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25-669: The Palix River rises in the Willapa Hills in Pacific County . It flows generally west to Willapa Bay , an estuary of the Pacific Ocean . The river has three fork tributaries, the North Fork, Middle Fork, and South Fork Palix River. The North Fork originates a couple miles west of South Bend , near the source of the Bone River . It flows generally south through hilly terrain, close to

50-414: 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,

75-420: 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

100-452: 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

125-651: 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

150-465: 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

175-537: 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

200-582: The Niawiakum River . In its final mile the North Fork turns west and enters the broad and marshy Palix River tidal estuary in which the Middle Fork and South Fork join. It is approximately 7 mi (11 km) long. The South Fork Palix River originates about a mile south of the Palix River estuary. It flows in a curving path southwest then north, less than a mile from the coast, to join the other forks in

225-915: The Pacific Ocean to the west, the Columbia River to the south, the Olympic Mountains to the north, and the Cascade Range to the east. Some definitions place the Puget Lowland physiographic province east of the Willapa Hills. Included within the province are the Black Hills , the Doty Hills , and a number of broad river valleys, some of which open up into broad estuaries on the Pacific such as Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay . Other definitions do not include

250-499: 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

275-799: The Black Hills. The USGS GNIS defines the Willapa Hills as bounded by the Columbia River to the south and the Chehalis River to the north, without giving specific east and west bounds. The Willapa Hills are one of the Pacific Coast Ranges , which continue north as the Olympic Mountains and south, across the Columbia River, as the Oregon Coast Range . The highest point is 3,087-foot (941 m) Boistfort Peak . The Willapa Hills are

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300-553: The Palix River forks. It originates in the Willapa Hills and flows generally west and northwest through hilly terrain. Part of its course is through a gorge in which it receives its main tributary, Canyon Creek. After exiting the gorge the Canon River flows north and enters the Palix River estuary where it joins the Middle Fork Palix River. It is approximately 8.7 mi (14.0 km) long. The mainstem Palix River, forms by

325-452: The Palix estuary. It is approximately 6 mi (9.7 km) long. The Middle Fork Palix River originates about a mile east of the Palix River estuary. It flows west, quickly entering the estuary. In the estuary the Canon River joins the Middle Fork from the south, then the Middle Fork joins the North Fork. It is approximately 2.5 mi (4.0 km) long. The Canon River is longer than any of

350-521: 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

375-418: The confluence of the three forks, flows northwest for a few miles, its estuary merging with the estuary of Willapa Bay just west of Wilson Point. The mouth of the Palix River, near Bay Center , is very close to the Niawiakum River and Bone River mouths. U.S. Route 101 crosses the mainstem Palix River. The mainstem Palix River is approximately 4.5 mi (7.2 km) long. According to Edmond S. Meany

400-497: 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

425-552: 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

450-466: 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 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

475-483: 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

500-518: 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

525-619: The lowest uplands in the entire Pacific Coast Range system. Almost all of the land is privately held, and has been repeatedly logged. Only a few long corners remain with virgin forest. Alders that are less than twenty years old are typically harvested for pulp mills . The Willapa Hills receive abundant rainfall and a number of rivers originate in the region, including the Chehalis River , Willapa River , North River , Bone River , Niawiakum River , Palix River , Bear River , Naselle River , Grays River , and Elochoman River , among others. Alder Alders are trees that compose

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550-519: The river's name, which he spelled "Palux", comes from the Chehalis language and means "slough covered with trees". The name was also applied to a division of the Chinookan people who lived along the river. Willapa Hills The Willapa Hills is a geologic , physiographic , and geographic region in southwest Washington. When described as a physiographical province, the Willapa Hills are bounded by

575-428: 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 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

600-422: 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

625-849: 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, 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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