Trade names: Alder, American Red Alder, Hard Maple Origin: Europa und Asien Occurence: Europe, Siberia, North Africa. Prefers loose, deep and moist clay soils, rich in nutrients. Frequently to be found along water courses and in river plains. Most logs bought for veneer or lumber production come from Eastern Europe. Use: For veneer, lumber, musical instruments, fruit crates, at present used as solid wood for furniture. Was considered to be an inferior wood not accepted by the furniture industry until the mid-nineties when it became fashionable. Character: The wood of Alder, which is typical of alluvial forests and shores of slow-flowing streams, is discreetly grained. The color is initially orange red after felling, then dark reddish to reddish brown. Slightly marked tree ring boundaries produce tangentially decorative flares and radially delicate stripes. The often bundling rays of wood produce tangentially narrow, dark stripes and radially partly irregular spots or bands, partly washed-out mirrors. Characteristic of the reddish-white, reddish yellow to reddish-brown wood are frequently occurring piths flecks, the so-called fine hairs. The valuable look also prevailed on interior doors and frames. Always suitably matched to the design trends of the furniture industry in different shades available.. Particularities: Anyone who thinks of the Alder may think of the poem of the Erlkönig. Eerily the fantastic appearance rises from the fog of a gloomy moor. His realm is very fond of alder, for she likes it moist. That’s why she stands on the shore of friendly gurgling streams and leisurely flowing rivers. What is right for the tree – the proximity to the water – also applies to its wood: installed under water, alder wood is extremely durable. This allegory also fits for the easy moist storage of cigars. Inside the Cedar and outside the Alder gives your cigar cabinet a unique quality.