Red Alder
Red Alder is a
deciduous tree native to western
North America, from southeast
Alaska south to central coastal
California, nearly always within about 200 km of the
Pacific coast, except for an extension 600 km inland across northern
Washington into northernmost
Idaho. It is the world's largest species of
alder, reaching heights of 20-35 m. The official tallest Red Alder stands 32 meters tall in Clatsop County,
Oregon . The name derives from the bright rusty red color that develops in bruised or scraped bark.
Red Alder has ovate
leaves 7-15 cm long, with bluntly serrated edges and a distinct point at the end.
Encyclopedia
Red Alder is a
deciduous tree native to western
North America, from southeast
Alaska south to central coastal
California, nearly always within about 200 km of the
Pacific coast, except for an extension 600 km inland across northern
Washington into northernmost
Idaho. It is the world's largest species of
alder, reaching heights of 20-35 m. The official tallest Red Alder stands 32 meters tall in Clatsop County,
Oregon . The name derives from the bright rusty red color that develops in bruised or scraped bark.
Red Alder has ovate
leaves 7-15 cm long, with bluntly serrated edges and a distinct point at the end. The leaves turn yellow in the autumn before falling. The bark is mottled, ashy-gray and smooth, often draped with
moss. The male
flowers are dangling reddish
catkins 10-15 cm long in early spring, and female flowers are erect catkins which develop into small, woody, superficially
cone-like oval dry
fruit 2-3 cm long. The
seeds develop between the woody bracts of the 'cones' and are shed in the autumn and winter.
In the northwestern Coast Ranges of the USA, Red Alder grows on cool and moist slopes; inland and at the southern end of its range it grows mostly along streams and in swamps. It is associated with
Douglas-fir Pseudotsuga menziesii,
Western Hemlock Tsuga heterophylla,
Grand Fir Abies grandis,
Western Redcedar Thuja plicata, and
Sitka Spruce Picea sitchensis forests. Along streambanks it is commonly associated with
willows
Salix spp.,
Red Osier Dogwood Cornus stolonifera, Oregon Ash
Fraxinus latifolia and
Bigleaf Maple Acer macrophylum. In the high mountains it is replaced by the smaller
Sitka Alder Alnus viridis subsp.
sinuata, and east of the
Cascade Mountains by
Thinleaf Alder Alnus incana subsp.
tenuifolia.
In moist forest areas Red Alder will rapidly cover a former burn or clearcut, temporarily preventing the growth of
conifers but also improving soil fertility for future growth of conifers. It is a prolific seed producer, but the seeds require an open area of mineral
soil to
germinate, and so skid trails and other areas disturbed by logging or fire are ideal seedbeds. Such areas may host several hundred thousand to several million seedlings per hectare in the first year after landscape disturbance .
Twigs and buds of alder are only fair browse for wildlife, though
deer and
elk do browse the twigs in fall and twigs and buds in the winter and spring.
Beavers eat the bark. Several
finches eat alder seeds, notably
Common Redpoll and
Pine Siskin, and as do
deer mice.
Red Alder is also very valuable for playing host to the
nitrogen fixing actinomycete
Frankia. It is this ability which allows alder to grow in
nitrate-poor soils.
Uses and cultivation
A russet dye can be made from a decoction of the bark and was used by
Native Americans to dye fishing nets so as to make them less visible underwater.
Red Alder is an important
forestry tree. Its rapid growth makes it useful in covering disturbed land, such as
mine spoils. Alder leaves, shed in the fall, decay readily to form a
nitrogen-enriched humus. It is being considered as a
rotation crop to discourage the conifer root pathogen
Phellinus weirii . The vigorous growth has in the past earned it the designation of a "trash tree" by the timber industry.
Herbicide spraying of Red Alder over large areas of coastal
Oregon and
Washington has resulted in a number of lawsuits claiming it caused health problems, including birth defects and other side effects. The increased value of the wood, combined with a better understanding of the species' benefits to other trees, has largely led to a cessation of this practice.
The
wood is not durable in outdoor use but due to its workability and ease of finishing it is increasingly in use for furniture and cabinetry. Historically it has not been considered of high value for
timber but it is now becoming one of the western USA's more important hardwoods. Alder wood ranges from white through pinkish to light brown, is relatively soft, and has medium luster. It is easily worked, glues well, and takes a good finish.
The Fender guitar company chose Red Alder to use in the body of its original
Stratocaster® model
electric guitar, and it has remained a popular choice for guitars although alder seldom exhibits the spectacular curly or quilted grain seen in some of the maple wood used in instruments.
Red Alders are not commonly planted as ornamental trees but will do well in wet swales or on stream banks. If used domestically they should be planted well away from drainpipes, sewage pipes, and water lines, as the roots may well invade and clog the lines. Red Alders are also famed for growing easily in burned or destroyed land, and are used as "pioneering" or "reclamation" trees.
References and external links
- Zavitkovski, J. & Stevens, R. D. . Primary productivity of red alder ecosystems. Ecology 53: 235-242.
