Western Red Cedar

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Since the arrival of the Pacific Northwest's earliest inhabitants, Western Red Cedar (WRC) has been a cherished, even revered, part of our outdoor heritage. WRC is naturally resistant to decay and insect damage. Its unique "grown-in-the-wood" preservative oil means that no further chemical treatment is needed, unless the lumber is in direct contact with the ground. WRC offers less than half the swelling and shrinking tendency of most domestic softwoods, it lies flat, stays straight, retains fasteners and provides a firm base for paints and stains. So your cedar projects age gracefully for decades.

But it isn't just these sturdy virtues. WRC contains a rich grain, texture and color that complement any architectural style, from traditional to postmodern. WRC is renowned for its high impermeability to liquids and its natural phenol preservatives, which make it ideally suited for exterior use. The cellular composition of cedar provides a high degree of thermal insulation. Old Growth Western Red Cedars' slow growth, dense fiber and natural oily extractives are responsible for its decay resistance and its rich coloring, which ranges from a light milky straw color in the sapwood to a vanilla-chocolate in the heartwood.