Check out this link for your lumber trade industry info – http://www.lumber.org/

BENEFITS OF WOOD

Wood surpasses steel and concrete in the following categories:
•Energy use
•Resource use
•Pollution
•Environment impact
•Green Building

Energy Use – Wood products require much less energy to produce than concrete or steel. An independent comparison of the energy needed to obtain, manufacture, transport and install building materials for identical wood frame, steel frame and concrete houses proves wood’s environmental superiority over alternative materials. The result is more fossil fuels saved with less air and water pollution.
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Although wood products make up 47% of all raw materials manufactured in the United States, its share of energy consumption during manufacturing is only 4%.
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Results show that the manufacture of wood materials use 53% less energy than steel and 120% less energy than concrete.
Resource Use – As the world’s only renewable building material, wood can not only be recycled, but regenerated as well.
North American Forests have grown 20% since 1970.
Pollution – Wood product manufacturing produces far fewer greenhouse gases.

Environmental Impact – Wood has the lowest impact on air and water quality. This is especially true when compared to the manufacture of recycled steel. Forest regeneration also creates more trees which benefit the environment while they grow, taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen.

Green Building
As the interest in “Green Building” grows, building rating systems such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEEDT) have emerged as one way to rate the environmental impact of construction. These rating systems are founded on the four guiding principles of green building:

1.Reducing energy use
2.Reducing resource use
3.Minimizing pollution
4.Reducing environmental impact

Clear Grades

Grade

Description

Clear Heart

The highest grade. Includes only pieces with heartwood on the exposed face. Many pieces completely clear, others have minor imperfections that do not detract from their fine appearance.

Grading Rule Paragraph
NLGA 200a
WCLIB 102-b

A Clear

Permits somewhat more imperfections than Clear Heart but the grade is still restricted to pieces with excellent appearance.

Common specifications are A and Better and A and Better with a percentage of B Grade allowed.

Grading Rule Paragraph
NLGA 200b
WCLIB 102-c

Check out this link to the WRCLA and their grade definitions for cedar – http://www.wrcla.org/cedar_products/cedar_siding/board_batten/grades.htm

Redwood Forests Certified
for Sustainable Harvests

Four of every five acres of commercial redwood forest are now independently certified as well managed and harvested on a sustainable basis. The major redwood lumber mills and landowners have completed independent third-party certification of their redwood forestlands. As a result, over 1 million acres, approximately 80 percent of the available redwood commercial forest are certified under one of the two most widely recognized certification programs: Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI SM ) program.

There are 1.74 million acres (1) of Coastal Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) forests on California’s north coast. About 26 percent, or 450,000 acres of these forests are preserved in national, state and municipal parks, national monuments and other administratively withdrawn lands (2) where harvesting is prohibited.

Of the remaining 1.29 million acres where harvesting can take place, approximately 1.03 million acres (3) (80 percent) are currently being well managed according to independent third-party certification programs.

Forest certification provides consumers with assurance that the redwood products they purchase have been harvested in an environmentally sound manner. The basic tenants of certification programs include:

sustainable forestry
prompt reforestation
protection of water quality
enhancement of wildlife habitat
minimizing the visual impact of harvesting
protection of unique sites
improvements in wood utilization
These voluntary third-party certification programs are in addition to the mandatory requirements of California’s Forest Practices Act, recognized as the most thorough timber harvesting regulation in North America. Section 913 of the Forest Practices Act requires that any company owning commercial forests greater than 50,000 acres prepare a Sustained Yield Plan. These plans must project an equal balance of growth and harvest over a 100 year period while ensuring sustainability of all forest resources, including wildlife, watershed and soil.

References:

1 U.S. Forest Service Inventory and Analysis, Pacific Northwest Forest Range and Experiment Station, Portland Oregon reporting 1,244,000 acres with a plurality of redwood trees and another 496,000 acres with redwood present. (See also Fox III, Lawrence, “A Classification, Map and Volume Estimate for the Coast Redwood of California,” 1988, revised Oct. 1989, Humboldt State University, Arcata, Calif., with California Department of Forestry; reporting a plurality of redwoods on 1,663,000 acres and occurring on another 287,000 acres.)

2 Solinsky, Frank and Dean, Consulting Foresters, Trinidad, “Acreage and Volume of Coast Redwood Timber in Public Ownership In California”, Sept., 1990. (More recently withdrawn acreage added.)

3 Forest Stewardship Council, www.fscoax.org. American Forest & Paper Association’s Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI SM) Program, www.afandpa.org/forestry/sfi or www.aboutsfi.org.

Introduction

This page discusses the almost magical wood — Cedar. You will find a wide range of facts and information about both Western Red Cedar and Northern White Cedar that will inform and maybe even surprise you. Native to western North America, Western Red Cedar is a most remarkable natural product and one of the most highly-prized softwoods, renowned for its natural beauty and outstanding physical properties. Northern White Cedar is native to the U.S. northeast and the adjoining Canadian provinces.

The continuing popularity of cedar is due to its striking natural beauty, durability, and affordable price. Because of its durability in an exterior environment and its extremely low maintenance, cedar is an ideal choice for long-lasting, affordable outdoor patio, deck, and lawn furniture. Cedar furniture has also found popularity as an indoor furniture, desired for its sturdy rustic look. Northern White Cedar is especially well suited for indoor furniture.

Cedar’s unique properties and characteristics have been recognized and appreciated throughout history. The Western Red Cedar has great cultural, economic, and spiritual significance to the Native American peoples of the Pacific Northwest. They used every part of the tree in every aspect of their life.

Cedar Science

Our cedar furniture and garden products are made from two different cedar species: Western Red Cedar and Northern White Cedar. These cedar species are both evergreen conifers in the cypress family. They share many similar charactersitics, however being different species, also have several differences.

Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata)

Western Red Cedar is found in the coastal forests along the upper Pacific coast of North America, from southern Alaska to northern California. The principal supplying region is the coastal forest area of British Columbia (where the Western Red Cedar is the official tree). Cedar naturally grows in mixed softwood forests intermingled with other species such as Douglas Fir, Pacific Coast Hemlock, and Sitka Spruce. Western Red Cedar forests are largely managed forests. In a managed forest environment, natural regeneration, controlled harvests, and a planned reforestation program try to ensure a perpetual harvest with good forest conservancy practices.

Western Red Cedar grows in low to mid elevations, along the coast and in a wet belt of the interior. It prefers cool, moist locations, and a slightly acidic soil. The tree can be described as large to very large, with a tapering trunk that often spreads widely at the base. A mature tree can attain a height of 180 feet with a trunk diameter of 8 feet. The Western Red Cedar is slow-growing and long-lived. A specimen can live upwards of 1000 years, and has one of the longest lifespans of any North American softwood. Cedar has a low density of 22 lbs. per cubic foot, with a low specific gravity of 0.33. This makes it one of the lightest softwoods available, but also soft, and prone to indentation. The low density also gives cedar it’s excellent thermal insulation properties.

The heartwood of Western Red Cedar contains extractives that are toxic to the decay-causing fungi. Two principle agents responsible for this decay resistance are Thujaplicans (taken from the scientific name for Western Red Cedar) and water soluble phenolics. The tree’s ability to produce these agents increases with age, making the outer layers of the heartwood the most resistant. (In general, sapwood, in all species, has a low resistance to decay) These naturally occurring substances repel moths, insects, termites, carpenter ants and bees, and ambrosia beetles — the bugs just don’t like cedar and prefer to eat elsewhere.

Western Red Cedar has very distinctive heartwood and sapwood. The sapwood is whitish-cream in color, seldom greater than 1″ wide in mature trees, and is clearly delineated from the heartwood. The heartwood color varies considerably more, and is not consistent in color at all. Freshly cut Western Red Cedar can vary from a dark chocolate brown color to a salmon pink, and can be variegated. The color ages to the more familiar reddish-brown, and eventually to a silver-gray with exposure to the elements.

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Northern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis)

Northern White Cedar is an evergreen tree with fan-like branches. Native to the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada, Northern White Cedar prefers to grow in wet forests. Although not currently listed as endangered, the species is threatened in some areas with a high deer population, as the deer eat the soft evergreen foliage.

The Northern White Cedar is a much smaller tree than the closely related species, Thuja plicata or Western Red Cedar. The tree grows to a height of 25–65 feet, with a trunk diameter of 1 to 2 feet. The Northern White Cedar is slow-growing and long-lived, with specimens achieving 1000 years or more. Often the tree is found stunted, twisted, or growing prostate on the ground.

Northern White Cedar has a low density of 19 lbs. per cubic foot. This makes it one of the lightest softwoods available, but also soft, and prone to indentation. Strong and lightweight, the low density also gives cedar it’s excellent thermal insulation properties. The bark is red-brown, however the wood has a creamy-white color. The Northern White Cedar also contains chemical compounds which make it naturally decay and insect resistant.

Properties of Cedar

Cedar wood is typically straight and even-grained. Because of its height and growth habit he Western Red Cedar tree in particular produces a trunk that is usually free from side branches for many feet up, leaving the outer layers of the tree knot free and clear. This feature makes the timber especially suited for quality joinery and woodworking (such as furniture). Cedar, although lightweight and not dense, has 80% of the strength of oak. It is light, yet strong — a rare combination (An example is the use in ladder poles because of its light weight, strength, straight grain, and freedom from knots)

The low density of cedar accounts for its outstanding dimensional stability. Density is directly related to dimensional stability. The less dense a wood is, the less it tends to shrink and swell in response to changes in moisture content. Cedar’s low density allows it to be stable, even in humid environments. This same low density gives cedar a high thermal co-efficient. It is an excellent insulator. For furniture, this means that even on hot summer days the furniture is comfortable to sit upon.

Perhaps the most famous of cedar’s properties is its resistance to rot, decay, and insects.
The naturally occurring oils produced by the tree discourage most wood-eating insects. The death rate for termites consuming cedar varies with the source and the termite species — from 100% in several days to 40% in several weeks. Termites prefer other food than cedar, but some species will consume cedar if no other food source is present. If you live in termite-prone areas, and you plan to allow your cedar furniture ground contact, you might wish to treat the furniture with a quality wood preservative. Consult professionals in your area to determine the severity of the problem, and to ascertain what products they recommend. The same chemicals that deter insects from eating cedar are what give it the distinctive cedar aroma that most people find so pleasant, and why cedar is used to line clothes closets and to make cedar chests for clothes storage.

The insect resistant quality of cedar makes it a good choice if you are looking for an alternative to chemically treated wood. Much of the outdoor furniture that you find today achieves it’s exterior durability through a toxic chemical treatment. These chemical preservatives require warning labels for those who handle and work the wood. The three major ingredients of some pressure-treated wood are copper, chromium, and arsenic (CCA).
If you have small children or are chemically sensitive yourself — you do not want outdoor or indoor furniture made from these materials.

Working Cedar

Cedar is lightweight and easy to work. Most woodworking operations are a pleasure to perform with cedar. You can cut, shape, plane, sand, fasten, glue, and finish cedar with ease. It is available in long lengths of timbers with straight and true grain. It is extremely stable dimensionally, and rarely cracks, splits, warps, twists, or cups — it remains straight and flat.

Among all the softwood species, cedar is considered to have the best finish-retention properties. It has an exceptional ability to retain many types of finishes. This is due primarily to the wood’s outstanding dimensional stability. But other factors also contribute, including a fine texture, a growth pattern with narrow bands of summer wood, and freedom from pitch and resin. (See Finish for options on finishing your cedar furniture.)

Cedar is the preferred wood for nearly any purpose where an attractive appearance with resistance to weather and decay is desired. It is one of the most desirable of woods to use for outdoor furniture, and complements a rustic interior perfectly. Beautiful — Light — Strong — Decay & Insect Resistant — Finishes Well — Reasonable in Price. What’s not to like?

Installing Wood Siding

By Tim Carter
©1993-2009 Tim Carter

Summary: Wood siding has been used on houses for hundreds of years. Engineered wood siding is an improvement on traditional siding as it allows us to make the most of our natural resources. If you want the best exterior wood siding, look for wood that contains natural preservatives and has vertical grain. Western cedar is a great wood siding species.

DEAR TIM: The house I grew up in had traditional wood lap siding. It seemed to wear like iron and it has a fantastic traditional look and feel. I would like to install some on a new home and wonder if it is still available and what is the best way to install it. Perhaps the biggest question is how do I make sure that paint will never peel or blister on this new wood siding? Phoebe H., Palo Alto, CA

DEAR PHOEBE: You know what they say don’t you? Imitation is the highest form of flattery. It seems like all of the non-wood siding products for years have copied the lap wood siding look. Aluminum, fiber cement and vinyl siding have had imitation lap sidings for years. This tells you that not only is the wood siding a timeless material, the lap siding look is perhaps the most popular. My wife and I love the real lap wood siding on our own home.

Lap wood siding is still available but you have to be sure you buy the right one. I prefer wood products that include preservatives injected by Mother Nature. Cedar and redwood are two such sidings. Both of these wood species have a considerable amount of natural preservatives. You may find other soft or hardwood siding materials, but only buy them if you can be sure they have been treated against wood rot.

 

Installing wood siding takes time and is not hard to do. Note the painted ends of the pieces behind my head. Each end is painted before the siding is nailed to the wall. PHOTO BY: Kathy Carter

Be sure to discuss wood grain orientation with the siding salesperson. The best wood siding has vertical grain. Less expensive wood sidings will sport flat grain. You can easily tell a vertical grain wood siding if you look at a freshly cut end. If you see ten, twenty or even 50 of the dark tree rings on the cut edge, the siding is indeed vertical grain. Flat grain wood siding may only have one, two or three dark tree rings visible on the end of a piece of siding. The vertical grain wood siding is more stable and the grain will not raise on the flat surface that you see once it is installed. 

Before you even think of nailing up your first piece of siding, there is a critical step you must follow. The wood siding needs to be primed on both sides and all edges before it is installed. Furthermore, each time you cut a piece of siding and are sure it is the correct length, those exposed cut ends must be painted before the siding is nailed to the wall. These critical painting steps help ensure the finish coat of paint will never peel or blister. I feel the best finish paint to use is one that is a blend of acrylic and urethane resins.

If the back and edges of the wood siding are not painted and water soaks into the wood, paint failure is an almost certainty. The water in the wood wants to get back into the atmosphere and it works its way to the front surface of the siding. Once there, warmth, wind and direct sunlight cause the water in the siding to form a vapor which can actually create a real blister in the finish paint. If you paint the back and edges of the siding, water can’t get into the wood in the first place.

The sides of the house must also be covered with a water barrier such as traditional asphalt-saturated felt paper or some of the modern synthetic fiber woven water and air barriers. You must use metal flashings and special drip caps moldings above horizontal trim boards, windows, doors and any other dissimilar material other than the siding. The flashings and drip caps help direct water away from the siding and prevent water from getting behind the siding or any trim boards used with the siding.

Be sure the first piece of wood siding or the lowest wood trim board laps over your foundation at least one inch. Water is your worst enemy and you want to ensure that water gets away from the siding and foundation of your home as quickly as possible. Follow all building codes with respect to the height above grade where the siding must start. Not all codes are the same, but I would not have the wood siding any closer to the soil than six inches. The greater the distance between the soil and the first piece of wood the better. If you can adjust your foundation height so there is a ten or twelve-inch space between wood and soil, do so.

 

Here is the finished product. Isn’t this a handsome garden shed? The wood siding and all trim details match my house perfectly. PHOTO BY: Tim Carter

The nails you use for wood siding are very important. The best nails are specific siding nails which have very blunt points and are made from stainless steel. These nails also have stacked rings on the shank of the nail for extra gripping power. Siding nails often have smaller heads as well so they are not that obvious if you install them flush with the surface of the wood siding. On painted siding, I always countersink the nail and fill the resulting hole with exterior spackling compound. 

To make sure the wood siding does not fall off the wall over time, be sure the nails used are long enough. The nail must pass through the siding, then pass through any sheathing such as plywood, foam board or oriented strand board and finally into a wood wall stud. The nail needs to penetrate the wood stud at least one and one-quarter inch. Do the math and you will discover it is best to use a nail that is 2.5 inches long.

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