For those who are interested in reducing their environmental footprint, western red cedar is the ultimate green building material. It is responsibly and sustainably harvested in the publicly managed forests of British Columbia, Canada. These practices are independently certified: CSA, SFI and FSC.
Less than 1% of British Columbia’s cedar-growing stock volume is harvested each year. For each tree harvested, eight are replanted to ensure the forest will exist in perpetuity. These young forests are excellent carbon sinks – they consume and convert carbon dioxide into oxygen. Today, there are more forests in North America than there were 100 years ago.
Western red cedar requires significantly less energy to produce than other materials and, unlike man-made alternatives, western red cedar is biodegradable. Timber has 400 times better insulation (R) value than steel, 2,000 times that of aluminium, and eight times that of concrete.
Make the right choice for your environment – build green with western red cedar from members of the Western Red Cedar Export Association (WRCEA).
Source: Architects Handbook 2008/09
