A background on alder's popularity

by John Schmitz

ACK in 1955. 22 men with a El deep interest in Western alder gathered in Seattle, Wa., to launch an association.

Their objective was threefold: the conservation, quality control and promotion of that bountiful hardwood that inhabits the West sides of Oregon and Washington.

This past November, two decades and over 2.5 billion bd. ft. of kilndried alder later. the Northwest Hardwood Association met again in the Queen City, this time to celebrate its 20th anniversary, and this time with a membership almost five times as strong as in 1955.

If you live in the Northwest, then it doesn't come as a surprise to hear "hardwood" and "alder" used interchangeably, almost to the exclusion of all other hardwood species. That's be' cause nature has endowed Oregon and Washington with what now numbers approximately l9 billion bd. ft., log scale, of alder. The next most abundant species is Western maple, estimated at 6 billion bd. ft.

Long before l,ewis & Clark ever stepped foot in the Pacific Northwest, Indian tribes like the Siletz and the Chinook used the smoke from smouldering alder to cure and flavor their fish. Then came the pioneers and with them the lumberjack. To them, alder was nothing more than a nuis' ance which diluted the rich Douglas fir regions.

Even though a few furniture and novelty manufacturers started using alder in the late 1800s, the "nuisance syndrome" persisted well into the 20th century.

will agree that Western alder, when compared to all other species of hardwood, comes out on top overall in terms of workability.* Another popular asset is the wood's ability to accept all stains uniformly, an attribute which has earned it the nickname: "magician of hardwoods."

This high affinity for stains and finishes allows furniture and cabinet manufacturers to make a product which faithfully resembles more expensive hardwoods, but at a lower cost. It also means that alder component parts can be used interchangeably-as a substitute molding, for example-with higher cost woods. Component parts made of alder may be used during the original manufacturing or serve a replacement purpose.

Story at a Glance

The story of the Northwest Hardwood Assn. and its fight to assure an adequate supply of alder, guarantee consistent quality. .a look at Present uses and its poPularitY.

N0RTHWEST

Then, in post-WWII America, several factors teamed up to start alder on a path of increased utilization. Chief among these was a gradual decline in the quality of other hardwoods on the national scale and an increased awareness on the part of manufacturers as to the value of alder.

Most authorities on wood todav

Not surprisingly then, as alder's reputation began to grow, numerous individuals with a keen eye on the future entered the business. It was at this time a group of concerned mills and distributors decided that a sound system for grading alder be establish' ed. And for good reason. In the hurry of it all, it was becoming apparent that in some cases alder was being misrepresented, most of the time innocently, to a few unwary users.

(Continued next month)

*Tests by U.S. Forest Products Research Labs. Pub. 881.

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