Eco Dowels

[Bowspirit]

Here's a weird one. Went to the local lumber supplier to pick up a few things after work, when something caught my eye. In amongst a collection of dowels and squares was a set of 4'x3/8" dowels. I've made shafts out of ramin, walnut, cherry, poplar, and oak dowels, but never have I seen any like these.
They're labeled "Eco Dowels", and the closest thing they brought to mind was a set of Surewood Douglas Fir. Greater runout, of course, but mostly ramrod straight with a nice, showy grain. Really nice stuff. I asked the closest worker what they could be, and he didn't have a clue. Said the woods are never the same. However, he assured me it's a hardwood. Sure could be; it's somewhat dense and about 100 grains heavier than my 80/85 firs. I've just never seen a hardwood shaft this naturally straight or with as prominent a grain. Let alone a hardwood dowel.
So, any ideas on what wood these are? Anyone worked with these? Thanks guys...

[No-sage]

Ash has a very prominent grain....

[Bowspirit]

The gentleman I talked too said ash was a possibility. It is pretty heavy; about 600-grains for a 31" shaft. A real nice white wood with amber colored grain. I want to see how it takes a stain. It's just so super straight; if I didn't know any better I'd say someone straightened it before they arrived at the dealer...

[Bowspirit]

Well, I just chucked up the dowel in a drill and sanded the nock end to 11/32" before cutting the taper with a hand taper tool. Cut real easy; the same tool bites and tears at doug fir, not to mention any hardwoods I've used. Does ash cut fairly easy? If not, the mystery continues...

[Zradix]

Ash is fairly porous. It stains pretty well. There can be "hard spots" on the open grain that don't want to take stain too well though.

[Ray Hammond]

Poplar?

[COOCH]

Most of the doweling around here is made from white oak or birch.