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Clicking any heading in the main data area (at right) will scroll the page back to this top position. Use the following links to jump to the associated section in the main data. Blunting Effect Boring Carving Common Names Common Uses Countries of Distribution Cutting Resistance Distribution Overview Drying Defects Ease of Drying Environmental Profile Family Name Gluing Grain Heartwood Color Kiln Schedules Luster Mortising Moulding Nailing Natural Durability Numerical Data Odor Painting Planing References Regions of Distribution Resistance to Impregnation Response to Hand Tools Routing & Recessing Sanding Sapwood Color Scientific Name Screwing Silica Content Steam Bending Strength Properties Substitutes Texture Trade Name Tree Size Turning Scientific Name Populus trichocarpa Trade Name Black Cottonwood Family Name Salicaeae Common Names Balm cottonwood, Black cottonwood, Cottonwood, Poplar, Western balsam poplar Regions of Distribution North America Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP] United States Common Uses Baskets, Boxes and crates, Brooders, Casks, Chairs, Chests, Concealed parts (Furniture), Core Stock, Decorative veneer, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Dowell pins, Dowells, Drawer sides, Drum sticks, Excelsior, Figured veneer, Fine furniture, Floor lamps, Food containers, Furniture , Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, Hatracks, Jewelry box, Kitchen cabinets, Living-room suites, Musical instruments , Office furniture, Organ pipes, Packing cases, Pallets, Piano keys, Pianos , Plain veneer, Poultry coops, Pulp/Paper products, Pulpwood, Radio - stereo - TV cabinets, Rustic furniture, Veneer Environmental Profile Widespread, abundant, and globally secure May be rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery Data source is Nature Conservancy Distribution Overview Distributed from latitude 62 degrees N in south Alaska, southward to southern California and eastward in the mountains to extreme south-weatern Alberta and Montana. It is also reported to grow locally in south-western North Dakota and northern Baja California. Black cottonwood often occurs in pure stands, and in association with willows, Red alder, Oregon ash, Bigleaf maple, Douglas-fir, Western red cedar, Western hemlock, Sitka spruce, Grand fir, Birch, Cherry, and hawthorn. It prefers moist to wet soils of valleys, mainly on stream banks and flood plains. It may also be found on upland slopes. The largest concentration of Black cottonwood tress is found in the satae of Washington, where it is ranked third in total volume behind Red alder (Anus rubra) and Bigleaf maple (Acer macrophylla). also grown in Great Britain, where it is considered as the fastest growing balsam tree. Heartwood Color Brown Red Occasionally dark streaks Grayish-white Brown - light grayish The appearance of the wood makes it an attractive wood for stenciling and printing Sapwood Color Pink Whitish Sapwood blends into heartwood Grain Even Straight Generally straight, but not always Texture Fine Coarse Uniform Luster High Natural Durability Perishable Resistant to marine borers Susceptible to insect attack Non-durable Non-resistant to termites Very little natural resistance Moderately susceptibility to sap-stains and chemical stains Odor No distinctive taste Green wood has disagreeable smell Silica Content Siliceous Kiln Schedules T6 - C4 (8/4) T8 - D5 (4/4 T8-F4 (8/4) T10-E5 (4/4) Wet streaks. Wet streaks. Drying Defects Moderate collapse and honeycombing Expect moderate degrade from water pockets. Ease of Drying Fairly Easy Moderately Difficult to Difficult High moisture content should be considered during seasoning Control drying prevents severe warping Tree Size Tree height is 20-30 m Black cottonwood is reported to reach maturity as early as 60 years and will survive for at least 200 years. Substitutes Trumpet wood (Cecropia peltata) is similar in density and other mechanical properties. Blunting Effect High to severe Slight Boring Fairly easy to very easy Variable results of size and smoothness Carving Fairly Easy to Very Easy Cutting Resistance Gum-Up Easy to saw Gluing Excellent gluing properties Bonds well under varying conditions Inadequate glue-spread and low-viscosity glues may cause weak joints since the wood is reported to absorb adhesives more readily than other hardwoods. Mortising Fairly Easy to Very Easy Moulding Fairly Easy to Very Easy Nailing Holds satisfactorily Excellent resistance to splitting in nailing operations Planing Fairly Easy to Very Easy Very poor machining properties Torn grain is common Reduction of cutting angle recommended Planes to a poor finish Resistance to Impregnation Resistant heartwood Resistant sapwood Permeable sapwood Heartwood is moderately resistant Response to Hand Tools Responds Readily Routing & Recessing Fairly Easy to Very Easy Sanding Poor results Difficult to sand Screwing Screws hold well. Good screwing properties Turning Fairly Easy to Very Easy Steam Bending Poor 70% of pieces tend to fail Painting Satisfactory results Black cottonwood is generally painted instead of clear-coating or staining when finishing is required Strength Properties Toughness-Hammer drop (Impact Strength) = medium Modulus of Elasticity (stiffness) = medium Low resistance to denting and marring Hardness (side grain) = soft Compression strength (parallel to grain) = low Bending strength (MOR) = low Numerical Data Item Green Dry English Bending Strength 4802 8330 psi Crushing Strength 157 294 psi Hardness 343 lbs Impact Strength 20 22 inches Maximum Crushing Strength 2156 4410 psi Shearing Strength 1019 psi Stiffness 1058 1245 1000 psi Work to Maximum Load 5 7 inch-lbs/in3 Specific Gravity 0.29 0.32 Weight 25 lbs/ft3 Radial Shrinkage 4 % Tangential Shrinkage 8 % Volumetric Shrinkage 12 % Item Green Dry Metric Bending Strength 337 585 kg/cm2 Crushing Strength 11 20 kg/cm2 Hardness 155 kg Impact Strength 50 55 cm Maximum Crushing Strength 151 310 kg/cm2 Shearing Strength 71 kg/cm2 Stiffness 74 87 1000 kg/cm2 Work to Maximum Load 0.35 0.49 cm-kg/cm3 Specific Gravity 0.29 0.32 Weight 400 kg/m3 Radial Shrinkage 4 % Tangential Shrinkage 8 % References 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. Laidlaw, W.B.R. 1960. Guide to British Hardwoods. Published by Leonard Hill [Books] Limited, 9 Eden Street, N.W.1, London. Little, E.L. 1980. The Audobon Society Field Guide to North American Trees - Western Region. Published by Arthur A. Knopf, New York. Niemiec, S.S., G.A. Ahrens, S. Willits, and D.E. Hibbs. March, 1995. Hardwoods of the Pacific Northwest. Oregon State University, College of Forestry, Research Contribution 8, Forest Research Laboratory, Department of Forest Products, Corvallis, Oregon. 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. USDA. 1987. Wood Handbook - Wood as an Engineering Material, Forest Service, Agriculture Handbook No. 72, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin. USDA. 1988. Dry Kiln Operators Manual, Preliminary Copy. Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin. Western Wood Products Association. 19__. Woods of the Western USA. Published and distributed by the Western Wood Products Association, Yeon Building, 522 S.W. Fifth Avenue, Portland, Oregon.