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[Charles Paradise <machelp@attglobal.net>]

I had always heard that black locust and chestnut woods were those resistant
to water if driven into the ground.  This webpage claims alder wood
possesses the same rot resistance?  Has anyone heard this before? 
Is it true?
 
> Alders have an extra-ordinary ability to resist the decaying
> influence of water. Its timber is almost indefinitely rot proof in a wet
> environment and its trunks are the foundation of much of the glory of Venice
> and the graceful houses lining the canals of Amsterdam. Its shiny leathery
> leaves resist the onslaught of the wet autumn and early winter rains far
> better than any other deciduous tree. The leaves do not colour in the autumn,
> just become darker and wither to brown or black and often can be found
> on the branches as late as December! Its tiny seeds have two corky wings,
> containing air bubbles, which helps them to float on water in their search
> for a place to settle.
> http://www.the-tree.org.uk/BritishTrees/alder.htm
>  
Charlie Paradise, Massachusetts