Fitzroya cupressoides

Alerce

Family: Cupressaceae

Other Common Names: Lahuan (Chile).

Distribution: Occurs in the central part of Chile and in the Province of Chubut in southern Argentina. Typically on marshy ground but also at higher elevations on Isla de Chiloe and in Patagonia; forms dense, nearly pure forests.

The Tree: On favorable sites the tree reaches heights of 130 to 150 ft and diameters of 4 ft, heights of 240 ft and diameters of 15 ft are recorded. Straight cylindrical boles often clear to 80 ft.

The Wood:

General Characteristics: Heartwood brownish red and sharply demarcated from the narrow light-colored sapwood. Texture fine and uniform; straight grained; growth rings usually narrow; without distinctive odor or taste; resembles California redwood.

Weight: Basic specific gravity (ovendry weight/green volume) 0.38; air-dry density 30 pcf.

Mechanical Properties: (2-in. standard)

Moisture content Bending strength Modulus of elasticity Maximum crushing strength

(%) (Psi) (1,000 psi) (Psi)

Green (23) 6,000 940 2,690

12% 8,700 1,160 5,150

Janka side hardness 430 lb for green material and 560 lb at 12% moisture content.

Drying and Shrinkage: The wood is reported to season readily with little or no degrade. Kiln schedule data are not available. Shrinkage green to ovendry: radial 3.8%; tangential 5.8%; volumetric 9.1%.

Working Properties: The timber works easily in all hand and machine operations; cutters must be kept sharp to get a smooth finish on end grain; easy to glue and finish. The wood is easily split to produce shakes.

Durability: Laboratory soil-block tests indicate resistance to attack by white- rot and brown-rot fungi. The wood has a local reputation for high durability.

Preservation: No data available but is reported to be probably permeable.

Uses: Shakes and shingles, general construction, pencil slats, musical instruments, vats and tanks, lumber cores, and furniture components.

Additional Reading: (23), (56), (69)

M 150 282-3Logs are delivered to a sawmill in southern Nigeria. African mahogany

(mostly Khaya ivorensis) is in high demand on overseas markets. Export of logs fro

this region, as well as from most other tropical areas, is being restricted.

M 150 282-2Band mills in Ghana are designed to handle logs 5 feet and more in

diameter. Obeche or Wawa (Triplochiton scleroxylon) logs yield lumber favored for

joinery and millwork.

M 150 273-14In many areas of the tropics, fast-growing species are being introduced

future supplies of fuel wood and industrial wood. Batai (Albizia falcataria) is

a favored plantation species in the Philipines.

M 150 273-13 Shores spp. is still the major timber group harvested in Southeast

Asia. With modern chain saws, fellers no longer need scaffolding to get above larg

buttresses.

M 150 281 Felling of white lauan or almon (Shorea a;mon) with axes in the early

1900s in the Philippines. Most hardwood plywood now imported into the USA is

produced from species of Shorea.

[M 150 273-9Plywood mill in San Jose, Costa Rica, produces rotary-cut veneers mostly from banak (Virola spp.) and crabwood or cedro macho (Carapa guianensis). Logs trucked in from the Caribbean coast.]

M 150 273-21Mahot or Tauary (Couratari spp.) grows from Panama south to the Brazilian Amazon. Trunk diameters may exceed 4 feet above the stout buttresses. In tropical American moist forests, single species usually make up less than 5 percent of the stand volume.