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As mentioned in the introduction, VCR selected the species listed on this page primarily for their regional and unusual aeshetic characteristics. As these five hardwoods are not a definitive list, VCR welcomes your suggestions for additional species.
See also: Canada selected hardwoods.
Designers and SME producers can also consult the hardwood science resource and the book list on this topic. VCR highly recommends Understanding Wood and Identifying Wood by R. Bruce Hoadley and
Fine Woodworking on Wood and How to Dry It.
Ecolabelling Issues
VCR advocates the use of FSC-certified, recycled wood or timber from well-managed local woodlots. Rare wood species should be used primarily for veneered agriboard panels or other certified boards (MDF, plywood), manufactured with non-toxic adhesives.
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American beech - Fagus grandifolia 
Common names
Carolina beech, gray beech, red beech.
Related "commercial" species (with similar properties)
None.
Tree
Found in mixed stands with other hardwoods and softwoods; grows up to 37 m (120 ft) in height and 120 cm (4 ft) in diameter.
Wood
Heartwood lustrous and varies from light to dark reddish brown; usually narrow, white sapwood with a pink tinge.
Density (12% mc)
750 kg/cubic metre (47 lb/cubic foot)
Strength (12% mc)
Crushing strength 50.30 MPa
Resistance to splitting 7.00 MPa
Static bending strength 103.00 MPa
Processing
High shrinkage during kilning can cause checks, splits, and warps unless very carefully monitored; straight- to interlocked-grained; machines satisfactorily; suitable for steam bending.
Identification features: hand lens
Diffuse porous; growth rings distinct delineated by dark line of latewood; pores small and indistinct without a hand lens; broad rays separated by narrower rays plainly visible to the unaided eye.
Traditional uses
Furniture, decorative veneer, panelling, handles, food containers, architectural millwork.
Potential "value-created" uses
Furniture designs exploiting the natural reddish colour; edge-laminated table tops; CNC lathe structural components; steam-bent upholstery frames.
Black cherry - Prunus serotina 
Common names
Cherry, cabinet cherry, wild black cherry.
Related "commercial" species (with similar properties)
None.
Tree
Found in mixed stands with other hardwoods; grows up to 30 m (96 ft) in height and 60 cm (2 ft) in diameter.
Wood
Heartwood lustrous and varies from light to mid-reddish brown; usually narrow, off-white sapwood.
Density (12% mc)
610 kg/cubic metre (38 lb/cubic foot)
Strength (12% mc)
Crushing strength 50.40 MPa
Resistance to splitting 6.07 MPa
Static bending strength 87.10 MPa
Processing
Seasons satisfactorily but with relative high shrinkage; dimensionally stable after kilning; excellent machining properties because of its fairly uniform texture.
Identification features: hand lens
Diffuse porous; pores small and uniformly distributed; line of pores in the earlywood marks the growth ring; rays visible to the unaided eye and lighter than the other cell mass.
Traditional uses
Furniture, decorative veneer, panelling, architectural millwork.
Potential "value-created" uses
Furniture designs exploiting the natural colour; cherry veneered, MDF (soy-based adhesive, FSC certified) cabinets for LEED and health-care applications.
Madrone - Arbutus menziesi
Common names
Coast madrone, madrona, laurel, madrone laurel.
Related "commercial" species (with similar properties)
None.
Tree
Normally grows up to 24 m (80 ft) in height and 100 cm (3 ft) in diameter but in optimal conditions can reach 38 m (125 ft) in height and 120 cm (4 ft) in diameter.
Wood
Heartwood light reddish brown; sapwood white or cream often with a pinkish tinge.
Density (12% mc)
720 kg/cubic metre (45 lb/cubic foot)
Strength (12% mc)
Crushing strength 71.70 MPa
Resistance to splitting n/a
Static bending strength 121.00 MPa
Processing
Kilning requires a long and careful schedule to avoid checks and splits; machines well; though some sources claim poor glue adhesion, others claim no unusual problems; easy to finish.
Identification features: hand lens
Diffuse porous growth rings barely visible even with a hand lens; delineated by continuous row of pores in the earlywood; rays barely to readily visible with a hand lens.
Traditional uses
Turnery, bowls, tool handles, flooring, furniture.
Potential "value-created" uses
Large CNC-routered furniture components with neutral-shade translucent stains; edge-laminated solid table tops; burl madrone veneered cabinet components; laminated veneer chair components.
White oak - Quercus alba
Common names
Stave oak.
Related "commercial" species (with similar properties)
Red oak - Quercus rubra, Bur oak - Quercus macrocarpa.
Tree
Grows slowly with a life span of 500-600 years; prefers sites with deep soils and good drainage; grows up to 30 m (96 ft) in height and 100 cm (3 ft) in diameter.
Wood
Heartwood light to grey/green brown; sapwood off-white but narrow; cells plugged with tyloses (a clear reflective bubblelike membrane in the pores) that makes it impervious to liquids and the premium choice for wine barrels; resistant to decay; low stiffness.
Density (12% mc)
750 kg/cubic metre (47 lb/cubic foot)
Strength (12% mc)
Crushing strength 60.10 MPa
Resistance to splitting 8.65 MPa
Static bending strength 121.00 MPa
Processing
Kilning requires a long and careful schedule to avoid checks and splits; machines well when attention paid to grain direction; excellent steam-bending properties; creates a black stain in contact with mild steel; susceptible to above-average moisture movement in use.
Identification features: hand lens
Ring porous; distinct large earlywood pores; tyloses (a clear reflective bubblelike membrane in the pores); tangential lines of lighter parenchyma cells; rays either extremely large or so fine they are barely visible with a hand lens.
Traditional uses
Furniture, decorative rift-cut "flat" grain and "flake" figure veneer, plywood, panelling, tool handles, boat building.
Potential "value-created" uses
CNC-routered steam-bent furniture components; marketing aesthetic advantages of "white" over "red" oak; oak-veneered MDF (soy-based adhesive, FSC certified) cabinets for LEED and health-care applications; CNC-based chair designs for the hospitality industry.
Tanoak - Lithocarpus densiflorus
Common names
Tan oak, chestnut oak, tanbark oak.
Related "commercial" species (with similar properties)
Red oak - Quercus rubra, Bur oak - Quercus macrocarpa.
Tree
Grows to 46 m (150 ft) in height and 1.2 m (4 ft) in diameter but in optimal conditions can reach 61 m (200 ft) in height and 2.7 m (9 ft) in diameter; in dense forest tanoaks have straight clear stems for up to 24 m (80 ft); grows in moist climates often in mixed stands with other hardwoods and softwoods.
Wood
Heartwood and sapwood tannish to reddish-brown after aging; hard, resistant to abrasion and stiff; may be susceptible to splitting.
Density (11% mc)
660 kg/cubic metre (41 lb/cubic foot)
Strength (12% mc)
Crushing strength 63.40 MPa
Resistance to splitting n/a
Static bending strength 114.50 MPa
Processing
Kilning requires a long and careful schedule to avoid checks and splits; machines and finishes well because of its fine grain; well suited to veneer production; creates a black stain in contact with mild steel.
Identification features: hand lens
Diffuse porous (unusual in an oak species); growth rings marked by a faint darker narrow line; broad rays easily visible.
Traditional uses
Furniture, flooring, veneer, paneling, pallets.
Potential "value-created" uses
Similar to white oak, though tanoak's finer grain favours furniture requiring high-quality clear finishes.
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