TREES
ALDER
AREAS OF GROWTH
Alder tree has many subspecies in the world. This tree grows in temperate climates and spreads in the Northern Hemisphere. The regions where it generally grows are Central and Western Europe, South America and Southeast Asia.
EXPORT/IMPORT
The USA is the leading country that mainly exports the alder timber. The other countries are Canada, Ukraine, France, Germany, and Turkey. When we look at its import volume, it can be seen that China comes the first place. Russia, England and Iran respectively follow China.
FEATURES/STRUCTURE
The alder specie belongs to the birch family. It grows well in moist, deep and acidic soils. The alder grows quickly and it can live about 100 to 120 years. The height of the tree is between 25 to 30 meters. Also, its trunk diameter can reach 100 cm. Its bark is often smooth and grey in color and its shoots are generally green or purple. The alder’s weight varies between 530 and 800 kg/m3. It has many porous, but they are too small to be seen with the naked eye. There is almost no color difference between its heartwood and the sapwood. Generally, they are light brown or white. When it is freshly cut, the color of the alder can be seen as yellowish red, but it becomes rust red as it dries. After the drying process, the alder takes on a stable structure.
WORKING PROPERTIES
The alder wood is a beautiful and elegant wood characterized by its distinctive color. It is effortless to work on, both by hand and machine tools. However, you must avoid chipping in some applications because of the wood’s high softness. It shows resistance in CNC lathes, machines and hand tools. Moreover, the alder wood is very well processed and gives a shiny and smooth surface after the operation. But some cracks may occur during the machining process. It can be painted and varnished effortlessly. Unfortunately, it is not durable against insects and microorganisms. The alder wood is known as non-durable and perishable for rot resistance. That’s why, alder logs must be quickly converted into lumber and dried to prevent staining or rot in the wood. But the alder wood has high water resistance.
areas of use
Although the alder wood is weak above ground, it is pretty durable underwater. Indeed, it has been used for stakes and support for a long time. Moreover, the alder wood has different usage areas. For example, it is preferred in the production of veneer, plywood, charcoal for gunpowder, clogs, stacks/supports, turned products, boxes and packaging.