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28-464: For centuries, cattle were kept over the summer near the Erlenbach stream by a grazing co-operative. Since the soils at 1,300 metres above sea level are not suitable for intensive agricultural use, it was primarily young cattle that were grazed. The pasture cooperative appointed a so-called herder who managed the cattle hut. In former times a herdsman, who was responsible for the cattle, assisted him. Today

56-414: A conifer forest. Alders are common among the first species to colonize disturbed areas from floods, windstorms, fires, landslides, etc. Alder groves often serve as natural firebreaks since these broad-leaved trees are much less flammable than conifers. Their foliage and leaf litter does not carry a fire well, and their thin bark is sufficiently resistant to protect them from light surface fires. In addition,

84-420: A degree of edibility, and may be rich in protein. Reported to have a bitter and unpleasant taste, they are more useful for survival purposes. The wood of certain alder species is often used to smoke various food items such as coffee , salmon , and other seafood. Alder is notably stable when immersed, and has been used for millennia as a material for pilings for piers and wharves. Most of the pilings that form

112-452: A result of this mutually beneficial relationship, alder improves the fertility of the soil where it grows, and as a pioneer species , it helps provide additional nitrogen for the successional species to follow. Because of its abundance, red alder delivers large amounts of nitrogen to enrich forest soils. Red alder stands have been found to supply between 130 and 320 kilograms per hectare (120 and 290 pounds per acre) of nitrogen annually to

140-563: A stable for the animals of the herder . In subsequent documents, the Erlenbacher Hof is pledged and sold several times. In this case the (usually 12 or 13) members of the Erlenbach Grazing Cooperative ( Erlenbacher Weidegenossenschaft ) are often named as owners. Since the 17th century an almost unbroken line of herders and innkeepers have occupied the hut. In 1769 a new combined domestic house and cattle hut were built. In

168-651: A variety of tumors. The inner bark of the alder, as well as red osier dogwood , or chokecherry , is used by some Indigenous peoples of the Americas in smoking mixtures, known as kinnikinnick , to improve the taste of the bearberry leaf. Alder is illustrated in the coat of arms for the Austrian town of Grossarl . Electric guitars, most notably those manufactured by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation , have been built with alder bodies since

196-618: Is a common tree widespread across much of Europe , Asia , and North America . Many sources refer to it as Alnus viridis , the green alder , but botanically this is considered an illegitimate name synonymous with Alnus alnobetula subsp. fruticosa . It is a large shrub or small tree 3–12 metres (10– 39 + 1 ⁄ 2  ft) tall with smooth grey bark even in old age. The leaves are shiny green with light green undersurfaces, ovoid, 3–8 centimetres ( 1 + 1 ⁄ 4 – 3 + 1 ⁄ 4  in) long and 2–6 cm broad. The flowers are catkins , appearing late in spring after

224-730: Is accessible by car from Oberried and is usually used as the starting point for numerous walks in the Feldberg region. It is especially suited as a base for the Alpine Path ( Alpiner Pfad ), one of the highest trails in the Black Forest , which runs through the Alpine terrain of the northern cliffs of the Feldberg and Stübenwasen . The exposed nature and Alpine character of the Alpiner Pfad are unusual for

252-529: Is classed as an environmental weed in New Zealand . Alnus viridis has a shallow root system, and is marked not only by vigorous production of stump suckers, but also by root suckers. Alnus viridis is a light-demanding, fast-growing shrub that grows well on poorer soils. In many areas, it is a highly characteristic colonist of avalanche chutes in mountains , where potentially competing larger trees are killed by regular avalanche damage. A. viridis survives

280-563: Is often veneered , either by stained light woods such as oak, ash, or figured maple, or by darker woods such as teak or walnut. Alder bark and wood (like oak and sweet chestnut ) contain tannin and are traditionally used to tan leather. A red dye can also be extracted from the outer bark, and a yellow dye from the inner bark. Ermanno Olmi 's movie The Tree of Wooden Clogs ( L' Albero Degli Zoccoli , 1978) refers in its title to alder, typically used to make clogs as in this movie's plot. Alnus alnobetula Alnus alnobetula

308-465: Is particularly noted for its important symbiotic relationship with Frankia alni , an actinomycete , filamentous , nitrogen-fixing bacterium . This bacterium is found in root nodules , which may be as large as a human fist, with many small lobes, and light brown in colour. The bacterium absorbs nitrogen from the air and makes it available to the tree. Alder, in turn, provides the bacterium with sugars , which it produces through photosynthesis . As

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336-537: Is the equivalent Latin name, from whence French aulne and Spanish Alamo (Spanish term for " poplar "). Alders are commonly found near streams, rivers, and wetlands. Sometimes where the prevalence of alders is particularly prominent these are called alder carrs . In the Pacific Northwest of North America, the white alder ( Alnus rhombifolia ) unlike other northwest alders, has an affinity for warm, dry climates, where it grows along watercourses, such as along

364-553: The herder manages the Erlenbacher Hut and looks after the animals. Thanks to well-developed roads and its own mains electricity, the Erlenbacher Hut can be occupied all year round by the herder and his family. The name Erlenbach could refer to a community of alder trees or it could be a person's name such as Erlebrand or Erlebrecht. It is clear from documents that the Erlenbach pasture cooperative already existed around A.D. 1000 or 1100. However, whether they were already using

392-499: The 1950s. Alder is appreciated for its tone that is claimed to be tight and evenly balanced, especially when compared to mahogany, and has been adopted by many electric guitar manufacturers. It usually is finished in opaque lacquer ( nitrocellulose , polyurethane , or polyester ), as it does not have a prominent grain. As a hardwood , alder is used in making furniture, cabinets, and other woodworking products. In these applications, its aforementioned lack of prominent grain means that it

420-573: The 1960s it was planned to open up the Erlenbach area for ski tourism, but this plan did not come to fruition. Currently Axel Brüstle and his wife, Karin Arens, are the herder and innkeeper at the Erlenbacher Hut, which is still maintained as a grazing cooperative. In summer the family looks after about 120 head of cattle on the Erlenbacher Weide, which covers 80 hectares at a height of between 1,100 and 1,300 metres above sea level. The Erlenbach

448-505: The Black Forest. 47°54′00″N 7°57′54″E  /  47.9000°N 07.9650°E  / 47.9000; 07.9650 Alder Alders are trees that compose the genus Alnus in the birch family Betulaceae . The genus includes about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs , a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few species extending into Central America , as well as

476-465: The Erlenbach as a highland pasture is not proven. In the 12th century, the place name "Erlibach" as a designation for a forest located under the Feldberg , first appeared in a bill of sale. The Erlenbach was sold several times over the course of the centuries, inter alia around 1327 to the Williamites . In 1472, the Erlenbach farm is first mentioned, which at that time consisted of a dwelling house and

504-451: The avalanches through its ability to re-grow from the roots and broken stumps. Unlike some other alders, it does require moist soil, and is a colonist of screes and shallow stony slopes. It also commonly grows on subarctic river gravels, particularly in northern Siberia , Alaska and Canada , occupying areas similarly disrupted by ice floes during spring river ice breakup; in this habitat it commonly occurs mixed with shrubby willows . It

532-521: The coastal Northwest. Groves of red alder 25 to 50 centimetres (10 to 20 in) in diameter intermingle with young Douglas-fir forests west of the Cascades, attaining a maximum height of 30 to 33 m (100 to 110 ft) in about sixty years and then are afflicted by heart rot . Alders largely help create conditions favorable for giant conifers that replace them. Alder roots are parasitized by northern groundcone . The catkins of some alder species have

560-399: The family) in that the female catkins are woody and do not disintegrate at maturity, opening to release the seeds in a similar manner to many conifer cones . The largest species are red alder ( A. rubra ) on the west coast of North America, and black alder ( A. glutinosa ), native to most of Europe and widely introduced elsewhere, both reaching over 30 metres (100 ft). By contrast,

588-497: The following species is unresolved: The following hybrids have been described: The status of the following hybrids is unresolved: The oldest fossil pollen that can be identified as Alnus is from northern Bohemia , dating to the late Paleocene , around 58 million years ago. The common name alder evolved from the Old English word alor , which in turn is derived from Proto-Germanic root aliso . The generic name Alnus

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616-552: The foundation of Venice were made from alder trees. Alder bark contains the anti-inflammatory salicin , which is metabolized into salicylic acid in the body. Some Native American cultures use red alder bark ( Alnus rubra ) to treat poison oak, insect bites, and skin irritations. Blackfeet Indians have traditionally used an infusion made from the bark of red alder to treat lymphatic disorders and tuberculosis . Recent clinical studies have verified that red alder contains betulin and lupeol , compounds shown to be effective against

644-770: The leaves emerge (unlike other alders which flower before leafing out); the male catkins are pendulous, 4–8 cm long, the female catkins 1 cm long and 0.7 cm broad when mature in late autumn, in clusters of 3–10 on a branched stem. The seeds are small, 1–2 millimetres ( 1 ⁄ 32 – 3 ⁄ 32  in) long, light brown with a narrow encircling wing. The roots of Alnus viridis subsp. sinuata have nitrogen-fixing nodules. A study in Alaska showed that Sitka alder seedlings were able to invade coal mine spoils and can be used for revegetation and stripmine reclamation . There are four to six subspecies , some treated as separate species by some authors: Alnus viridis

672-483: The light weight of alder seeds – numbering 1.5 million per kilogram or 680,000 per pound – allows for easy dispersal by the wind. Although it outgrows coastal Douglas-fir for the first 25 years, it is very shade intolerant and seldom lives more than 100 years. Red alder is the Pacific Northwest's largest alder and the most plentiful and commercially important broad-leaved tree in

700-518: The lower Columbia River east of the Cascades and the Snake River, including Hells Canyon. Alder leaves and sometimes catkins are used as food by numerous butterflies and moths. A. glutinosa and A. viridis are classed as environmental weeds in New Zealand. Alder leaves and especially the roots are important to the ecosystem because they enrich the soil with nitrogen and other nutrients. Alder

728-411: The northern and southern Andes . With a few exceptions, alders are deciduous , and the leaves are alternate, simple, and serrated . The flowers are catkins with elongate male catkins on the same plant as shorter female catkins, often before leaves appear; they are mainly wind-pollinated , but also visited by bees to a small extent. These trees differ from the birches ( Betula , another genus in

756-422: The soil. From Alaska to Oregon, Alnus viridis subsp. sinuata ( A. sinuata , Sitka Alder or Slide Alder), characteristically pioneer fresh, gravelly sites at the foot of retreating glaciers. Studies show that Sitka alder, a more shrubby variety of alder, adds nitrogen to the soil at an average rate of 60 kg/ha (54 lb/acre) per year, helping convert the sterile glacial terrain to soil capable of supporting

784-663: The widespread Alnus alnobetula (green alder) is rarely more than a 5 m-tall (16 ft) shrub. The genus is divided into three subgenera: Trees with stalked shoot buds, male and female catkins produced in autumn (fall) but stay closed over winter, pollinating in late winter or early spring, about 15–25 species, including: Trees or shrubs with stalked shoot buds, male and female catkins produced in autumn (fall) and expanding and pollinating then, three species: Shrubs with shoot buds not stalked, male and female catkins produced in late spring (after leaves appear) and expanding and pollinating then, one to four species: The status of

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