Cedarwood soil is natural moth repellent. For this reason, it comes in the use of creating modern furniture like closets that contain wooden clothes.
The cedars of North America are light-weight, durable, and highly stable. It's used as wood shingles, which are tapered pieces of wood that clad roofs and walls to protect them from harsh weather.
Since the cedar is much resistant to cracking and warping, it's very suitable to make the musical instruments.
Two special instruments are made from this wood Spanish classical guitars and occasionally steel-string guitars.
The property of being resistant to warping makes it suitable for interior panelling in rooms around the house.
Cedar is an evergreen tree that belongs to the family of pines.
Sometimes, it’s also be used to describe 30 species of plants that belong to three families – Pinaceae, Cupressaceae, and Meliaceae.
Cedar can reach from 98 to 131 feet in height & 8 feet in diameter.
Cedar trees are huge, which is why we don't see it in the streets and park.
The cedar trees are often used at the large piece properties as a hedge or for their usefulness against winter. They make an excellent windbreak.
The Cedar tree has dark-grey or brown bark. It can be seen that surface of the cedar’s bark is covered with square-shaped cracks or with thick ridges.
The thick layer of white wax present on cedar leaves prevents the loss of water. Also, the colour of leaves depends on the thickness of the wax.
Cedar is a monoecious tree, i.e., it reproduces male and female cones on the same tree.
Immature female cones are barrel and green coloured. Female cones are ready to release winged seeds after 12 months of pollination.
According to the legend, Lebanon cedar trees were used to construct ships for Alexander the great and the construction of temples for the king Solomon in Jerusalem.
Cedarwood oil, extracted from foliage, woods, and roots of the cedar tree, was one of the ingredients used to manufacture of perfumes in ancient times.
The cedar tree was used to manufacture things like boxes, bowls, tools, boats, and various weapons in the past.
Ancient Sumerians used cedarwood oil as a base for paints.
The word ‘cedar’ was used 103 times in the Bible.
Ancient Egyptians used Fragrant oil extracted from the heartwood of cedar for mummification in ancient Egypt. Native Americans used this oil to repel mosquitoes.
The property of cedar being insect-repelling makes it best for the manufacturing industry. Clothes made of cedar are moths free. The Wood of cedar is also used for making shoe trees because it absorbs moisture and prevents the bad smell.
Lebanon cedar is seen as a symbol of tolerance and immortality in Lebanon. You can see it at a central position in the flag of the country of Lebanon.
Cedar can survive even up to 300 years in the wild.
The Cedars of GOD in Lebanon is a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with Holy Valley, Byblos, Baalbek, Anjar, and Tyre.
In western red cedar, both self and cross-pollination occur.
The western red cedar is also capable of vegetative reproduction. Fallen branches sometimes develop roots also.
Conifers belong to a major group of plants known as gymnosperms. The term 'gymnosperm' comes from the Greek root word meaning seed. This term tells the fact that the gymnosperm seeds are not surrounded by fruits.
The cedar 'Thuja Plicata' contains three interesting chemicals. The Wood contains plicatic acid, which could invoke asthma and allergies in sensitive people. This can be a major problem for people who work with the wood and is common enough to be considered an occupational hazard.
Plicatic acid can also become a reason for infecting contact dermatitis, which causes inflammation in the skin after touching any harmful substance. It generally causes redness and itching.
The plant contains a chemical. We call it 'Thujone'. When we rub the leaves of the plant, this chemical causes a smell like a menthol.
This chemical is also used to make perfumes, in minimal quantity though, as it can induce bad effects on the nervous system, if taken in quantity more than the safe limit.
The wood contains a chemical thujaplicin, which acts as a fungicide and a bactericide. This is one of the reasons behind the wood's resistance against decay.
There is a very lovely legend about the western red cedar among Salish people. Once there was a man who donated all his belongings and wealth. When he died, God created a western red cedar on his grave so that people could get what they wanted on that site.
The flat and spreading leaves of the tree can also provide protection from the rain.
The cedar tree comes in good use of wild animals. Bears, skunks, and raccoons make their dens in the tree's trunk's cavities, while many birds also build their nests on this tree.
Phoenicians used to export cedar trees to Egypt and got a huge price in return, even before they reached the peak of their trading capabilities.
The capital they gained from selling tinder helped them hugely in making their historic international trading network. Even they made their famous ships from the cedarwood.
Lebanon cedar helps ease toothaches.
The Quinault Lake in Washington is known for having the largest known western red cedar in the world.
Eastern red cedar may be considered an invasive weed in some parts of its growing area. Its fast reproduction rate often takes over the native prairie plants, becoming the sole plant in the area.