The History behind Myrtlewood Trees

Myrtlewood is found in Southwestern Oregon and Northern California. It extends from Florence, Oregon to the north portion of California. It has yellowish-white blossoms, and blooms in February or early March. The foliage is very dense so you cannot see the branch structure as in other trees. The myrtle tree is as beautiful in its natural form as in the finished product. When seen on a hill or in a pasture it is so symmetrical it would seem to be a carefully pruned, cultivated tree.

Minerals drawn up from the soil color the wood. The struggle or stress during the growth of the tree causes the figurations. Many grain patterns appear in myrtle: burls, tiger-stripe, fiddle back, quilt and flame grain.

Oregon's Largest Myrtlewood Tree is approximately 88 feet tall and 42 feet in circumference. Its canopy is nearly 70 feet wide. The tree is about 10 miles up the Rogue River east of Gold Beach.  

No other hardwood excels Oregon Myrtlewood in beauty of grain and variety of coloring. Golden tans and muted reds, yellow greens and soft grays, ash blonds and seal browns, often patterned with velvet black for striking designs within the wood.

Green, unseasoned Myrtlewood logs will not float. They must be hand-logged and hauled to the sawmill where they are cut into slabs from one to eight inches in thickness. The slabs are stacked in drying sheds, protected from direct rays of the sun, but given free circulation of air. For each inch of board thickness, almost one year of air-seasoning is required.