Wood types, plywood, and choosing materials.
Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) is a wonderful evergreen species, with mature trees commonly reaching 300 feet high and 12 feet in diameter. (Giant sequoia is even larger and is a different species.) In North America, redwood grows primarily in California. Although much of the California redwood forests have been harvested or are now reserved, there are still…
This wood-clad Boston home has a distinctly Scandinavian character, and the interiors follow the same warm, understated direction. Corner, a design-forward kitchen brand focused on making high-quality design accessible, built the kitchen cabinetry, pantry, bathroom vanity, and other custom built-ins throughout the home. Each space has its own identity, while the materials and detailing keep…
Brazilian rosewood, also called jacaranda, is perhaps one of the most beautiful woods in the world. However, extensive harvesting over the past three centuries has virtually eliminated this tree from the Brazilian forests, so that today it is not supposed to be harvested. The only material that can be sold legally is old stock; such…
Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris and Pinus elliottii of the family Pinaceae), also called fat pine or heart pine, is one of the four major species making up the southern pines. It is the strongest of the four, the tallest (over 100 feet) and the most fire resistant.While the tall, stately longleaf pine once covered 30…
Andiroba (Carapa guianensis) is found throughout Central and South America, from Cuba to Peru and Brazil. It is an extremely tall tree, reaching heights of 100 to 170 feet. Diameters are often 5 to 6 feet. The central stem is often straight and free of branches for 50 feet or more. As a result, clear…
There are two tree species that are called white-cedar. Northern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis), also called arborvitae or just cedar, grows from Quebec to Maine to New York and westward to Minnesota as well as down the Appalachian Mountains from Pennsylvania to Tennessee. Atlantic white-cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides), also called southern white-cedar and boat cedar, grows in…
The true firs, called true firs to distinguish the wood from Douglas-fir, consist of more than 40 species in North America, but only seven species produce commercial lumber. In eastern North America, there is one main species, balsam fir (Abies balsamea) ranging from Alberta to Newfoundland, south to Wisconsin and New York. In the western side…
Giant chinkapin (Chrysolepis chrysophylla), sometimes called golden-leafed chinquapin and golden-leafed chestnut because of the minute golden scales on the leaf bottom, is a western hardwood and is an evergreen. It grows in the coastal mountain ranges from southwestern Washington south to central California at elevations up to 6,000 feet. It also occurs inland in the…
Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) is a member of the legume family; it can “fix nitrogen” in the soil. While native to the Appalachian Mountains, from Pennsylvania to Alabama, in the last century, it has spread to almost every state. With a widespread, shallow root system, it is ideal for thin soils where it will prevent…
