Real Western Red Cedar is Beautiful, Self-Preserving, and Carbon-Neutral
by Thom Inman - Master Craftsman carving custom wood signs for 60 years
Western Red Cedar is the most beautiful, warmly colorful, self-preserving wood. You should insist on using this fantastic wood when considering your custom wooden sign project. It's omnipotent. It has warm colors and tones. It has a beautiful tactile texture. It smells great (even intoxicating to those "Green" sensitive). Western Red Cedar has no pitch. It has no resin. It has no sap. The more significant problem is that a lot of wood is called "Cedar." There are as many as 13 varieties of cedar wood. Many are Junipers, or pine, Yellow Cedar, White Cedar, Spanish Cedar, and on and on. Eastern Red Cedar is an incense-like variety for closet linings and hope chests. There's the rub...False cedars. Real Western Red Cedar is THE material for an outdoor custom wood sign.
Western Red Cedar does contain natural oils that help preserve it against insect attack and decay. This is a huge reason it is used outdoors for custom wood signs. Most welcome signs are placed outdoors and will be asked to withstand various weather conditions, from extreme cold to very hot, wet, warm, and everything in between. Because Western Red Cedar can weather these conditions so well, it is the only choice for carved sign making. Cedar has literally been the outdoor construction material of choice for centuries. These natural oils make carved cedar signs incredibly durable, maintaining your outdoor signs' great appearance for a long, long time. Cedar is, remarkably, dimensionally stable. This means it will tend to lay flat and remain straight. When Western Red Cedar is appropriately treated and refreshed, it will gracefully weather a lifetime.™
Western Red Cedar also adds appeal to your landscape. Since your welcome sign will likely be placed on or near a landscaped area, the carved sign will serve as a focal point and augment the environment for potential customers, visitors, and guests. Quite simply, they see your lush landscape and your aesthetically pleasing cedar, personalized outdoor welcome sign.
Western Red Cedar, however, is not a particularly affordable wood. Forest fires and weather conditions in the Pacific Northwest have constrained forestation. Cedar and other wood products comprise almost 50% of all raw materials manufactured in the United States. Yet, its share of energy consumption during manufacturing is less than 5%. Western Red Cedar is a renewable building material that is recyclable and regenerated. "Green Building" and rating systems such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) recognize the environmental impact of using woods like Western Red Cedar. Because cedar is so durable, it lasts long and doesn't need replacement. The durability of western red cedar is a principal reason why North American and Canadian forests are still abundant after 150 years of harvesting. It's natural, biodegradable, recyclable, and originates from sustainably managed forests.
This Green Building Initiative's fundamental proposition deals with the environment's health. Cedar is a natural material with centuries of proven performance. Green building rating systems are being applied increasingly, and Cedar excels under the scrutiny of green building review. Western Red Cedar meets the requirements and is the winner in all aspects compared to other materials. Creating signs from Western Red Cedar is natural - the ultimate green material. It produces fewer greenhouse gases, requires less energy than alternatives, and comes from a profoundly renewable, sustainable resource. Equally important, Western Red Cedar is carbon neutral! That's just plain smart.
May the Forest be with you!
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