red alder
Alnus rubra
Red alder is the most common and most useful deciduous tree along coastal portions of the Pacific northwest. A pioneer species, Red alder is favored by disturbances such as fire and logging.
Red alder is used for furniture, cabinets, trim, paneling, plywood, pallets, veneer, writing paper, tissue paper, paper roll plugs, etc.
Deer and elk eat the twigs, buds, leaves. Beavers eat the bark and use the wood for dams and lodges. Many birds and rodents eat the seeds.
Traditionally, red alder is not encouraged, compared to more valued western conifer timber sources. Due to nitrogen fixing abilities and speedy juvenile growth, red alder is potentially valuable for crop rotation systems and reclamation and improvement of infertile land.
Fun facts
Red alder is the largest of all the alders and the most abundant hardwood in the U.S. northwest. Red alder coals are used to smoke salmon. In Oregon, reforestation with red alder requires permission from the OR Dept. of Forestry.Alnus
Latin name for alder.
rubra
red.
2004 Virginia
Tech Forestry Department, all rights reserved. Text, images, and programming
by: Dr. Jeff Kirwan, Dr. John R. Seiler, John A. Peterson, Edward C. Jensen,
Guy Phillips, or Andrew
S. Meeks.
questions, comments, and criticisms: email John.Peterson@vt.edu