| Basic Information About Western Red Cedar Paneling The Western Red Cedar is a large tree, ranging between 40 to 150 feet (12 to 45 meters) tall and up to 22 feet (7 meters) in trunk diameter. Cedar trees growing in the open will exhibit a crown that reaches the ground, whereas cedar trees densely spaced together will only exhibit a crown at the top, where light can reach the leaves. Some Western Red Cedar trees can live nearly a thousand years, if not more. Thujaplicin, a chemical substance, is found in mature trees and serves as a sort of natural fungicide, thereby preventing the wood from rotting. Western Red Cedar is among the most widespread trees in the Pacific Northwest, and is associated with Douglas-fir and western hemlock in most places where it grows. Western Red Cedar has an extensive history of use by the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, from Oregon to southeast Alaska. Some northwest coast tribes refer to themselves as "people of the red cedar" because of their extensive dependence on the cedar tree for basic materials. The cedar wood has been used by these tribes for constructing housing, totem poles, and crafted into many objects, including masks, utensils, boxes, boards, instruments, canoes, vessels, and ceremonial objects. Roots and bark were used for baskets, ropes, clothing, blankets and rings. The soft red-brown timber is now valued by the building industry for its distinct appearance, aroma, and its high natural resistance to decay, being extensively used for outdoor construction in the form of posts, decking, shingles and siding, and indoors for cedar paneling on walls and ceilings. This information was compiled from Wikipedia, an Online Encyclopedia. |
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