pacific cedar supply factory

FAQs

Answers to your questions

1. How are your products sustainable?

From the forest to our mills to your local lumberyard, every portion of our process is tracked by at least one of the three independent regulating agencies: The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). We only harvest trees that meet our numerous environmental standards and certifications.

Like farmers, timber harvesters replant to replenish what is taken. In fact, private landowners in the U.S. plant about 4 million trees each day (60 percent of all forestland in the U.S. is privately owned).* This is good news for forests: Today there are 12 million more acres of U.S. forestland than there were 20 years ago.**

Our goals are just like yours: to balance the need to protect the planet while living in the modern world. Read more about our commitment to sustainability. And feel free to ask us any questions.

*American Forest & Paper Association, www.afandpa.org

**American Forest & Paper Association, www.afandpa.org

2. Isn’t “China cedar” and China fir the same as Western Red Cedar? It smells nice…

No, China fir (also called "China cedar") is NOT Western Red Cedar. It masquerades as such, but the differences are substantial.

China fir is not a true cedar species, but a member of the Taxodiaceae (bald-cypress) family, identified by the scientific name Cunninghamia lanceolata. Its unique strong scent and pest-resistant qualities resemble that of incense cedar, but its color and knot structure is that of spruce. Its fast growth and density are similar to pine, yet its grain and texture are closer to Douglas fir.

Numerous China fir products are sold for siding, decking, garden items, furniture, fencing, free boards, moldings, door and window jambs, and more. However, very few of these products are correctly labeled under their true species, China fir. The most common name is Chinese cedar, but you’ll also find labels such as white cedar, stained whitewood, colored cedar, fir and poplar. Many buyers are not aware of these significant differences.

China fir is a species suitable for many applications, but it is not interchangeable with true Western Red Cedar. Western Red Cedar is native to the British Columbia area of North America. CedarTec™ products are made from true 100 percent Canadian Western Red Cedar.