Incense Cedar
Incense-cedar forests are found primarily in southern
Oregon and in California's Sierra Nevada mountains.
Tree Features
Needles: Scale-like and appressed to twig; set of four leaves is much
longer than it is wide (and is shaped like long-stemmed wine glass);
little or no white pattern on underside.
Fruit: Woody cones about 1" long; unopened cones are shaped like a
duck's bill; open cones are shaped like a flying goose.
Bark: Flaky when young; platy, furrowed, and reddish-brown when
mature.
Distribution: Native to the Cascade Mountains in Oregon and the
Sierra Nevada mountains in California. Grow below 6600 ft. (2000 m) in
Oregon, below 8000 ft. (2500 m) in California, and above 7500 ft. (2300
m) in Baja California.
Incense Wood
Incense-cedar wood is resistant to decay, making it
very desirable for exterior use. This wood is used as mud sills,
window sashes, sheathing under stucco or brick veneer construction,
greenhouse benches, fencing, poles, and trellises. It is also
widely used for exterior and interior
siding. Much of the top quality incense-cedar is used in the
manufacture of pencils
Ranked as one of the most dimensionally stable wood
species, Incense-cedar stands up to wide fluctuations in temperature and
humidity without warping, checking or shrinking away from fasteners. It
can be hand-tooled or machine-tooled to exact tolerances, and provides a
smoother, more uniform surface than pine and other softwoods. Such
properties make Incense-cedar an ideal material for the precision
milling and machining processes of pencil-making as well as for outdoor
siding, decking, moulding, interior, paneling, and landscape material.
Even the bark is used as fuel for electric cogeneration facilities.
Incense-cedar is an abundant, renewable resource that
is grown, managed, and harvested on a sustained-yield basis in
accordance with the strictest forestry regulations in the world. The
annual volume growth of Incense-cedar exceeds the annual harvest by a
factor of two-to-one, ensuring an ample supply of the species well into
the future.
