North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Lucky Pittman <lucky.pittman@murraystate.edu>]

At 09:17 AM 8/31/2005, you wrote:
> 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?

Charlie,
I wonder if growing conditions might have some affect on rot-resistance 
with some species.
My own limited personal experience with tag alder does not substantiate 
those claims of rot-resistance. Plenty of black alder growing on the banks 
of small creeks on the farm in AL where I grew up.  We'd cut sturdy stems 
to use as prod poles when we'd be working/sorting cattle in the spring & 
fall, but by the next spring, those 1.5-2" poles, left standing against the 
fence by the headcatch, would be so punky & rotten that we'd have to go cut 
some new ones.
Maybe some of the other Alnus species get larger, but I'd have a hard time 
imagining A.serrulata ever achieving sufficient size to yield lumber.

Lucky Pittman
USDA Cold Zone 6
AHS Heat Zone 7
Hopkinsville, KY