Basswood

Tilia americana, basswood (or lime, or linden in Europe) are big deciduous trees in eastern Canada. This one is growing near Lake Huron in Ontario.

It's interesting; basswoods don't attract a lot of attention but they have been used by people for a wide variety of reasons over the centuries. Lime is the classic carving wood for medieval church sculptures. The flowers have been used for medicinal reasons. I remember when I was a kid, my Dad would cut small branches from this tree in the spring and make slide whistles for me and my brother.

According to this article a whistle can also be made from willow.

Beech

Beech trees (fagus grandifolia) are big, beautiful giants in eastern forests. The smooth bark makes them easily recognizable. The upper photo is a more typical form; the huge tree in the lower photos is a more unusual shape, probably having grown in the open for a long time. In this case the forest contained lots of maples and beeches, an example of Beech/Maple climax forests.

Beech is an underappreciated furniture wood in Canada. It is used for fine furniture in Europe and most English chair legs are turned from beech. I haven't used it as it isn't native to BC but I'm sure it would work well as spindles and backs for chairs as well as turnings.

Black Walnut

Black Walnut trees are found throughout southern Ontario and are plentiful between London and Windsor. This giant was at the ancient site of a First Nations walled village just East of Rodney.

Juglans Nigra produce edible nuts that are not as tasty as Persian (European) Walnuts Juglans Regia. Black Walnut wood is beautiful, dark and easily worked for a hardwood. It is a premium wood for fine furniture. It also is durable when used outside as fenceposts etc.

Western Red Cedar

Here's a Western Red Cedar (thuja plicata) at the Goldstream old growth forest on Vancouver Island. These giants are such a part of the place and people here. I don't use it much for furniture but am awestruck by the incredible carvings, poles and canoes that have been made from these trees. I have also been amazed by the wide boards that have been split for traditional housing using stone and wooden wedges and clubs.

Ash tree

This one may be an Oregon Ash (fraxinus latifolia), a rare native species or it could be an introduced Black Ash (fraxinus nigra). Anyway, it's in my neighbour's yard and is covering my yard with leaves. White Ash (fraxinus americana) is common where I grew up in Grey County, Ontario. White Ash is a very tough wood that is ideal for chairmaking. Black Ash (also called Swamp Ash) is used in baskets, pallets, and Fender guitar bodies. I doubt there is much of a market for Oregon Ash but I'd love to rive one into chair parts.

Butternut

Butternut (juglans cinerea) is a native of Ontario and Quebec. We have a couple of beauties in Victoria. This one is at the edge of the Garry Oak meadow at Government House. Another big one is on the west side of the Legislature. Butternut is a relative of Black Walnut (juglans nigra) and apparently the nuts are edible but I haven't tried them. The wood is soft for a deciduous tree but looks very nice. It's a buttery/amber colour with wavy grain. Some old eastern-Canadian furniture was Butternut, I love using it for chair seats.

Garry Oak

Eastern Canada has Red Oak (quercus rubra) and White Oak (quercus alba). On Vancouver Island we're lucky to have native Garry Oak (quercus garryana). These trees grow in meadows and can reach a huge size. The meadows are nice in the spring when Camas blossom around the trees. The branches break off during windstorms so they grow in twisted, crooked forms.

The wood is similar to White Oak but has more rich colours. It is a beautiful material for chairs I like to build.