Wood ID help...Is this Red Alder

[E$85]

I don't have any leaves to help with the ID, but the City supervisor who issued the wood permit said he thought there was some Doug fir, poplar and Alder at the site I'm allowed to take from. So, does this look like red Alder or something else?

Thanks for looking!





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[byQ]

It isn't alder. Alder has a grayish splotched thin bark skin. And the wood is whitish yellow. Your wood has a different bark and the center wood looks like it has a reddish/orange hue.

 

[blacktail]

100% not alder

 

[WoodyIsGoody]

I don't have any leaves to help with the ID, but the City supervisor who issued the wood permit said he thought there was some Doug fir, poplar and Alder at the site I'm allowed to take from. So, does this look like red Alder or something else?

Well, it's not Poplar or Alder, it does look like Doug-Fir before it gets large enough to grow a thick, cork-like bark.

 

[Highbeam]

I almost think it's too white to be doug fir. Maybe some hemlock. Does it smell like an evergreen?

 

[blacktail]

If it did have leaves, that eliminates fir/hemlock/pine. It looks familiar, like trees I've seen at a nearby park. Could it be something not native to the area?

 

[WoodyIsGoody]

If it did have leaves, that eliminates fir/hemlock/pine.

All trees have leaves. Some are needles, some are broad leaves. But all are leaves. Have you ever heard that evergreens keep their leaves year round?

 

[WoodyIsGoody]

All trees have leaves. Some are needles, some are broad leaves. But all are leaves. Have you ever heard that evergreens keep their leaves year round?

I'm confident it's an evergreen, but without a better photo of the grain, or some leaves, I can't tell what it is for certain.

 

[WoodyIsGoody]

If it did have leaves, that eliminates fir/hemlock/pine. It looks familiar, like trees I've seen at a nearby park. Could it be something not native to the area?

Douglas Fir has quite a bit of variability, sometimes it looks more like Pine than DF. Which makes sense because it's more closely related to the Pine family than the Fir family.

 

[RiverLogger]

Maybe Hawthorn?

 

[Highbeam]

More importantly.... who cares? It will burn and if the price is right, get it! There are only a couple of species that people refuse to collect mostly due to old stories of unsuitability. I've burned all native NW species and they all burn very well in a modern stove once properly dried.

 

[RiverLogger]

I would agree with Highbeam on this too. From the looks of the grain it has I'd say it's not a real soft wood and would probably provide better BTUs than alder.


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[E$85]

More importantly.... who cares? It will burn and if the price is right, get it! There are only a couple of species that people refuse to collect mostly due to old stories of unsuitability. I've burned all native NW species and they all burn very well in a modern stove once properly dried.

Thanks for all the input guys, I'm in the "it's wood, it'll burn" camp when it comes to firewood myself, but I was just curious. Below is a pick of what I can take from and it's all free so in the grand scheme, it really doesn't matter what species it is.




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[Highbeam]

Lucky dog! I wish we had log dumps in my area.

 

[E$85]

Lucky dog! I wish we had log dumps in my area.

Yeah, it's a pretty sweet score. I half heartedly applied for a firewood permit with the city in late June and never expected to get a response because there was a waiting list, but low and behold, the call came on Monday!


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[WoodyIsGoody]

From the looks of the grain it has I'd say it's not a real soft wood and would probably provide better BTUs than alder.

Douglas Fir has significantly more Btu's than Alder.