Four Alder species are found in the Gardens, all by Kiosk 1. The large Red Alder is this area’s most important hardwood and used for fuel, pulp, and furniture. The small alders on this side of the pond’s overflow are Green or Sitka Alders. The smaller trees along the south edge are Mountain, Gray or Twinleaf Alders. To the right of the bridge is the White Alder, now migrating north with our climate’s warming, once found only in the southern part of the State. Alders have roots like those of peas, with nodules that fix nitrogen to the soil. They live for only 60 – 90 years and give way to taller conifers like the Douglas Fir. SAM extinction probability is slight, <.0001% as the soft cotton attached to an alder’s seeds can carry it up into the Jet Stream. Alders dominate areas of Newfoundland and now Greenland.

http://naeb.brit.org/uses/search/?string=Alnus
https://www.plc215.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Kiosk-01.pdf 
https://burkeherbarium.org/imagecollection/taxon.php?Taxon=Alnus%20rubra
https://burkeherbarium.org/imagecollection/taxon.php?Taxon=Alnus%20viridis
https://burkeherbarium.org/imagecollection/taxon.php?Taxon=Alnus%20incana
https://burkeherbarium.org/imagecollection/taxon.php?Taxon=Alnus%20rhombifolia

The most common alder in western BC, Oregon, and Washingto is the:

white
green
red

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