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Engelmann Spruce
Spruce displays a nearly white heartwood with a slight tinge of red.
It has generally straight grain and has moderately small shrinkage.
Spruce logs have a high thermal value and low maintenance requirements;
plus they are light in weight which keeps transportation costs lower.
Generally, we only recommend spruce for wall logs, and we recommend Douglas Fir for
roof and upper floor beams due to its superior structural strength. These two species
complement each other in appearance when used in this combination.
picea engelmanni
...named after the botanist George Engelmann.
'Picea' is derived from the Latin word for pitch.
UNIQUE FEATURES:
- a straight, spire-like tree
- near the ground the branches tend to droop
- interbreeds with white spruce in certain areas
LOCATION:
- grows throughout the Interior and many southern areas of British Columbia
- found at high elevations
- this spruce prefers deep, rich soils with sufficient moisture
SIZE:
- can grow to 50 metres in height and 1 metre in diameter
WOOD CHARACTERISTICS:
USES:
- modern - log houses (walls only), 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
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:
Douglas Fir
Douglas Fir is a very strong wood with a rich reddish heartwood.
Generally tight growth rings, straight grain, medium heavy with good resistance to mildew and fungus.
Due to its high strength, Fir is a perfect choice for both wall logs and beams and joists.
Its weight may make transportation costs slightly higher.
pseudotsuga menziesii
Also known as Coast Douglas-fir, Oregon Pine, Oregon Douglas-fir, Douglas
Tree, Interior Douglas-fir this is not a fir at all but 'Pseudotsuga' or "False Hemlock"
Named after the Scottish botanist, David Douglas, who introduced many of
BC's native conifers to Europe.
UNIQUE FEATURES:
- distinctive three-forked bracts between the scales on the cones
- light yellow with orange tints to exterior of peeled logs
- tight grain, redish brown interior heart wood
LOCATION:
- British Columbia southern mainland coast, Vancouver Island
- an interior variety is found throughout southern and central BC
SIZE:
- can reach up to 85 meters in height on the coast and 42 meters in the
interior
WOOD CHARACTERISTICS:
- dense, hard, stiff, durable, strong
USES:
- modern - heavy duty construction such as log homes, trestles, bridge parts
and commercial buildings
- traditional - wood: fuel, fishing hooks, handles, snowshoes,
fishtraps;
boughs: floor coverings; seeds: eaten; twigs/needles: can exude a sugar like
substance which was prized
CONES:
- 5 to 11 cm long
- green when young, turning to brown as they age
- papery scales, with three pronged bracts (resembling mouse hind legs and
tail) in between them
- have winged seeds
- seeds are eaten by birds and small animals
NEEDLES:
- flat with pointed tips
- bright yellowish-green with single groove on upper surface
- paler colour on lower surface
- spirally arranged so appear to stand out around the twig
BARK:
- smooth, grey-brown, blistered when young
- furrowed, thick, dark reddish-brown ridges as the tree ages
- bears scrape off the bark to eat the sap layer beneath
QUICK/EASY ID (identification) for DOUGLAS FIR:
- cones: forked
- needles: flat, fragrant, friendly (the boughs are soft to the touch when
you run your hand up and down)
- bark: furrowed
Western Red Cedar
Western Red Cedar has a reddish to dull brown heartwood.
It is very resistant to decay, and features enerally straight grains with uniform texture.
Other advantages are low shrinkage and light weight.
However cedar is moderately soft, and provides low strength when used as beams.
Generally, we recommend Douglas Fir for
roof and upper floor beams due to its superior structural strength.
In practice, the two species complement each other especially when finished similarly.
thuja plicata
Other common names: Giant Arbor-Vitae, Canoe-cedar, Pacific Red-cedar, Shinglewood.
The western red cedar is British Columbia's official tree.
UNIQUE FEATURES:
- drooping branches that turn up at tip
- trunk spreading out at the base
- has large number of cones bent backward along the branches
LOCATION:
- low to mid elevations
- coast and wet belt of the Interior
- in cool, mild, moist locations
- can grow in shaded areas with lots of nutrients
SIZE:
- up to 60 meters tall (197 feet)
WOOD CHARACTERISTICS:
- resistant to decay and insect damage
- aromatic fragrance that lasts for years
- wood can remain sound for over 100 years
USES:
- modern - house siding, log home shell packages, interior
paneling, outdoor furniture, decking,
fencing, roof shakes
- traditional - wood: canoes, totem poles, longhouses, household boxes,
tools, paddles; pounded fibers: mats, clothing, baskets, nets, fishing
lines; medicines, religious masks
CONES:
- seed cones: egg shaped
- 1 cm long with several pairs of scales
- pollen cones: small, reddish
NEEDLES/LEAVES:
- are scale-like
- lie in pairs
- overlapping like shingles
- very strong aroma
BARK:
- grey
- stringy - tearing off in long strips
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