Chamaecyparis Nootkatensis |
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YELLOW CEDAR
Durable
Rot Resistant
High Strength
Tight Grain
Competitive Cost
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Termite-Resistant Building Materials
from Island Cypress
"Our results indicate that these naturally durable woods compare favourably in termite resistance to preservative-treated wood."
-- University of Hawaii researcher Dr. J. Kenneth Grace
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Island Cypress LLC is a Louisiana company owned by the Vancouver Island Association of Wood Processors (1994) based on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.
The Association's 65 members include primary sawmills, lumber remanufacturers, window and door manufacturers, outdoor decking and fencing manufacturers, producers of paneling, flooring and mouldings, and specialty lumber. Typical species used by the mills include hemlock, Douglas fir, western red cedar and yellow cedar.
Yellow cedar, or Chamaecyparis Nootkatensis, was first identified at Nootka Sound on Vancouver Island. It is related to other cypresses such as Port Orford cedar and red (bald) cypress.
It has long been used by wooden boat builders due to its durability, or resistance to rot. Other traditional uses have included its introduction as a replacement for native cedars in Japan in exposed/untreated buildings such as shrines, or more recently as sill plates in house foundations. The Japanese building code standards specifically cite yellow cedar as allowable in uses where "high decay inhibition and high termite proof performance" are required.
Testing at the University of Hawaii by Dr. J. Kenneth Grace on the resistance of naturally durable woods, including yellow cedar, to the Formosan Subterranean Termites (FST) found "Our results indicate that these naturally durable woods compare favourably in termite resistance to preservative-treated wood."
Since the beginning of 1999, The Vancouver Island Association of Wood Processors has been cooperating with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in New Orleans in their work on combating the Formosan Termite. They have been testing the natural properties of various species (wood chemistry) in feeding preferences of the Formosan Termite. The first published results of their work were released in December 1999. They found the yellow cedar to be among the termite's 'least preferred species' and 'significantly less preferred than other wood species used for construction purposes'. Field testing for structural applications and in landscaping mulches is currently underway.
Louisiana companies and individuals that can appreciate the special natural characteristics of this product, with its fine white-yellow appearance, tight grain, stability, and high strength can now obtain it locally. It will prove to be a cost-competitive replacement to traditional wood products such as redwood, bald cypress and Spanish cedar; with reliable supply to fit individual requirements from beams and lumber to decking, mouldings, paneling, and window and door stock.
To locate lumber suppliers in your area or for information on products made to specifications, please contact:
Lance Odegaard
Island Cypress Representative
540 Berg Road
Gabriola, BC V0R 1X2
Canada
Phone: (360) 738-6552
Fax: 1-866-847-8429
Email: odegaard.islandcypress@shaw.ca
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