General

Douglas Fir was named after Scottish botanist David Douglas, (though the scientific name is in honor of Archibald Menzies, who first described the Douglas Fir tree in the 1790s). Douglas-Fir is technically not a true Fir (Abies genus), but is in its own genus: Pseudotsuga.

The Douglas Fir tree itself grows to be very large, and yields a large amount of usable lumber and veneer for plywood. Douglas Fir is an incredibly valuable commercial timber, widely used in construction and building purposes. The lumber is very stiff and strong for its weight, and is also among the hardest and heaviest softwoods commercially available in North America.

The mechanical properties listed represent the average values from four regions: coastal, interior west, interior north, and interior south.

Properties

• Sustainability: This wood species is not listed in the CITES Appendices, and is reported by the IUCN as being a species of least concern.
• Workability:  This lumber typically machines well, but has a moderate blunting effect on cutters. Accepts stains, glues, and finishes well.
• color/appearance: Can vary in color based upon age and location of tree. Usually a light brown color with a hint of red and/or yellow, with darker growth rings.  In vertical grain pieces, the grain is typically straight and plain. In flatGRAIN pieces, (typically seen in rotary-sliced veneers), the lumber can exhibit wild grain patterns.