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Hardwood from deciduous species, such as oak, normally shows annual growth rings, but these may be absent in some tropical hardwoods. [3] Hardwoods have a more complex structure than softwoods and are often much slower growing as a result. The dominant feature separating "hardwoods" from softwoods is the presence of pores, or vessels. [4]
US Forest Products Laboratory, "Characteristics and Availability of Commercially Important Wood" from the Wood Handbook Archived 2021-01-18 at the Wayback Machine PDF 916K; International Wood Collectors Society; Xiloteca Manuel Soler (One of the largest private collection of wood samples) African Timber Export Statistics
The trees and shrub species of the Northern Hardwood Forest are known for their brilliant fall colors, making the regions that contain this forest type popular fall foliage tourist destinations. Sugar maple , yellow birch , American beech , and white ash are the common key indicator tree and shrub species in the Northern Hardwood Forest.
Quercus alba, the white oak, is one of the preeminent hardwoods of eastern and central North America. It is a long-lived oak, native to eastern and central North America and found from Minnesota, Ontario, Quebec, and southern Maine south as far as northern Florida and eastern Texas. [3]
Oaks are hardwood (dicotyledonous) trees, deciduous or evergreen, with spirally arranged leaves, often with lobate margins; some have serrated leaves or entire leaves with smooth margins. Many deciduous species are marcescent , not dropping dead leaves until spring.
It is common to classify wood as either softwood or hardwood. The wood from conifers (e.g. pine) is called softwood, and the wood from dicotyledons (usually broad-leaved trees, e.g. oak) is called hardwood. These names are a bit misleading, as hardwoods are not necessarily hard, and softwoods are not necessarily soft.
Hardwood from North American trees has a variety of commercial uses, including in furniture, carpentry, tools and musical instruments. Some timber is milled for plywood , wood veneer and construction framing , including structural support beams and studs .
The upland hardwood forest biome is a closed canopy forest containing deciduous and evergreen trees in the canopy and subcanopy, as well as shrubs in the subcanopy. Limestone outcrops are common in Upland Hardwood Forests. [1]