Species of Trees..
Below is a description of a few of the "Species of Timber" we provide. We can also provide other species on request.
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ENGELMANN SPRUCE
picea engelmanni
FEATURES:
The Engelmann Spruce is a straight, spire-like tree. Near the ground the branches tend to droop. Engelmann Spruce interbreeds with white spruce in certain areas.
LOCATION:
Range Central British Columbia and SW. Alberta southeast to New Mexico; chiefly in Rocky Mountains; at 8000-12,000' (2438-3659 m) in south; down to 2000' (619 m) in north.
SIZE:
Engelmann Spruce can grow to 50 meters in height and 1 meter in diameter
CONES:
Seed cones - yellow or purplish-brown; hang from upper branches; scales are papery with jagged edges pollen cones - yellow.
NEEDLES:
Four sided and sharp but not too stiff
bluish-green with white lines on upper and lower surfaces they are arranged in all directions along the twig strong odor.
BARK:
Reddish-brown, scaly.
WOOD CHARACTERISTICS:
Finishes nice.
USES:
Modern - plywood, violins, pianos, aircraft parts traditional - roots: sew seams of baskets, make baskets; bark : cooking baskets, canoes, roofing, baby carriers; pitch: wound dressings; needles: chewed for cough control.
LODGEPOLE PINE
pinus contorta
DESCRIPTION:
Widely distributed pine that may grow tall with narrow, dense, conical crown, or remain small with broad, rounded crown; 3 geographic varieties.
Height: 20-80' (6-24 m).
Diameter: 1-3' (0.3-0.9 m).
NEEDLES
Evergreen; 2 in bundle; 1 1/4-2 3/4" (3-7 cm) long. Stout, slightly flattened and often twisted; yellow-green to dark green.
BARK:
Light brown, thin, and scaly; or in Shore Pine (the coastal variety), dark brown, thick, furrowed into scaly plates.
CONES
3/4-2" (2-5 cm) long; egg-shaped, stalkless, oblique or 1-sided at base, shiny yellow-brown; remaining closed on tree many years, but variable; cone-scales raised, rounded, keeled, with tiny, slender prickle.
HABITAT:
High mountains on mostly well-drained soils, often in pure stands; Shore Pine in peat bogs, muskegs, and dry, sandy sites.
RANGE:
SE. Alaska and central Yukon south on Pacific Coast to N. California, south through Sierra Nevada to S. California, and south in Rocky Mountains to S. Colorado; also local in Black Hills of South Dakota and N. Baja California; coastal variety from sea level to 2000' (610 m); inland varieties at 1500-3000' (457-914 m) in north and at 7000-11,500' (2134-3505 m) in south.
USES:
Modern - plywood, paneling, furniture, doors, windows, fence posts, railway ties
traditional - wood: building poles; inner bark: strips of this were eaten fresh in spring or stored, mashed to make bread; pitch: as a base for medicines, poultices, chewed to relieve sore throats; needles: tea.
DISCUSSION:
Lodgepole Pine is one of the most widely distributed New World pines and the only conifer native in both Alaska and Mexico. Its name refers to the use by American Indians of the slender trunks as poles for their conical tents or teepees. Shore Pine (var. contorta), the Pacific Coast variety, is a small tree with spreading crown, thick, furrowed bark, short leaves, and oblique cones pointing backward, opening at maturity but remaining attached. Sierra Lodgepole Pine (var. murrayana (Grev. & Balf.) Engelm.), of the Cascade Mountains of southwestern Washington and western Oregon, the Sierra Nevada of central California, and south to northern Baja California, is a tall, narrow tree with thin, scaly bark, relatively broad leaves, and symmetrical, lightweight cones opening at maturity and shedding within a few years. Lodgepole Pine or Rocky Mountain Lodgepole Pine (var. latifolia Engelm.), of the Rocky Mountain region, is a tall, narrow tree with thin, scaly bark, long needles, and cones often oblique and pointing outward. This variety is adapted to forest fires, often with cones that remain tightly closed on the trees many years until a fire destroys the forest. When the heat causes the cones to open, the seeds fall to the bare ground to begin a new forest. This variety is also able to reproduce without fire, and in some areas most of the trees release their seeds without the heat of fire.
DOUGLAS FIR
pseudotsuga menziesii
DESCRIPTION:
Large to very large tree with narrow, pointed crown of slightly drooping branches; 2 distinct geographic varieties: Coast and Rocky Mountain.
Height: 80-200' (24-61 m).
Diameter: 2-5' (0.6-1.5 m), sometimes much larger.
NEEDLES:
Evergreen; spreading mostly in 2 rows, 3/4-1 1/4" (2-3 cm) long. Flattened, mostly rounded at tip, flexible; dark yellow-green or blue-green; very short, twisted leafstalks.
BARK:
Reddish-brown, very thick, deeply furrowed into broad ridges; often corky.
TWIGS:
Orange, turning brown; slender, hairy, ending in dark red, conical, pointed, scaly, hairless bud.
CONES:
2-3 1/2" (5-9 cm) long; narrowly egg-shaped, light brown, short-stalked; with many thin, rounded cone-scales each above a long, protruding, 3-pointed bract; paired, long-winged seeds.
HABITAT:
Coast Douglas-fir forms vast forests on moist, well-drained soils; often in pure stands. Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir is chiefly on rocky soils of mountain slopes; in pure stands and mixed coniferous forests.
RANGE:
Central British Columbia south along Pacific Coast to central California; to 2700' (823 m) in north and to 6000' (1829 m) in south; also in Rocky Mountains to SE. Arizona and Trans-Pecos Texas; down to 2000' (610 m) in north and at 8000-9500' (2438-2896 m) in south; also local in mountains of N. and central Mexico.
USES:
modern - heavy duty construction such as wharves, trestles, bridge parts and commercial buildings
traditional - wood: fuel, fishing hooks, handles, snowshoes, fish traps; boughs: floor coverings; seeds: eaten; twigs/needles: can exude a sugar like substance which was prized.
DISCUSSION:
Coast Douglas-fir (var. menziesii), the typical Douglas-fir of the Pacific Coast, is a very large tree with long, dark yellow-green needles and large cones with spreading bracts. Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir (var. glauca), of the Rocky Mountain region, is a medium-sized to large tree with shorter, blue-green needles and smaller cones with bracts bent upward. One of the world's most important timber species, Douglas-fir ranks first in the United States in total volume of timber, in lumber production, and in production of veneer for plywood. It is one of the tallest trees as well and a popular Christmas tree. David Douglas (1798-1834), the Scottish botanical collector, who sent seeds back to Europe in 1827, is commemorated in the common name. The foliage is consumed by grouse and by deer and elk; birds and mammals eat the seeds.
PONDEROSA PINE
Pinus ponderosa
Alternate name: Yellow Pine
DESCRIPTION:
Large to very large tree with broad, open, conical crown of spreading branches; 3 distinct geographic varieties.
Height: 60-130' (18-39 m).
Diameter: 2 1/2-4' (0.8-1.2 m), sometimes larger.
NEEDLES:
Evergreen; usually 2 or 3 in bundle (2-5 in varieties); generally 4-8" (10-20 cm) long. Stout, stiff, dark green.
BARK: Blackish, rough, and furrowed into ridges; on trunks of small trees (blackjacks), becoming yellow-brown and irregularly furrowed into large, flat, scaly plates.
CONES:
2-6" (5-15 cm) long; conical or egg-shaped, almost stalkless, light reddish-brown; opening and shedding at maturity, leaving a few cone-scales on twig; cone-scales raised and keeled, ending in short, sharp prickle; small, long-winged seeds.
HABITAT:
Mostly in mountains in pure stands, forming extensive forests; also in mixed coniferous forests.
RANGE:
Widely distributed; S. British Columbia east to SW. North Dakota, south to Trans-Pecos Texas, and west to S. California; also N. Mexico; from sea level in north to 9000' (2743 m) in south; the best developed stands at 4000-8000' (1219-2438 m).
USES:
Modern - Doors, windows, furniture, paneling, shelving
Traditional - Seeds/inner bark: food; wood: dugout canoes; pitch: waterproofing, ointment.
DISCUSSION:
This is the most widely distributed and common pine in North America. The typical variety, Ponderosa Pine or Pacific Ponderosa Pine (var. ponderosa), has long needles, 3 in a bundle, and large cones, and occurs in the Pacific Coast region. Rocky Mountain Ponderosa Pine or Interior Ponderosa Pine (var. Scopulorum Engelm.) with short needles, 2 in a bundle, and small cones, is found in the Rocky Mountain region. Arizona Pine or Arizona Ponderosa Pine (var.arizonica (Engelm.) Shaw), occurring mainly in southeastern Arizona, has 5 slender needles in bundle. David Douglas, the Scottish botanical explorer, found this pine in 1826 and named it for its ponderous, or heavy, wood. This valuable timber tree is the most commercially important western pine. Its lumber is especially suited for window frames and panel doors. Quail, nutcrackers, squirrels, and many other kinds of wildlife consume the seeds; and chipmunks store them in their caches, thus aiding dispersal.