VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Alnus rubra | Red Alder 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
Red alder is considered the most important commercial hardwood of the
Pacific Northwest.  The fine even texture and moderate density of red
alder wood make it easy to work with.  It sands and polishes easily,
holds paints and coatings well, stains readily, and seldom splits
[3,38].  Due to these favorable characteristics, andthe fact that it is
much less expensive than other hardwoods used in furniture
manufacturing, red alder wood is extensively for furniture making and
cabinetry [55].  It is also used in the manufacture of novelties, trim,
paneling, pallets, veneers, plywoods, and paper roll plugs [3,67].
Smaller manufactured items include brush handles, spools, trays, shoe
soles, and boxes.  Red alder is an important source of pulp for paper
products.  Research is being conducted to determine the feasibility of
producing 4x8 foot (1.2-2.4 m) sheets of waferboard from chips [29].

Trees less than 8 inches (20.3 cm) in diameter are generally chipped or
cut for fuel wood.  Sawmill logs need to be greater than 7 or 8 inches
(17.8-20.3 cm) in diameter at the small end and over 30 feet (9.1 m)
long [29].

Red alder is also an important source of firewood.


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Red alder grows rapidly, often reaching heights of 35 feet (10 m) in 10
years; therefore, only young plants are available as browse.  Leaves and
twigs of saplings are eaten by cattle, sheep, and goats [64], sometimes
in preference to other fairly good browse [57].  Deer and elk eat the
leaves, twigs, and buds of young red alder trees in fall, winter, and
early spring.  Beavers eat the bark, and build dams and lodges with the
stems [64].  Alder (Alnus spp.) seeds are eaten by redpolls, siskins,
and goldfinches [42].  Red alder seeds are an important food for deer
mice, especially when other primary foods are difficult to obtain.
Seeds eaten off the snow after being dispersed [66].


PALATABILITY : 
The leaves and young twigs of red alder are generally considered to be a
fair browse for cattle and sheep [11].  Red alder may be slightly less
palatable to cattle than to sheep or goats.  However, cattle make
greater use of red alder, as they tend to frequent moist sites where red
alder occurs [64].  The degree of use shown by livestock and wildlife
species for red alder is rated as follows [30,57]:

                    CA          OR        

Cattle          fair-poor      ----          
Sheep           fair-poor      ----     
Horses          fair-poor      ----     
Mule deer       fair-useless   fair      


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


COVER VALUE : 
Red alder dominated early seral communities within recently clearcut
Douglas-fir forests are favorable habitat for black-tailed deer.  Red
alder/thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus) stands in Oregon are preferred by
black-tailed deer during the summer and early fall when daytime
temperatures are highest [30].  These stands are generally avoided in
the winter.


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Red alder is useful for erosion control on steep slopes where soil has
been disturbed because the heavy cover and litter layer which forms
within 3 to 5 years effectively protects the soil [67].  Plants may be
established by direct seeding or transplanting, but not by cuttings, as
they seldom root [16].  To obtain seed, proven seed collection and seed
extraction procedures should be followed [36,58].  Transplanted
container-grown seedlings have shown a first year survival rate of about
75 to 80 percent [36]. Carefully dug wild seedlings also transplant well
[29].

Recent research suggests that cuttings from 1- to 3-year-old plants can
be induced to root by dipping the cutting for 10 seconds in a 8,000 p/m
solution of indole-3 butyric acid and then dusting with 10 percent
benomyl [47].  However, cuttings took 6 weeks to root in a warm
greenhouse environment between 72 and 77 degrees F (22-25 deg C).


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest extracted a red dye from the
inner bark of red alder, which was used to dye fish nets, making the net
"invisible" to fish.  Red alder contains salicin, which chemically is
closely related to acetylsalicylic acid (commonly known as aspirin).
This is probably why Native Americans used various preparations for
medicinal purposes.  Native Americans also used the wood for various
utensils.  Red alder coals are currently used in the Northwest to smoke
salmon [1].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Although long-term economic returns are higher with conifer crops than
red alder, under certain conditions red alder should be considered as an
alternative forest crop [29].  Upland sites too wet for Douglas-fir and
hemlock (Tsuga spp.) are well suited for red alder.  Red alder may also
be planted onto areas infected with laminated root rot fungus, since
hardwoods are immune to this infection.  In Oregon, before an area can
be reforested with red alder, regulations require that permission be
obtained from the Oregon Department of Forestry.

Due to red alder's ability to symbiotically fix atmospheric nitrogen, it
has been proposed for use as a rotation crop before growing conifers
[12,44].  Soil nitrogen accretion rates have shown increases ranging from
40 to 300 pounds per acre (45-355 kg/ha) per year under red alder stands
[25].  Conifer stands which follow red alder exhibit increased growth and
yields [2,67].  Studies have shown that Douglas-fir grown with red alder
had increased heights and diameters compared to Douglas-fir grown
without alder [43].  Research on aboveground biomass accretion rates in
red alder stands suggests that for crop rotations, red alder should be
harvested before age 20 [69].  This is because maximum annual
productivity occurs between 10 and 15 years, and stands older than 20
years show signs of deterioration.  Red alder stands reach an
aboveground biomass plateau between ages 40 and 50.

Herbicides have been used both to promote the growth of alder and to
kill alder to promote the growth of conifers.  To achieve desired
stocking and distribution in potentially harvestable red alder stands,
thinning and culling of selected red alder trees may be desirable.
Numerous chemical applications are available to control red alders which
are are competing with Douglas-fir or other valuable conifers.  Stands
may be aerially sprayed, or individual trees can be spot sprayed or
injected.  The most common chemicals used for control of red alder are
2,4-D, Tordon 101, triclopyr ester, and triclopyr amine [9,29,49].
Proper guidelines for the use and application of chemicals should be
followed [9,29,49,62].

Related categories for Species: Alnus rubra | Red Alder