Cedar

Environmental

Not listed in CITES. Believed available from well-managed sources. Check certification status with suppliers.

Distribution

Cedrus atlantica Manetti produces Atlantic or Atlas cedar, a native of Algeria and Morocco. Cedrus libani Loud. syn. C. libanotica Loud. produces cedar of Lebanon, a native of the Middle East. Cedrus deodara Loud. produces deodar, an important timber tree of northern India. All three species have been introduced into Britain where they are commonly planted for ornamental purposes.

The tree

Atlantic and Lebanon cedars grow to a height of 36m or rather more and a diameter of 1.5m. When grown on lawns and in parks, it has a low, rounded, or flattened top, the great spreading branches having grown more rapidly than the trunk; thus the bole seldom has great length, the branches being thrown out 2m to 3m from the ground, and the trunk immediately being divided into several stems. In their natural habitat, the boles are usually cleaner and free from branches to a greater height. The deodar cedar has a more pyramidal outline, and is a much larger tree reaching some 60m in height and a diameter of 2m in its native habitat. In the UK it rarely exceeds 21 m in height, and its branches are usually thrown out quite near to the ground.

The timber

The timber of the true cedars is similar in colour for all species; the heartwood is light brown, usually distinct from the narrow, lighter-coloured sapwood. The wood has a pungent cedar odour, and growth rings clearly marked by the contrast between early-wood and dense late-wood zones. It is rather resinous, and the texture of the wood is medium fine, while the grain is generally straight, although straight grain is more usually found in deodar. The Atlantic and Lebanon cedars grown under parkland conditions are fairly knotty with consequent grain disturbances. A characteristic of the true cedars is a tendency to produce bark pockets in the wood. The average weight of all these species is about 580 kg/m³ when dried.

Drying

Dries easily, but with a tendency to warp.

Strength

No data are available for Atlantic and Lebanon cedar, but they are soft, brittle woods, presumably with low strength. Deodar is similar to European redwood in bending strength and stiffness, but it lacks shock resistance and toughness.

Working qualities

Good - Easy to work, with little effect on the cutting edges of tools. A good finish can be obtained, although knots and bark pockets are sometimes troublesome. The timbers take paints and varnish well, and have good nailing properties.