Cedar trees belong to the pine family, the members of which have needlelike leaves and, like all conifers, bear their seeds on scales in pinecones. Cedar is mentioned in the Old Testament. The First Temple of Solomon was built of Cedar (1 Kings 5:6).

American Cherokee Indians believe the wood of the cedar tree holds powerful protective spirits. Many carry a small piece of cedar wood in their medicine bags worn around the neck, or placed above doors to protect against the entry of evil spirits. Great Lakes Indians used cedar for canoe ribs (then covered them with birch bark). They also extracted oil from the foliage to relieve chest congestion.

Cedar is durable for everything outdoors, from fences to furniture.

Fresh Cedar

White cedar grows in company with hemlock, larch, alder, and balsam fir in moist soil in thick stands up to 70 feet tall. The tree has an attractive pyramidal shape, often with twin trunks. The orange-brown bark features fissures that break into strings. Rather than having needles like most conifers, northern white cedar has tiny, scaly leaves that overlap on the twigs and branches. Cones are 1/2 inch long and appear by late summer.

The wood is a striated light tan color and splits easily along its growth rings.

Old Cedar

Split wood that has been exposed to air, without weathering, changes in subtle ways. The color becomes deeper, with a more prominent difference between the striations, ranging from reddish tan, to almost mauve.

Weathered Cedar

As cedar weathers, the wood lightens, taking on the patina of light to medium silvery grays. striation differences become less pronounced, while the contrast between the bark and the wood becomes more obvious.

Weathered Red Cedar

When the French came to Louisiana, they named the red cedar they found growing "baton rouge", or the "red stick". The name came to be used for their capital city. The tree is a juniper. Its leaves furnish fragrant oil for medicines and  perfumes, and the berries flavor Dutch gin. Moths hate juniper's sweet smell, resulting in the use of the wood for chests and closet liners since Colonial times.

Also called red juniper and aromatic red cedar, eastern red cedar can be found in the eastern US, west to Texas.  Rather than the needles typical of evergreens, this tree has lacey fronds that brown with age. Its bark appears reddish-brown and shredded, with vertical ridges. The sapwood is a thin ring of pale pink, while the heartwood darkens to near red. The wood's oil exudes its pleasant, unmistakable aroma, and is concentrated in the knots.

Weathered Red Cedar/Moss

Moss isn't just for the north side of the tree. Many wood piles exhibit large quantities of moss in the shaded areas. The introduction of the subtle reds and greens typical of growing moss create a more natural looking logset.