The Many Faces of Cedar
Cedar is just an all-around awesome wood. Its lush reddish hues and intoxicating fragrance make for beautiful furniture, scented drawers, great mulch, carved ornaments and more. It’s at once versatile and durable. It’s also affordable. This is due in large part to its being a wood native to North America. Want to do your part to stimulate the economy? Buy American-logged furniture!
Like many types of tree, the cedar family actually encompasses multiple species, each with their native growing areas and distinct characteristics. For example, when you buy Eastern white cedar, you will definitely notice how different it looks from Western red cedar. Here are some of the various types and a little about them:
Port Orford Cedar
Native to Oregon and Northern California, Port Orford Cedar has a more yellow coloration than other varieties. Interestingly, it’s also more shock-resistant than other cedars. This makes it perfect for doormats and other solid pieces that might take a beating. However, it’s also prone to shrinking more, and despite its pleasant gingery smell, is not one of the more popular choices for furniture.
Atlantic Cedar
This wood is native to southeast coastal regions of the United States. The coloration varies from white to light brown, and even a faint pink hue. With a fine texture, the grain is not well-suited to the bending and compression required in furniture making, although it takes a coat of paint nicely.
Western Red Cedar
This is the most common type of cedar around and is consequently the most often seen in patio furniture. The trees can be found in the Pacific Northwest and boast a medium, reddish-brown tone. Although it’s the most common, that’s not the only reason it’s so predominant in the furniture scene. A straight grain that’s perfect for crafting, along with being rot and shrink-resistant, make this extra large tree the perfect choice for the wear and tear of outdoor living.
Incense Cedar
The creamy white to reddish brown variety of cedar is also the oldest, with some trees dating back half a millennium. The native growing regions are more varied than some other species, from Oregon to Southern California and even areas of the Mexican Baja Peninsula. Maybe because of this, they are well adapted to temperature fluctuations, and the straight grain and a resistance to shock and decay make it an easy wood to work with.
Eastern White Cedar
Smaller than Western Reds, the Eastern White Cedar ranges from light brown to reddish hues and can be found in the Northeast part of the country, as well as in parts of Canada. The wood is soft and lightweight, and great for woodworking. The straight grain takes nails, stains and glue particularly well, and the heartwood is rot-resistant.
Northern White Cedar
Similar to the Eastern White, the Northern White Cedar is also indigenous to the Northeast and Canada, but its coloration exhibits darker brown tones. This species is unique in that it has the lowest density of any commercial wood. At the same time, it takes paint well, and is naturally resistant to termites. It’s the choice wood in many canoes.
Southern Red Cedar
Last but not least, the Southern Red Cedar can be found in North Carolina and Florida to points as far west as Texas. The dullish red wood is weaker and softer than other species, making it less optimal for woodworking. However, it’s particularly aromatic and because of that works as a great insect repellant.
