An investigation into the properties and characteristics of our trees.
Douglas fir
Timber Properties: Quick growing, easy to dry, good strength to weight ratio.
Environmental considerations: Provides habitats for birds and bats. Being tall, they also appeal to larger birds of prey to nest. Douglas fir are often linked with the red squirrel and pine marten.
Timber Uses: beams, veneers, furniture, cladding, decking and flooring.
Spruce
Timber Properties: Relative ease of drying, good strength to weight ratio.
Environmental considerations: Norway spruce trees provide a habitat for a variety of wildlife, including beetles, weevils and hoverflies.
Timber Uses: Structural uses such as joists, rafters, CLT, LVL and glulam. Other uses include flooring and furniture.
Hazel
Workability: Good
Moisture content: Medium. The material does dries quickly but has a tendency to distort.
Durability: Moderately durable
Structural strengths: Hazel has resistance to indentation, good bending strength, stiffness, and resistance to shock loads.
Aesthetics: The sapwood is very pale yellow, whilst the heartwood is pink when freshly cut, which begins to darken to a reddish-brown colour.
Density: Good
Potential uses: Joinery – exterior such as handrails and bannisters, joinery – interior such as handrails and bannisters. Timber slats and purlins, furniture, flooring.
Environmental and ecological considerations: Hazel provides many positive impacts to the environment. Its leaves, flowers and nuts provides food for caterpillars, moths, butterflies, birds, mice, bees and small mammals. As hazel can be easily coppiced it also creates many habitats within.
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