Alder is a member of the Birch family and its root give a fantastic look to a knife. It can be highly figured, depending on the grade of wood you select.

Alder is particularly noted for its important symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacterium. This bacterium is found in root nodules which may be as large as a human fist, with many small lobes and light brown in appearance.

The bacterium absorbs nitrogen from the air and makes it available to the tree. Alder, in turn, provides the bacterium with carbon, which it produces through photosynthesis. As a result of this mutually-beneficial relationship, alder improves the fertility of the soils where it grows, and as a pioneer species, it helps provide additional nitrogen for the successional species which follow.

This is how you come by such interesting patterns in the root material.

This is a Super Grade wood and a Grade 1 variety is available in Store.

Block - 125mm x 25mm x 40mm

Scales - 125mm x 10mm x 40mm

(all sizes are approximate but will be as close to advertised)