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Why Western Red Cedar

Western Red Cedar (Thuja Plicata)

At BetterBirds.com, each birdhouse is individually handcrafted using Specialty and Premium Western Red Cedar.  We use Western Red Cedar because we believe that it is the ideal  wood species to build birdhouses.

Attributes of Western Red Cedar

Western Red Cedar has a natural, organic resistence to moisture, decay and insect damage, making it the ideal wood for birdhouses.  It has a pleasant and unmistakable aroma from naturally occurring thujaplicins in its heartwood. These organic compounds resist moisture, prevent fungi and insects, and preserve the wood naturally. When you purchase Western Red Cedar products from Better Birds.com, you can be confident that your products will last for years without the use of preservative treatments such as stains or paints.

Environmentally, Western Red Cedar is the ultimate green building material as it produces fewer greenhouse gases, requires less energy to produce than alternatives, and comes from a renewable, sustainable resource. In addition to these ecological benefits, Western Red Cedar is a naturally durable wood that can last for years. When you choose to purchase a Western Red Cedar product from our website, you are making an environmentally friendly choice to lower your ecological and carbon footprint.

Unfinished cedar has a richly textured grain with colors ranging from mellow ambers, reddish cinnamons and rich sienna browns, producing the most beautiful birdhouses!  

Where is Western Red Cedar grown?    

Western Red Cedar, an evergreen coniferous tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae, grows on the western edge of the coastal mountains from southern Alaska to Northern California.   Western Red Cedars grow in low to mid elevations, and is found in cool, mild and moist locations.    

The principal supplying region for Western Red Cedar is the coasting forest region of British Columbia.  It is British Columbia’s official tree. 

History of Western Red Cedar      

Along the Western Coast of North America, aboriginal people have used cedar bark for thousands of years.  They used the bark to make a wide variety of products including rope, clothing and baskets.   Cedar logs are also used to make canoes, totem poles, masks and log houses. 

Centuries ago, the Red Cedar was named the “Tree of Life” by the Native Americans.  

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