Black alder
Alnus glutinosa
HighSecondary
Fast biomassNitrogen fixer
The nitrogen-fixer for wet feet — it thrives in soggy ground where most trees drown, feeds the soil and coppices hard for mulch. Go-to for stream edges and boggy corners.
Tolerances & traits
- Strata
- High
- Lifecycle
- Secondary
- Soil preference
- Clay, Loam
- Soil pH range
- 4.5 – 7.5
- Min. temperature
- -34°C
- Min. rainfall
- 800 mm/year
- Wind tolerance
- High
- Frost tolerance
- High
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Irrigation needed
- High
How to manage it
Excellent nitrogen-fixing biomass tree for wet zones, stream edges and poor soils; coppices vigorously and works well as a windbreak in riparian strips.
Watch out for
Needs consistently moist to wet soil and struggles in prolonged drought. Actinorhizal N-fixer (fixes via Frankia, not rhizobia) — do not expect rhizobial-style nodulation.
Design your line to see how your land fits Black alder.
Start designing your line →Related species