Alpine Ash

Botanical name: Eucalyptus delegatensis Eucalyptus gigantean

Origin : Alpine Ash grows in the cold climate areas of Tasmania, eastern Victoria and south-eastern New South Wales.

Trading names : Alpine Ash

A mixture of two similar species--Alpine Ash and Mountain Ash--is often marketed as Vic Ash or Victorian Ash.

Appearance

Heartwood pale pink or pale yellowish brown.

Sapwood not clearly distinguishable.

Texture moderately coarse.

Grain usually straight but sometimes wavy, producing a fiddleback figure.

Growth rings conspicuous.

General comment: Needs much care in drying because of proneness to collapse and internal checking, as well as surface checking on the tangential surface.

Reconditioning is standard practice.

For good-quality boards it is usual practice to quarter cut the logs.

Common uses : General construction, furniture, plywood, joinery, panelling, flooring, oars, skis, agricultural implements, handles, cooperage.

Properties

Hardness rating Average Hardness Rating - Dry: Soft

Lyctid Susceptibility of Sapwood

Origin Tasmania, New South Wales--Susceptible

Origin Victoria--Not susceptible

Origin not known--Susceptible

(source AS 5604)

Termite Resistance of Heartwood (inside above ground) Not resistant

(source AS 5604)

Marine Borer Resistance of Heartwood

Class 4

(source AS 5604)

Natural Durability Rating of Heartwood Above Ground

Class 3

(source AS 5604)

Natural Durability Rating of Heartwood In-Ground Contact

Class 4

(source AS 5604)

The ratings given here are:

Soft - less than 5.5

Moderate - 5.5 to 7.0

Hard - 7.1 to 10.0

Very Hard - greater than 10.0.

Lyctid susceptible sapwood: Only the sapwood of some hardwoods is susceptible to lyctid borer attack. No softwoods are susceptible to attack.