Red Cedar – Western Red Cedar – Thuja – Tree of Life

Names and distribution:

The term “red cedar” is derived from the American term “western red cedar”. Botanically speaking, it is not a true cedar. Apparently, the smell of the wood prompted America’s founding fathers to name the tree “cedar”. The German name for the tree species is “tree of life”, planted in parks, gardens and cemeteries in this country(Thuja plicata, Cupressaceae). The natural distribution area of the red cedar is western North America from California up to Alaska. The trunks can reach branch-free lengths of up to 25 m (!). The species is very dominant in its natural range and accounts for a large proportion of the standing timber stock. It is easy to propagate. For some time now, logs from southern Germany have also been available on the market. The wood is less fine-grained, but still popular due to its natural durability and pleasant smell.

Wooden picture:

Sapwood narrow and white. Core reddish brown. Latewood darker and narrow, clearly set off as patches. Wood from old stands is fine-grained (8 growth rings and more per cm), resin channels are missing. Simple structure.

Properties:

Density at u=12% is 0.34-0.46t/m³ depending on fineness/annual ring width. Slightly shrinking, aromatic (thujaplizin serves as moth protection!). Good stamina. Easy and clean to work, resulting in uniformly smooth surfaces, good for polishing and staining. The Brinell hardness is specified as 12, the modulus of elasticity as approx. 8,900 ^N/mm2. Favorable strength and elasticity properties in relation to weight.
Red cedar is weather-resistant and is classified in durability class 2.

Use:

Construction timber for interiors and exteriors, windows and doors, façade cladding, veneers and shingles, selected batches also for musical instruments.