99-13NC Western Red Cedar BlowdownBecause of the lack of ancient historical evidence, the origin of the use of split pieces of wood for roofing and siding is unknown. Shingles and shakes were familiar to the earliest immigrants to America. Before the white man's coming, American Indians of the Pacific Northwest had long employed split red cedar for their dwellings, totem poles, canoes, and lodges.This blowdown Red Cedar was located in Clatsop County, Oregon, in the mountains behind Cannon Beach, along the Pacific Ocean. A downed Red Cedar begins to deteriorate immediately, but very slowly. There is some rot on the outside and in the heart center. Most mature Red Cedars are hollow; they deteriorate on the inside, leaving a large shell. Cedar can lie on the ground 150 to 200 years and still be usable. The strongly aromatic wood is reddish brown when freshly cut, but becomes dull brown with exposure. It is free from pitch, of medium to coarse grain, very soft and brittle, and is resistant to decay and insect attack. A large portion of Red Cedar production goes into shingles and shakes. Other uses include lumber, siding, poles, posts, pilings, boats, and greenhouse equipment. Western Red Cedar does not grow in pure forests but forms 3–12 percent of the total growth in company with Douglas Fir, Western Hemlock, and Sitka Spruce. The largest Western Red Cedar measured 21-ft. in diameter, ranking second only to the giant Sequoia. (Thanks to Mr. Lee Plummer, Wesco Cedar, Inc., for information used in this story and oil painting.) |
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