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Douglas fir
Common Names
==================================
Blue Douglas-fir
Coast Douglas-fir
Colorado Douglas-fir
Colorado pino real
Colorado real
Columbian Pine
Douglas-fir
Douglas-fir (Coast)
Inland Douglas-fir
Interior Douglas-fir
Oregon Douglas-fir
Oregon pine
Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir
Common Uses
==================================
Flooring
Millwork
Railroad cars
Structural plywood
Veneer
Beams
Cabin construction
Construction
Core Stock
Decorative veneer
Domestic flooring
Figured veneer
Foundation posts
Framing
Heavy construction
Interior construction
Interior trim
Parquet flooring
Plain veneer
Plywood
Porch columns
Studs
Sub-flooring
Species Distribution
==================================
REGIONS:
North America
COUNTRIES:
Canada
United States
Physical and Environmental Profile
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Environmental Profile
Although it may be rare at the periphery of its
range,
Douglas is generally widespread, abundant, and secure
globally
(Source - The Nature Conservancy - Rank of relative endangerment
based primarily
on the number of occurrences of the species globally).
Distribution
The growth range of Douglas fir is reported to
include Alberta, British Columbia,
Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, New
Mexico,
Nevada, New York, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and
Wyoming.
Coast Douglas-fir is reported to occur in pure stands of vast
forests on moist,
well drained soils.
Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir may occur in pure stands or mixed
coniferous forests,
and is reported to thrive mainly on rocky soils of mountain
slopes.
Douglas-fir has also been introduced to other regions in the
world, including
Great Britain, Ireland, France, Belgium, Germany,
New Zealand, and Australia as a source of timber.
Product Sources
Some material from this species is reported to be
available from
environmentally responsible or sustainably managed
sources.
Supplies of Douglas-fir are reported to be
adequate since the species grows rapidly,
and its growth range extends over a wide area in North
America.
It is usually priced in the medium to lower range.
Remarkably knot-free, strong, and light, Douglas-fir is
considered to be one
of the best known softwood timbers.
Tree Data
The mature tree is reported to be usually large
to very large,
attaining a height of 80 to 200 feet (24 to 61 m),
and a diameter of 24 to 60 inches (60 to 150 cm).
Resinous exudates from any cut on the living tree is reported to
leave a coating
of yellow rosin as a protection against insect or fungal
attack,
after the turpentine evaporates.
Sapwood Color
The sapwood is whitish to pale yellowish, or
reddish white in color.
It is narrow in the Rocky Mountain type Douglas-fir and can
be
several inches wide in wood from the Pacific Coast.
Heartwood Color
There is a great variation in the color of the
heartwoodwood.
Narrow growth-ring Douglas-fir tends to be yellow or pale
reddish yellow in color.
Wood with wide annual-rings have wide bands of reddish
latewood which give it a color of orange-red or deep-red.
There is typically a clean-cut division between the hard,
red-brown summerwood bands and the paler, softer, pinkish-yellow
springwood.
Grain
The grain is usually straight, and may be even or
uneven.
There is a tendency towards curly or wavy characteristics
sometimes.
The grain is reported to be displayed best on the large
surfaces of rotary-cut veneer from old and large Douglas-fir
trees.
Contrasting color and texture, as well as irregular,
often flame-shaped outlines are also usually present.
Texture
The texture is variable depending upon the width
of growth rings.
Wood with narrow growth rings are quite uniform in texture
while
those with wider rings are very often uneven textured.
Natural Durability
The wood is reported to have very little natural
resistance to decay,
and should not be used under conditions that promote decay
without proper and adequate protection.
Resistance to Abrasion
Douglas fir is reported to be highly suitable for
use in areas
where wear is a factor because of its hardness.
Veneering Qualities
Pronounced color differences in earlywood and
latewood are reported to result
in a distinctive grain pattern when logs are rotary peeled into
veneers.
Blunting Effect
The harder latewood can blunt cutting
edges.
Cutting Resistance
Cutting resistance can be high depending upon the
percentage of latewood.
Planing
Douglas fir (Oregon) is reported to have very
good planing properties,
and works readily with hand and power tools.
Turning
The material is reported to turn very well.
Moulding
Moulding qualities are rated as very good.
Boring
Response to boring operations is reported to be
very good.
Mortising
The wood is reported to have very good mortising
characteristics.
Nailing
The material is reported to have very good
resistance to splitting in nailing.
Nail holding properties are excellent.
Screwing
Screwing properties are rated as very good, and
screw-holding qualities are excellent.
Gluing
Gluing characteristics are rated as very
good.
Staining
Douglas-fir is reported to have satisfactory
staining qualities.
Some stock may develop a slight pinkish to salmon color when
finished with some products.
Care should be taken to avoid overstaining when refinishing old
floors,
beacuse of potential color change.
Rotary cut veneers are reported to display such strong
natural color that staining is sometimes unnecessary.
Varnishing
Varnishing is satisfactory. (See notes under
staining).
Painting
The wood has poor painting qualities.
Response to Hand Tools
The wood, especially the latewood, is difficult
to work with hand tools.
Cutting edges should be kept sharp for best results.
Strength Properties
The species has high bending strength in the
air-dry condition.
Strength in compression parallel to grain is also in the high
range.
Hardness is rated as medium, and weight is about average.
Comments
Douglas-fir is made up of two distinct geographic
varieties:
Coast and Rocky Mountain.
Coast Douglas-fir, which is regarded as the typical Douglas-fir
of the Pacific Coast,
is described as a very large tree.
Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir is medium-sized to large.
Douglas-fir is reported to produce the most, in total volume,
of timber, lumber, and plywood for veneer.
Lumber from the base of old, large Douglas-fir trees is reported
to be
very valuable since the wood is clear and free from knots.
Large Douglas-fir logs are reported to be conducive to
process by rotary cutting into large sheets of veneer for
making
high strength, structural plywood.
======================================================
Reference Sources
Numerical Data Source
USDA. 1987. Wood Handbook - Wood as an
Engineering Material,
Forest Service, Agriculture Handbook No. 72,
Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin.
Descriptive Data Source
Panshin, A.J. and C. deZeeuw. 1980.
Textbook of Wood Technology, 4th Edition. McGraw-Hill Series in
Forest Resources.
McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York.
Canadian Forestry Service. 1981.Canadian Woods -
Their Properties and Uses.
Third Edition. E.J. Mullins and T.S. McKnight, Editors.
Published by University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Canada.
Jackson, A. and D. Day. 1991.
Good Wood Handbook - The Woodworker's Guide to Identifying,
Selecting and Using the Right Wood.
Betterway Publications, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Little, E.L. 1980. The Audobon Society Field
Guide to North American Trees -
Western Region. Published by Arthur A. Knopf, New York.
Boone, R.S., C.J. Kozlik, P.J. Bois and E.M.
Wengert. 1988.
Dry Kiln Schedules for Commercial Woods: Temperate and
Tropical.
United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service,
Forest Products Laboratory,
General Technical Report FPL-GTR-57, Madison, Wisconsin.
USDA. 1988. Dry Kiln Operators Manual,
Preliminary Copy. Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory,
Madison, Wisconsin.
Western Wood Products Association. 19__.
Softwoods of the Western USA.
Published and Distributed by the Western Wood Products
Association,
Yeon Building, 522 S.W. Fifth Avenue, Portland, Oregon.
CAOBA. 1993. Personal Communication.
NWFA. 1994. Wood Species Used in Wood
Flooring.
Technical Publication No. A200.
National Wood Flooring Association, Manchester, MO.
Edlin, H.L. 1969. What Wood is That?: A Manual
of Wood Identification. A Studio Book, The Viking Press, New
York.
Kline, M. 1977. Pseudotsuga menziesii -
Douglas-fir.
In A Guide to Useful Woods of the World.
Flynn Jr., J.H., Editor. King Philip Publishing Co., Portland,
Maine. 1994. Page 293-294.
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