n a n y grade.
4. Compound splits or " s l liuer spl its " \Yhil'h extend m ore than % reI of the
log length shnl l b e allowed in IJulp grade only.
5. Log diamerers. un l es s otherwise specified. shall be measured at the
a '-erage clhuneter or the smnller e n d of the log, inside the barIc
6. Diseolora tiou of logs clue to weuther stain shall not be all O \yecl in saw
l o g rncle .
7. A.ll lo is shall he put \Yi t h a minim ulll additiollal length of t,yO inches orer
the specified length f o r eaeh eight feet as an allo\Yallee for trimming i n
mallufacture.
S. The Sl'ribner Decimal "C" log rule shall be used in scaling al l logs.
The
net :-i cale of any log ::: h nll b e the gross s('ale minus the YOlll111e of un­
sonnd clnd tmusable wood. snch as : red heart, hollows. large h() l e .
rot. clote. winc!shake, large or excessi\'e '\'ormholes. damage in felling
( This cl oe
by splin tering pulls. spider-splits. ro'ughness and crooks.
not inelude adrelltitiou8 bud clusters. )
S tandard cord m easur e of 128
cub ic feet may be usee!.
Log rules for Pacific Coast A.Ider :
:.\"0. 1.
SA. 'YLOG : Ea('h log shall have a mll11111Um diameter of 15 inches.
75% or each log shall b e free of lmots and other defects. Xo t over 25 %
of the gross scale of any log may consis t of stained wood or rot.
Xo. 2. SA. WLOG : Each log shall ha\'e a minimum diameter of 10 inches.
Xot over 25%
75% of each log shall b e free of knots and other defects.
of the gros s scale of any log may con s ist of stained wood or rot.
Pl'LP GRADE : All logs ,yhich ha\'e a minimum diameter of l es s than 10
inches. or which othen\"ise do not qualify as Xo. 2 SA WLOG GRA.DE,
shall b e classified as unacceptable for manufacture into sawn products.
o