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| Home Painting Skills and Basics Paperhanging Home Decorating Interior Decorating Wood Identification |
Alder trees and wood.The best-known species in Europe is the Common or Black Alder, native to most of Europe and widely introduced elsewhere. The largest species is Red Alder, reaching 35 m (the tallest is 32 m) on the west coast of North America, with Black Alder and Italian Alder both reaching about 30 m. By contrast, the widespread Green Alder is rarely more than a shrub. 
Alders are sturdy and fast-growing, even in acidic and damaged sites such as burned areas and mining sites. Italian Alder is particularly useful on dry, infertile sites. Alders can be used as a producer of simple bio-mass, growing quickly in harsh environments.Alder catkins are one of the first sources of pollen for bee species, especially honeybees, which use it for spring buildup. Alders are also used as a food plant by some Lepidoptera species. Alders are also grown in gardens, and are sometimes made into bonsai. Alder is a preferred wood for charcoal making, formerly used in the manufacture of gunpowder, or for smelting metal ores, now used primarily for cooking. The wood is also traditionally used for smoking fish and meat, though this usage has often been replaced by other woods such as oak and hickory. Alder is popular as a material for electric guitar bodies. It is used by many guitar makers, notably the Fender Guitar Company, who use it on top quality instruments such as the Stratocaster and Jaguar. Alder provides a brighter tone than other woods (such as mahogany), and as alder is not a particularly dense wood it provides a resonant, well-rounded tone with excellent sustain. Alders are also exceptionally good windbreakers and are planted on the west coast of Scotland to shelter gardens Extract from 'The International book of WOOD' curtesy Michael Beazley Publishers Limited 1979. |
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