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Boring
Common Names
Common Uses
Countries of Distribution
Distribution Overview
Drying Defects
Environmental Profile
Family Name
Gluing
Grain
Heartwood Color
Kiln Schedules
Mortising
Moulding
Nailing
Natural Durability
Numerical Data
Odor
Planing
References
Regions of Distribution
Resistance to Impregnation
Sapwood Color
Scientific Name
Screwing
Strength Properties
Texture
Trade Name
Tree Size
Turning
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Common Names
Colorado fir, Colorado white fir, Concolor fir, Lows fir, Oyamel, Pacific white fir, Pino real blanco, Rocky mountain white fir, Silver fir, Western fir, White balsam, White fir
Regions of Distribution
North America
Countries of Distribution
[VIEW MAP]
United States
Common Uses
Beams, Boxes and crates, Building construction, Cabin construction, Casks, Concrete formwork, Construction, Decks, Decorative plywood, Dressed boards, Factory construction, Form work, Foundation posts, Framing, Heavy construction, Joists, Light construction, Lumber, Packing cases, Plywood, Porch columns, Pulp/Paper products, Pulpwood, Rough boards/dimension stock, Rough construction
Environmental Profile
| Abundant/Secure |
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| Rare |
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| Widespread |
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| May be rare in some parts of its range |
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| Globally secure |
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| Data source is Nature Conservancy |
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| Abundant |
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Distribution Overview
In the U.S., white fir is native to the mountains from central Colorado west to southeast Idaho and southwest Oregon, south to southern California and east to southern Arizona and southern New Mexico. It also grows in northwest Mexico.
White fir is a montane species and common in the forest understory between 2,000 and 11,000ft. The maximum growth of white fir occurs in the southern Cascades and western slopes of the Sierra Nevada, where precipitation is generally between 990 mm and 1240 mm. Growth and development are best on moderately deep and well-drained soils. It is often cultivated for ornament, shade and Christmas trees.
Heartwood Color
| Yellow |
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| Brown |
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| White |
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| Purple |
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| Tan |
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| Yellowish tan |
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| Whitish |
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| Same as sapwood |
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| Light buff to yellowish brown |
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Latewood portion of the growth ring usually has a roseate, reddish brown or lavender tinge
Sapwood Color
| Brown |
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| Yellow |
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| White |
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| Color not distinct from heartwood |
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Grain
| Generally straight, but not always |
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| Even |
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Texture
| Medium |
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| Coarse |
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| Medium to coarse |
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Natural Durability
| Perishable |
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| Non-durable |
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| Very little resistance to decay |
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Odor
| Has an odor |
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| No specific smell or taste |
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| May have a slightly disagreeable smell when green |
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Kiln Schedules
| 12 - E5 (4/4); T10 - E4 (8/4) U.S |
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Drying Defects
| Uneven Moisture Content |
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| Splitting |
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| Discoloration |
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| Ring Shakes |
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| Uneven moisture content |
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| Shakes |
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| Expect splits |
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| Chemical brown stains |
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Tree Size
| Tree height is 20-30 m |
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| Tree height is 30-40 m |
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| Tree height is 40-50 m |
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| Trunk diameter is 100-150 cm |
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Boring
| Fair to good results |
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| Good results |
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Gluing
| Very Good to Excellent Results |
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| Fairly Easy to Very Easy |
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| Excellent gluing properties |
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Mortising
| Fair to Good Results |
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| Good mortising properties |
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Moulding
| Fair to Good Results |
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| Moulds well |
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Nailing
| Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult |
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| Very Good to Excellent Results |
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| Fair to Good Results |
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| Fairly Easy to Very Easy |
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| Holds nails well |
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| Excellent nailing properties |
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Planing
| Fair to Good Results |
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| Fairly Easy to Very Easy |
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| Good planing properties |
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Resistance to Impregnation
| Resistant heartwood |
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| Resistant sapwood |
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| Heartwood is resistant |
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Screwing
| Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult |
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| Very Good to Excellent Results |
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| Fairly Easy to Very Easy |
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| Very good screw holding qualities |
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| Excellent screwing properties |
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Turning
| Fairly Easy to Very Easy |
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| Fair to Good Results |
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| Good results |
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Strength Properties
| Surfaces may dent or scratch easily |
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| Soft |
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| Density (dry weight) = 31-37 lbs/cu. ft. |
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| Density (dry weight) = 23-30 lbs/cu. ft. |
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| Compression strength (parallel to grain) = medium |
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| Bending strength (MOR) = medium |
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Numerical Data
| Item | Green | Dry | English |
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| Bending Strength | 5782 | 9604 | psi |
| Crushing Strength | 274 | 519 | psi |
| Hardness | | 470 | lbs |
| Impact Strength | 22 | 20 | inches |
| Maximum Crushing Strength | 2842 | 5684 | psi |
| Shearing Strength | | 1078 | psi |
| Stiffness | 1137 | 1470 | 1000 psi |
| Toughness | | 162 | inch-lbs |
| Work to Maximum Load | 6 | 7 | inch-lbs/in3 |
| Specific Gravity | 0.3 | 0.27 | |
| Weight | 45 | 25 | lbs/ft3 |
| Radial Shrinkage | 3 | | % |
| Tangential Shrinkage | 7 | | % |
| Volumetric Shrinkage | 11 | | % |
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| Item | Green | Dry | Metric |
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| Bending Strength | 406 | 675 | kg/cm2 |
| Crushing Strength | 19 | 36 | kg/cm2 |
| Hardness | | 213 | kg |
| Impact Strength | 55 | 50 | cm |
| Maximum Crushing Strength | 199 | 399 | kg/cm2 |
| Shearing Strength | | 75 | kg/cm2 |
| Stiffness | 79 | 103 | 1000 kg/cm2 |
| Toughness | | 186 | cm-kg |
| Work to Maximum Load | 0.42 | 0.49 | cm-kg/cm3 |
| Specific Gravity | 0.3 | 0.27 | |
| Weight | 721 | 400 | kg/m3 |
| Radial Shrinkage | 3 | | % |
| Tangential Shrinkage | 7 | | % |
References
Boone, R.S., C.J. Kozlik, P.J. Bois, E.M. Wengert. 1988. Dry Kiln Schedules for Commercial Hardwoods - Temperate and Tropical. USDA, Forest Service, General Technical Report FPL-GTR-57, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin.
Little, E.L. 1980. The Audobon Society Field Guide to North American Trees - Western Region. Published by Arthur A. Knopf, New York.
MacDonald, J., R.F. Wood, M.V. Edwards and J.R. Aldhous, Editors. 1957. Exotic Forest Trees in Great Britain. Forestry Commission Bulletin No. 30. Paper Prepared for the Seventh British Commonwealth Forestry Conference, Australia and New Zealand. Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London.
Panshin, A.J. and C. deZeeuw. Textbook of Wood Technology. McGraw-Hill Series in Forest Resources. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York.
USDA. 1987. Wood Handbook:Wood as an Engineering Material. Agriculture Handbook No. 72. United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, 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.
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