Hemlock, Western

Western hemlock is a valuable tree with many commercial uses. It is often marketed as Hem-fir, as it has similar design values to the true firs: California red, grand fir, noble fir, Pacific silver fir and white fir. It is one of ten hemlock species and is considered a premium timber.

Western hemlock is an evergreen tree from North America. It grows prolifically from the coastline of northern Sonoma County, California, north to the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska and east to Idaho and Montana, and is widely harvested in these regions.

Growing from 30 to 50 metres tall, trees are characterised by small oval cones and flat, short needles. Their cinnamon coloured bark is furrowed and attractive.

The timber is used in construction but as a softwood is not durable and requires treatment for external use. External and interior construction applications include joinery, cabinetry, flooring, and ceilings. It also is a popular choice for creating doors, windows, parts of staircases, ladders, flooring, paneling, broom handles, crates, pallets and packing cases as well as other architectural millwork items.

Western hemlock is one of the best pulp woods for paper and paperboard products. Traditionally, however, Indigenous artisans used the easily worked timber for carving into spoons, combs, roasting spits and giant feast dishes.

In agro-forestry, western hemlock is used to help reduce stream bank erosion, and increase biodiversity. It has been used to produce dimethyl sulfide, the substance that gives an odour to natural gas, which could otherwise go undetected; and conidendrol, produced from Hemlock wastes, which slows oxidation.