The great alder in Espedalen

One of the biggest alder trees in Blekinge is found in Espedalen. 390 cm in circumference, it is on Bondevägen.

Since the 1950s, alder wood has been used to build electric guitars, including Fender guitars, as it produces a tight, balanced tone. Alder is also often used for wood sculpture and for building small boats, as the wood is light, tough and easy to reshape. The wood is heated with steam and then bent. Put simply, the heat and moisture release the “glue” that keeps the wood fibres together, enabling the wood to be bent into a different shape. In cooking, alder chips are used for smoking meat.