For all you westerners (Canada)

[Lobo]

Is BC fir a rot resistant wood.

 

[Universe]

Is BC fir a rot resistant wood.

Some fir is used in the trails I ride for structures. It tends to last quite a few years out in the elements. Most of it has rotted within 5-7 years. I personally use cedar for all my stuff, and it lasts....well long enough that I don't need to worry. The cedar I cut up has probably been on the ground for upwards of 35-40 years already.

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

Lobo- Help me out here. I've heard of BC fir, but can't find it in a tree ID book. Does BC fir go by another name? Is that short for bristlecone or big cone? Or is that a regional name for Doug fir?

Either way, I'd say that if you want rot resistent, use cedar.

Jeff

 

[Lobo]

Jeff I do not really know.
Here in eastern Canada it has always been reffered to as BC fir, it does come from western Canada as we have none here. It is a very light reddish wood.

Perhaps it is Douglas fir but I do not know.

 

[GASoline71]

Believe it or not I googled "BC fir", and everything points to Doug fir. According to the Ministry of Forestry in BC they list Doug fir as 2 subspecies: interior and coastal.

Gary

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

I did the same thing Gary, which is why I asked about Doug fir. If that's the case, then compared to cedar, no BC fir is not rot resistent.

Jeff

 

[jimmyq]

.

 

[Gypo Logger]

B.C. Fir is a localized name, much like one would say B.C. Bud if you had some Budweizer brewed in B.C. lol

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

B.C. Fir is a localized name, much like one would say B.C. Bud if you had some Budweizer brewed in B.C. lol

I can see Vancouver Island out my front door across the straight, that "Budweiser" is our biggest import.

So is BC fir Doug fir?

Jeff

 

[TimberPig]

From the description of being very light reddish wood, it has to be Doug fir, either interior or coastal. True firs, aka Abies are all much lighter yellow to white woods, not reddish. B.C. fir is not a correct name for it, but more of a marketing name from the seller trying to capitalize on it being from B.C. in some way or another.

 

[TimberPig]

Also, it is only moderately rot resistant. It tends to be severely affected by several root disease fungi and butt rots, as well as by a number of decay fungi, when the conditions are right. That isn;t to say it is an unhealthy tree as it is normally a very healthy tough tree, but that it can be severely damaged by rot. In service under dry conditions, it is unlikely to rot. In wet conditions where fungi can grow, then it will likely become rotten fairly quickly.

 

[jokers]

I wonder if you guys aren`t barking up the wrong tree assuming that BC indicates British Columbia. BC could denote something such as Balsam/Cedar in the same way that SPF means Spruce/Pine/Fir or Hem Fir which of course means Hemlock/Fir, all classifications related to the structural characteristics of any of several grades and species of construction lumber which can be substituted for one another.

This is a WAG, BC Fir is nothing that I`ve seen.

Russ

 

[jokers]

From the description of being very light reddish wood, it has to be Doug fir, either interior or coastal.

Because the construction grades #1 and #2 Doug Fir are in a category of their own for tensile and compressive strength as well as bending moment, they are always clearly marked such as Doug Fir #1 in my experience. Further reason for me to suspect that BC Fir is a lesser quality generic classification.

Does anyone have any first hand knowledge on this?

Russ

 

[Lobo]

Thank you for all the replies gentlemen.

 

[GASoline71]

B.C. fir is not a correct name for it, but more of a marketing name from the seller trying to capitalize on it being from B.C. in some way or another.

I would tend to agree here, because when you look for BC fir on the net, you come across a lot of construction companies, cabinet makers, and log home builders touting their main source of wood to be BC fir from British Columbia.

Gary