Re: [bolger] Fir/Douglasfir
Douglas Fir = Pseudo menziesii and is not a fir, as once thought, and not a hemlock (pseudo=false
tsuga=hemlock ). It's in it's own Genus.
Douglas Fir is such a premium valued wood I doubt that much gets sold as "fir".
Now the Firs;
They are all in the Genus Abies, in the west include White, Red, Grand, Silver, Noble and some others
(one rare fir is Santa Lucia, grows only in a few isolated areas in the Santa Lucia Mtns. here in
Monterey County). All firs all have upright cones. And most get cut and sold as western fir, fir, or
hem-fir. What you have growing in the northeast is Balsam Fir, Abies balsamea.
The spruces, Genus Picea, all have cones that hang down.
The hemlocks, Genus Tsuga, include both an eastern species Tsuga canadensis and a couple of western
species.
Lots of pines in the Genus Pinus
The Genus Thuja (which are all arborvitae), include the prized Western Red Cedar and the Atlantic or
White Cedar *they are not cedars* In fact there are no native cedars in North America. However the
common name of "Cedar" has been hung on many different Genus and species of North America. I don't
mean to rock the boat and I'm not looking to change anyone sense of romance about it but , all those
"Cedar on Oak" boats are not built of cedar.
Other common trees used in boatbuilding are species of Juniperus and Chamaecyparis.
The properties of the lumber from these trees differ widely, but are well documented and can be
research if you know the Genus and species name of what you are looking for.
As far as which species is equal to what other species... I'll leave that up to the wood
technologist.
Rick
rdchamberland wrote:
tsuga=hemlock ). It's in it's own Genus.
Douglas Fir is such a premium valued wood I doubt that much gets sold as "fir".
Now the Firs;
They are all in the Genus Abies, in the west include White, Red, Grand, Silver, Noble and some others
(one rare fir is Santa Lucia, grows only in a few isolated areas in the Santa Lucia Mtns. here in
Monterey County). All firs all have upright cones. And most get cut and sold as western fir, fir, or
hem-fir. What you have growing in the northeast is Balsam Fir, Abies balsamea.
The spruces, Genus Picea, all have cones that hang down.
The hemlocks, Genus Tsuga, include both an eastern species Tsuga canadensis and a couple of western
species.
Lots of pines in the Genus Pinus
The Genus Thuja (which are all arborvitae), include the prized Western Red Cedar and the Atlantic or
White Cedar *they are not cedars* In fact there are no native cedars in North America. However the
common name of "Cedar" has been hung on many different Genus and species of North America. I don't
mean to rock the boat and I'm not looking to change anyone sense of romance about it but , all those
"Cedar on Oak" boats are not built of cedar.
Other common trees used in boatbuilding are species of Juniperus and Chamaecyparis.
The properties of the lumber from these trees differ widely, but are well documented and can be
research if you know the Genus and species name of what you are looking for.
As far as which species is equal to what other species... I'll leave that up to the wood
technologist.
Rick
rdchamberland wrote:
> I think that in California as well as timbuctoo, fir is fir and[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> douglasfir is douglasfir.
>
> When you go to your local Home Depot the HPF 2x4s are mixed hemlock,
> pine, and fir. The fir is not douglasfir but western fir. When Bolger
> and Dynamite Payson are talking about fir that is "lightweight and
> cheap" wood they are talking about white fir. What is desirable is old
> growth west coast douglasfir. New growth and rocky mountain douglasfir
> are not near as good. Of course finding old growth douglasfir (and
> paying for it) are tougher situations. If you were specifying wood for
> a boat to be constructed don't just say "fir" It's hard to say what
> you'll get but it probably won't be douglasfir. Someone has posted the
> US Forest Service Wood Handbook on these sites. Go look.
> Bob Chamberland
>
> --- In bolger@y..., "Nels" <arvent@h...> wrote:
> > > This leaves me wondering...
> > > here in California, "Fir"
> > > means "Douglas Fir" which
> > > is a durable, strong and
> > > somewhat hard wood. PCB
> > > describes 'fir' as light-
> > > weight and cheap. Could
> > > the Eastcoast 'fir' be a
> > > different wood than the
> > > Westcoast 'fir'?
>
>