Northeastern Hardwood

(PART THREE)

This is the third in a four part segment on the major and minor commercial hardwood species of the Northeastern United States.ed.

Black Cherry (Prunus serotina)

The rich, reddish color and silky luster are the combination that makes the wood of cherry, truly handsome. It is a moderately heavY and moderately hard wood. It works well with tools, finishes smoothly, seasons and stays in place well, is of uniform texture and is relatively free from checking and warping. Black cherry is one of the few high grade American cabinet woods.

The tree grows over a wide range, but not in dense stands or plentifully. Normally it grows singly, but occasionally it is found in small groups. It is another species that is truly a native of the Northeast for there it reaches its maximum development, and is in largest remaining supply on the slopes of the mountains of New York and Pennsylvania. It grows relatively fast, but one of ninety feet in height and three feet in diameter would be considered a big tree. According to the most reliable information available, Pennsylvania has for some years led in the production of cherry lumber.

The principal use of cherry is for furniture. Its technical characteristics, beautiful natural color and its good working and finishing qualities, make it a highly desirable furniture and cabinet wood. Its beauty cannot be imitated. Neither can the deep rich lustrous color that improves with age, as indicated by the hand-made chests and furniture that frequently are almost as old as this country.

In recent years, the demand for cherry lumber has considerably exceeded the supply. It is not Particularly easy to work with hand tools, but is has very satisfactory machining properties. It shows very little figure, but can be readily finished so as to preserve its natural silky sheen.

Logs, for turning into veneer, are in great demand, and the supply is relatively sparse.

Other less important uses include patterns and flasks, finish in buildings, burial caskets, woodenware and novelties and plumbers'woodwork.

Beech (Fagus

This tree has an extremely wide range over the entire Eastern United States; however, it grows principally, and reaches its optimum development in the Northeastern and Lake States. It is a beautiful tree and is often used for ornamental purposes.

The wood is heavy, hard and strong, fairly uniform in texture, dark to light reddish brown in color, and without pronounced figure. It is comparatively difficult to season on account of its large shrinkage and tendency to warp.

The properties of the wood fit it for a number of special uses. Probably the largest single use of Northeastern beech lumber is for the curved and turned wood parts of chairs. it is also used extensively for food containers, crates and baskets, as well as slack cooperage, largely for vegetable and fruit barrels.

Story at a Glance

A brief review of the hardwood species of the Northeast. major spe- cies include yellow birch, hard maple, black cherry, beech and red oak..minor species are soft maple, basswood, ash, whitebirchand yellow poplar or tuliptree. Part three.

Brush. saw and small tool handles, as well as spools and woodenware also consume considerable quantities of beech.

Large quantities ofbeech also go into cross ties, which, of course, must be preservatively treated before use. Along with birch and maple, it is used extensively for wood distillation purposes in the production of charcoal, acetic acid, methanol and other chemical derivatives. During times of scarcities, beech has been used, in many instances, in place of birch or maple for similar purposes.

Red Oak (Quercus borealis, also Quercus borealis maxima)

Botanically, the red oak group consists of eleven species. The two comprising Northeastern red oak are as noted. The oaks are the most important hardwood group in the United States, by virtue of the quantity available, the strength and beauty of the wood and its fitness for a wide range of uses.

Throughout the nation there is more standing timber of oak than of any other hardwood. It is one of the important commercial hardwoods of the Northeast, where it is produced in greatest quantity in western Pennsylvania, to a lesser extent in New York, and to a still more limited extent in the New England States.

The wood is generally straightgrained, heavy, hard, strong in bending, stiff and high in shock resistance. It machines well and finishes smoothly, but is comparatively difficult to dry.

Oak is one of the oldest furniture and panelling woods, and it is also extensively used for both small and large wood carvings because of its distinctive appearance. Its abundance, hardness, strength, machining properties and appearance, as well as its adaptability to various kinds of finish, qualify it well for all grades of furniture. Flooring is another of its large uses, because of its hardness, high resistance to abrasion, ability to finish smoothly and attractive figure.

Truck bodies also consume large quantities, as this is the leading wood for this purpose. Railroad cross ties and miscellaneous industrial purposes are other outlets. Such other diverse uses as ship and boat construction, mine timbers, caskets, general millwork and industrial blocking, add to the almost endless list of uses in which Northeastern red oak serves so well.

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