American alder

American alder is the major commercial species grown on the western seaboard of the USA and is unique to the hardwood forest resources of North America; one of the few red hardwood species.

Latin Name

Alnus rubra

Other Common Names

red alder, Western red alder, Western alder

alder_red_big

Forest Distribution

American alder trees grow prolifically in the Pacific Northwest under sustainable management. Alder has a relatively short rotation, taking less time to harvest than most other hardwoods.

Alabama Arkansas Arizona California Colorado Connecticut District of Columbia Delaware Florida Georgia Iowa Idaho Illinois Indiana Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Massachusetts Maryland Maine Michigan Minnesota Missouri Mississippi Montana North Carolina North Dakota Nebraska New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico Nevada New York Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Virginia Vermont Washington Wisconsin West Virginia Wyoming Average annual growth, m3 0 3.5K
Back to whole of U.S. 0-20K 20K-40K 40K-60K 60K-80K 80K-100K 100K-120K > 120K Average annual growth, m3 0 200K
-15K -10K -5K 0 5K 10K 15K 20K 25K GROWTH AND REMOVALS, 1000 m³ -10K -9K -8K -7K -6K -5K -4K -3K -2K -1K 0 1K 2K 3K 4K 5K 6K 7K 8K 9K 10K GROWTH AND REMOVALS, 1000 m³ -2000 -1750 -1500 -1250 -1000 -750 -500 -250 0 250 500 750 1000 1250 1500 1750 2000 GROWTH AND REMOVALS, 1000 m³ -300 -200 -100 0 100 200 300 400 500 GROWTH AND REMOVALS, 1000 m³ Removals 0 Growth 0 Net growth 0
0 200K 400K 600K 800K 1M 1.2M FOREST VOLUME, 1000 m³ 0 40K 80K 120K 160K 200K 240K 280K 320K 360K 400K 440K FOREST VOLUME, 1000 m³ 0 10K 20K 30K 40K 50K 60K 70K 80K 100K FOREST VOLUME, 1000 m³ 0 4K 8K 12K 16K 20K FOREST VOLUME, 1000 m³ Forest volume 0

LCA Tool


seconds
it takes seconds to grow 1m³ of
The replacement rate is calculated from total U.S. annual increment of the specified hardwood species derived from the U.S. Forest Service Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program and assumes that 2m³ of logs is harvested to produce 1m³ of lumber (i.e. 50% conversion efficiency). The rapid rate of replacement is due to the very large volume of hardwood trees in U.S. forest.

Material Availability

  • lder is graded using NHLA Pacific Coast Red Alder Rules published in the “NHLA Rules for the Measurement  and Inspection of Hardwood and Cypress”. The key grading points include grading from the better face rather than poor side as in the Standard NHLA Grading Rules; pin knots are regarded as character and no defect. The primary grades include Superior (Select and Better), Cabinet (No. 1 Common) and Frame (No. 2 Common) that are similar to uses as for the standard NHLA grades.

     
  • Alder from the USA is readily available as kiln dried sawn lumber and often sold under a range of unique grading rules, for grades not listed in the NHLA Rules, consultation with suppliers is recommended.

     
  • Lumber may be sold rough sawn or planed as dimension stock. It has limited availability as veneer.

Wood Description

Alder is almost white when freshly cut, but quickly changes on exposure to air, becoming light brown with a yellow or reddish tinge. There is no visible difference between the sap and the heartwood, although heartwood is formed only in older or mature trees. The wood of alder is fairly straight grain, somewhat similar in character to cherry, with uniform texture.

Mechanical Properties

Alder has medium density, but is relatively soft. It has low bending strength, shock resistance, and stiffness. It is easily turned and can be polished and stained to an excellent finish.

  • 0.41

    Specific Gravity (12% M.C.)

    449 kg/m3

    Average Weight (12% M.C.)

    10.10%

    Average Volume Shrinkage (Green to 6% M.C.)

    67.571 MPa

    Modulus of Rupture

    9,515 MPa

    Modulus of Elasticity

    40.129 MPa

    Compressive strength (parallel to grain)

    2,624 N

    Hardness

Oiled / Un-Oiled Appearance

Oiled
alder_red_oiled
Un-oiled
alder_red_unoiled

Performance

  • Alder machines easily and is good for planing, drilling, boring, carving, moulding, nailing, screwing and gluing, making it highly suitable for furniture and joinery.

     
  • The wood is non-resistant to heartwood decay but is permeable to preservative treatment.

Main Uses

  • This prolific hardwood from the Pacific Northwest, with excellent environmental credentials, is used for furniture, kitchen cabinets and interior joinery. It is also used for doors and panelling.

     
  • The grain pattern and colour of alder makes it suitable as a substitute for cherry.
Furniture
Doors
Panelling
Cabinets