Canadian Species

There are more than a hundred softwood species in North America. To simplify the supply and use of structural softwood lumber, species in major lumber producing areas having similar strength characteristics are combined. Having a smaller number of combinations makes it easier for a building inspector to ensure that products having the design strengths specified by the building designer are installed. Because non-structural products are graded solely on the basis of appearance quality, non-structural products are usually sold as individual species (for example, eastern white pine, Western Red Cedar, Douglas fir).

The four species groups of Canadian lumber and their characteristics are shown below.

Species Combination: Douglas Fir-Larch Abbreviation: D.Fir-L or DF-L
Species Included in Combination	Growth Region
Douglas Fir Western Larch
Characteristics	Colour Ranges
Reddish brown to yellow High degree of hardness Good resistance to decay
Species Combination: Hem-Fir Abbreviation: Hem-Fir or H-F
Species Included in Combination	Growth Region
Pacific Coast Hemlock Amabilis Fir
Characteristics	Colour Ranges
Yellow brown to white Works easily Takes paint well Holds nails well Good gluing characteristics
Species Combination: Spruce-Pine-Fir Abbreviation: S-P-F
Species Included in Combination	Growth Region
White Spruce Engleman Spruce Red Spruce Black Spruce Jack Pine Lodgepole Pine Balsam Fir Alpine Fir
Characteristics	Colour Ranges
White to pale yellow Works easily Takes paint well Holds nails well Good gluing charateristics
Species Combination: Northern Species Abbreviation: North or Nor
Species Included in Combination	Growth Region
Western Red Cedar
Characteristics	Colour Ranges
Reddish brown heartwood, light sapwood Exceptional resistance to decay Moderate strength High in appearance qualities Works easily Takes fine finishes Lowest shrinkage
Also Included in Northern Species
Species Included in Combination	Growth Region
Red Pine
Characteristics	Colour Ranges
Works easily
Also Included in Northern Species
Species Included in Combination	Growth Region
Ponderosa Pine
Characteristics	Colour Ranges
Takes finishes well Holds nails well Holds screws well Seasons with little checking or cupping
Also Included in Northern Species
Species Included in Combination	Growth Region
Western White Pine Eastern White Pine
Characteristics	Colour Ranges
Creamy white to light straw brown heartwood, almost white sapwood Works easily Finishes well Doeasn't tend to split or splinter Holds nails well Low shrinkage Takes stain, paints & varnishes well
Also Included in Northern Species
Species Included in Combination	Growth Region
Trembling Aspen Largetooth Aspen Balsam Poplar
Characteristics	Colour Ranges
Works easily Finishes well Holds nails well

The Spruce-Pine-Fir species group makes up by far the largest proportion of dimension lumber since the species in this group grow throughout most of Canada. The other major species groups for dimension lumber are Douglas Fir-Larch (N)and Hem-Fir (N). Northern Species include the other commercial species for Canadian lumber.