construction and in the manufacture of boxes, pallets, and
crates.
Hemlock, Western and Mountain
Western hemlock (Tsuga
heterophylla) is also
known as West Coast
hemlock, Pacific hem-
lock, British Columbia
hemlock, hemlock–
spruce, and western
hemlock–fir. It grows
along the Pacific coast
of Oregon and Washington and in the northern Rocky
Mountains north to Canada and Alaska. A relative of west-
ern hemlock, mountain hemlock (T. mertensiana) grows in
mountainous country from central California to Alaska. It is
treated as a separate species in assigning lumber properties.
The heartwood and sapwood of western hemlock are al-
most white with a purplish tinge. The sapwood, which is
sometimes lighter in color than the heartwood, is generally
not more than 2.5 cm (1 in.) wide. The wood often contains
small, sound, black knots that are usually tight and dimen-
sionally stable. Dark streaks are often found in the lumber;
these are caused by hemlock bark maggots and generally
do not reduce strength. Western hemlock is moderately
light in weight and moderate in strength. It is also moder-
ate in hardness, stiffness, and shock resistance. Shrinkage
of western hemlock is moderately high, about the same as
that of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). Green hem-
lock lumber contains considerably more water than does
Douglas-fir and requires longer kiln-drying time. Mountain
hemlock has approximately the same density as that of
western hemlock but is somewhat lower in bending strength
and stiffness.
Western hemlock and mountain hemlock are used prin-
cipally for pulpwood, lumber, and plywood. The lumber
is used primarily for building material, as well as in the
manufacture of boxes, pallets, crates, flooring, furniture,
and ladders.
Incense-Cedar
Incense-cedar (Caloce‑
drus decurrens) grows in
California, southwestern
Oregon, and extreme
western Nevada. Most
incense-cedar lumber
comes from the northern
half of California.
Sapwood of incense-cedar is white or cream colored, and
heartwood is light brown, often tinged with red. The woodFir, True (Western Species)
Six commercial species
make up the western true
firs: subalpine fir (Abies
lasiocarpa), California
red fir (A. magnifica),
grand fir (A. grandis),
noble fir (A. procera),
Pacific silver fir (A. ama‑
bilis), and white fir
(A. concolor). The western true firs are cut for lumber pri-
marily in Washington, Oregon, California, western Mon-
tana, and northern Idaho, and they are marketed as white
fir throughout the United States.
The wood of the western true firs is similar to that of the
eastern true firs, and it is not possible to distinguish among
the true fir species by examination of the wood alone.
Western true firs are light in weight and, with the exception
of subalpine fir, have somewhat higher strength properties
than does balsam fir. Shrinkage of the wood is low to mod-
erately high.
Lumber of the western true firs is primarily used for build-
ing construction, boxes and crates, planing-mill products,
sashes, doors, and general millwork. Some western true fir
lumber is manufactured into boxes and crates. High-grade
lumber from noble fir is used mainly for interior woodwork,
moulding, siding, and sash and door stock. Some of the
highest quality material has been used for aircraft construc-
tion. Other special uses of noble fir are venetian blinds and
ladder rails.
Hemlock, Eastern
Eastern hemlock (Tsuga
canadensis) grows from
New England to northern
Alabama and Georgia,
and in the Great Lake
States. Other names are
Canadian hemlock and
hemlock-spruce. The pro-
duction of hemlock lum-
ber is divided fairly evenly among the New England States,
Middle Atlantic States, and Great Lake States.
The heartwood of eastern hemlock is pale brown with a red-
dish hue. The sapwood is not distinctly separated from the
heartwood but may be lighter in color. The wood is coarse
and uneven in texture, and old trees tend to have consider-
able shake. The wood is moderately lightweight, moder-
ately hard, moderately low in strength, moderately stiff,
and moderately low in shock resistance.
Eastern hemlock is used principally for lumber and
pulpwood. The lumber is used primarily in building
General Technical Report FPL–GTR– 190