COMMERCIAL USES OF WESTERN RED CEDAR 



135 



WESTERN RED CEDAR AS A RESIDENCE 



Near Seattle, Washington, an enormous red cedar stump has been made into a home for a fairly large family. It is roofed over with shakes, 

 split shingles, also of red cedar. The stump was originally used as the postoffice of the county in which it is located, serving in this capacity 

 for a number of years before it was turned into a residence. 



ests of the "panhandle" and reaches its eastern limit in 

 western Montana. 



Its local distribution is confined to regions of plentiful 

 precipitation, and chiefly to wet or constantly moist situ- 

 ations. In the Puget Sound region it occurs chiefly in 

 river bottoms, on moist flats, in and around swamps, on 

 benches and gentle slopes and in cool, moist gulches and 

 ravines. 



It does not occur in the dry basin between the Cas- 

 cades and the Rocky Mountains in either Oregon or 

 Washington, but reappears abundantly in the humid 

 forest region of the "Inland Empire" in northeastern 

 Washington and northern Idaho. 



The western red cedar can be used for a great many 

 different purposes, but the most valuable characteristics 

 are its lightness and durability. This makes it excep- 

 tionally valuable for fences, posts, poles, certain classes 

 of piling, also certain forms of lumber, but especially 

 for shingles. Probably 75 per cent of all the cedar cut 

 goes into shingles, the other 25 per cent going to the 

 various uses named. 



Through the sections of the country where cedar 

 thrives there are many examples of the durability of this 

 wood. Almost any place along the waters of the Pacific 



Coast, from Oregon to Alaska, one may find the old In- 

 dian canoe made of red cedar. The old block houses 

 built by the Indians were of red cedar. One on San 

 Juan Island, built in the year 1856, is roofed with red 

 cedar shingles. This roof today is in perfect condition. 



Near Seattle, Washington, is the home of a fairly 

 large family which is built in an enormous cedar stump 

 which has been roofed over with shakes (split shin- 

 gles). This stump was originally used for the postoffice 

 of the county in which it is located, serving in this 

 capacity for a number of years before it was turned into 

 itf present mission. 



There is also, or was until very recent years, a remark- 

 able example of the durability of a cedar log which had 

 laid on the ground for at least 1,500 years. After the 

 original tree had fallen, three other cedar trees had 

 grown over it. These cedars in turn reached a remark- 

 able size, and were cut down. The largest of these 

 trees was 10^2 feet in diameter and showed an average 

 of 23 rings to the inch. This would mean that this 

 particular tree was 1,449 years old and during all these 

 years the log had laid there during alternate wet and 

 dry seasons and endured the most favorable conditions 

 for decay. At the time the picture, which you see in 



