We tend to use woods more from North and South America and Canada, but where else do woods come from? I know a large amount come from Europe, but what woods exactly come from Europe and what are they used for?
Why don’t we start with the hardwoods of Europe, we have (European) Ash, (European) Walnut, (European Sycamore) Maple, English Brown Oak, (European) Beech, (European) Cherry, (European) Plane, (European) Boxwood, (European) Poplar, (European) Horse Chestnut, (European) Sweet Chestnut, (European) Pear, (European) Holly, (European) Hornbeam, (European) Lime, and (European) Willow. Wow that was a mouth load!! These are all European hardwoods that are only native to Europe.
Then there are the Birch, Elm, and Black Locust, these are also hardwood trees in Europe but they are native to both Europe and North America. Birch is used for general timber and plywood, Elm is used often for furniture, and flooring and Black Locust is used primarily for poles, architecture, and furniture. And just as I listed them Birch, Elm, and Black Locust that is the same order of color, Birch being the lightest, Black Locust the darkest and Elm right in the middle.
Now, down to what each of the European native woods are used for, some are very similar so this is where I will section them off for you, as there are soooo many European woods. Beech and Maple are very similar and very important woods in Europe, they are both very hard and durable to wear and tear, and they are also both pale/cream to golden/ivory in color. They are used to build furniture, boats, make hardwood flooring, and also used in making musical instruments. Another extremely important wood of Europe is Oak, which is similar in color to the Beech and Maple just a bit darker, this is also used in furniture and flooring but also for stairs, windows, and doors.
As far as the European Ash, Plane, Boxwood, Poplar, Horse and Sweet Chestnuts, Holly, Hornbeam, Lime and Willow they are all very close in color all ranging from a pale/cream to a light golden brown at darkest. Also, they are all woods grown native to Europe but used for only minor wood projects in the country, like for decorative furniture, veneers, crafting, utensils, musical instruments and sports equipment. Walnut, Pear and Cherry are all a bit darker in color than the others are, these range from the golden coloring to deeper reds but are also used for only the same minor projects in Europe.
As for the softwoods of Europe there’s Larch, Yew, Spruce, Western Hemlock, Silver Fir, and Douglas Fir. All of these softwoods grow in North America as well as Europe except the Silver Fir which is native to the UK and the Larch which grows in North and Central Europe and Russia. These woods tend to be used more for floorboards, plywood, decorative veneers, packaging, and basic construction; these softwoods are not near as durable as the European hardwoods are. Another popular use for many of these softwood trees are to be cut down and decorated as holiday Christmas trees, take a look around and you may notice you have one of them in your own home for the season.
