INCENSE CEDAE, 11 



GROSS CHARACTERISTICS. 



The wood of incense cedar is soft and light, averaging about 25 

 pounds per cubic foot in an air-dry condition. Its shipping weight 

 is about 4,500 pounds per thousand feet board measure in the log, 

 and from 2,300 to 2,500 pounds per thousand feet as lumber, depend- 

 ing upon the degree of seasoning. The wood, though not strong, is 

 compact, and has a fine straight grain, splits readily and evenly, 

 and does not check or warp much in seasoning. It works well,- takes 

 a good polish, is extremely durable, and is consequently useful in 

 many ways. As the name implies, incense cedar is markedly aro- 

 matic, possessing a pronounced resinous and not unpleasant odor. 



The sapwood and heartwood are usually well defined, especially 

 in old trees and seasoned lumber. The sapwood is white or cream 

 colored, and the heartwood a light brown, often tinged with red and 

 turning darker with age and exposure to light and air. 



The annual rings of growth, though sharply defined in structure, 

 can not always be readily distinguished by the naked eye in slow- 

 growing or suppressed trees and in the outer portion of old, over- 

 mature timber, where the rings are narrow. In thrifty growing 

 trees, however, the annual rings put on in early life are often wide 

 and fairly conspicuous. 



STRENGTH AND SHRINKAGE.* 



Incense cedar is not strong when compared with longleaf pine 

 and Douglas fir, owing to the prevalence of defects and its low 

 elastic limit. Figures on its actual strength value for construction 

 purposes are not available, but Table 9 contains the results of tests 

 on small pieces cut from 9 trees growing at an elevation of 3,600 

 feet, near Weed, Cal. All portions of the tree, both sap and heart, 

 were represented, and the results given are averages of all tests 

 made. The results of similar tests on longleaf pine, Douglas fir, 

 and the more important associated species of incense cedar are given 

 for comparison. Though much weaker than longleaf pine or Doug- 

 las fir, incense cedar compares favorably with many other species. 



1 The data on incense cedar are the results of tests conducted at the Forest Service 

 Laboratory operated in cooperation with the University of Washington, Seattle, by 

 O. P. M. Goss, engineer in forest products, July, 1912. 



