Cedar is not only a powerful, beautiful tree, it also produces priceless wood. It is used to make musical instruments, sports equipment, and pencils. Cedar dries easily, is well processed and has virtually no cracks. Another significant advantage of cedar wood is its resistance to decay. At the same time, cedar disinfects the air and is able to save nearby trees from death.
What is made from cedar
Cedar wood combines softness, pliability with strength and the absence of chips and cracks when properly processed. Its color ranges from beige to pink, with streaks of purple sometimes visible. The natural longevity of cedar wood, combined with new processing methods, makes it possible to produce products that can last for decades.
Cedar lumber
The use of cedar in construction is very important due to its good thermal insulation properties, resistance to rotting and indifference to moisture. Cedar round timber is capable of producing several high-quality logs.
Most often, round timber is cut and made:
- bars,
- bars,
- logs,
- boards,
- lining (eurolining),
- Planken.
The beams are used for floors and as rafters. But considering that cedar wood is one of the most expensive, only residents of Siberian villages, near whose houses this tree grows, can afford it.
Other people build houses and bathhouses from logs, and use boards and lining, for example from Canadian cedar, for interior cladding. For external cladding, specially processed thin boards are used that look like clapboard.
Facade finishing
In Siberia, cedar is still the main building material in villages remote from cities. Houses built from its wood in conditions of harsh winters, hot summers and rainy off-seasons have stood for more than a hundred years. Due to the fact that cedar does not rot, finished buildings practically do not change their shape.
Now in luxury construction, cedar can be used to decorate the facade of a house. A natural analogue of siding, façade boards are professionally called heat-treated planken. A special coating allows you to preserve the natural texture of the wood and extend its service life.
When making planken, knots, bark, and sapwood are completely removed. Only wood that looks healthy without rotting is selected. The façade planks have a special shape of the corners. They are slightly rounded. And it is thanks to them that the façade turns out special.
Thin strips are mounted on a metal frame. There must be a gap between them - an expansion joint. And this despite the fact that there are different installation methods. This allows you to create different facade patterns.
The main advantages of the facade board are that it:
- durable,
- resistant to precipitation;
- indifferent to temperature changes;
- able to withstand strong winds;
- beautiful.
What does the cedar façade look like in the photo?
Cedar façade finishing
Cedar house facade
Cedar shingles for facade
The only disadvantages include the high cost and difficulty of replacing elements when repairing the facade. But considering that such facades rarely have to be repaired, and their service life is calculated in decades, the rating is 5.
Reviews confirm that cedar planks for facades are a worthy solution. So, Sergey from Abakan writes: The facade of the house was covered with cedar planks. The house acquired a very stylish look and became nobly beautiful. And even the air outside became cleaner and more pleasant.
7sotok.by
The content of the article:
1. Useful properties of cedar.
2. Reproduction of cedar.
3. Planting Siberian cedar.
4.Caring for cedar.
5. Varieties of Siberian cedar.
Siberian cedar or Siberian pine - belongs to the pine family, coniferous trees that turn green all year round. According to its height, cedar
can reach forty meters, and in terms of life span, these mighty trees with a gorgeous spreading crown delight more than one generation with their longevity, living up to 800 years, although on average they last for 500 years.
Siberian cedar is distinguished from its relative, common pine, by its needles. Cedar needles are delicate, soft, dark green in color, growing in bunches of 5-6 pieces, and pine needles are less fluffy, 2-3 pieces in a bunch. The tree is shade-tolerant, frost-resistant, slow-growing and wind-pollinated.
Siberian cedar has a division of sexes into male and female cones. Male cones are located on elongated shoots, while female cones are located on the tips of growth shoots. Cedar cones are large, smoothly changing from purple to brown.
Beneficial features.
Siberian cedar is the only plant in the world that has unusually powerful healing powers, and at the same time has no contraindications. To say that this tree is simply beautiful, and simply has numerous medicinal properties, is to say nothing, and also a little insult to a tree that is thoroughly imbued with incredible strength, health and well-being. You will not find a person who will remain indifferent from meeting and communicating with a massive healer, about whose wonderful qualities tens of thousands of words can be written. But words, unfortunately, will remain words, and to see for yourself how amazing cedar is, you need to grow it on your own land.
In most cases, cedar is popular for its fruits - pine nuts, with strikingly original taste, which tempt gardeners to plant the most valuable tree. But in order to grow it, you will have to be patient, cedar grows very slowly, and the fruits will be shared in 15-20 years - this is provided that you take good care of it, because in a wild forest environment the first fruits appear in 40-70 years. Don’t be sad about these facts, because if you are not spoiled by a massive friend, then your children and grandchildren will definitely be!
In addition, pine nuts are one of the many bonuses from the mighty Siberian resident.
Cedar resin has embalming properties, it is used for all types of external injuries (wounds, cuts, ulcers, boils, burns and much more), and is used in the treatment of gums and teeth.
The needles contain many acids, vitamins and essential oils. Infusions, tinctures, and oils are made from it, which are useful for a variety of joint diseases, as well as for cleansing the lungs by inhalation. By placing fresh twigs in the water in your apartment, you can cleanse the space from the negative effects of the TV and other equipment that has wave radiation.
Cedar cones are an excellent way to treat the gastrointestinal tract, joints, get rid of coughs and improve the body's protective functions. There are many recipes for using pine cones.
cedar bark as mulch for your many favorite plants.
Nuts are the most delicious treat. Healing oil, flour and milk are made from the nut. And cake is an excellent dietary product, similar to muesli.
Pine nut shells are useful for preparing various medicinal potions (decoctions, tinctures, infusions), as a good fertilizer for the soil, can be used as a raw material in construction, to make paint, and used in landscape design.
The wood is also very valuable ; it is used in the manufacture of furniture, floors, houses, amulets and various types of jewelry. Wood is famous for its bactericidal properties and favorable aura.
Siberian cedar is an excellent helper, actively purifying and disinfecting the air in its habitat, filling the space with oxygen and the unforgettable aroma of pine needles. It does not like excessive air pollution, so it does not take root in cities.
Sandy loam, loamy soil, drained soil with an upper level of groundwater, and podzolic gray forest soil are favorable for Siberian cedar. In chernozem and sandy, clayey, swampy soils, cedar does not feel well.
Reproduction.
There are two methods: vegetative and seed. Vegetatively propagated by grafting or rooting cuttings. This method is used quite rarely, mainly for the purpose of cloning unique forms.
The seed method will require patience and effort, but will reward you with quality seedlings.
They start by soaking cedar seeds in lukewarm water for 3-5 days, replacing the water once a day. This procedure will help identify seeds that are suitable for cultivation and those that are not. Suitable seeds will swell and sink, and those that float will be empty, not suitable for cultivation.
Good nuts are transferred to a solution with potassium permanganate for several hours, and then mixed with moistened sand, peat or sawdust in a ratio of 1:2 and placed in the refrigerator or under the snow. If the number of seeds is not large, then they can be stored in fabric bags, which are made in several layers. The main thing is that humidity is maintained and maintained. This stratification lasts at least three months.
When planning to germinate nuts, separate the substrate from them and soak in a solution with potassium permanganate for about a day, then dry naturally. The seeds are ready for growing; now you choose whether to grow seedlings and then transplant them, or plant the seeds directly in the ground in a permanent place. You can also plant seeds in the ground in the fall without using stratification in the refrigerator or under the snow. The main thing is to protect the place from mice and other pests.
It is more favorable to grow seedlings in greenhouses or greenhouses in loose peat soil, protecting young seedlings from hungry birds. I advise you to fill the sowing areas with wood ash with peat or potash fertilizers. It is permissible to plant up to 150 seeds per 1 meter at a depth of three centimeters. It will be useful at the initial stage after sowing to water the ridges with a 0.4% solution of potassium permanganate. After three years, the seedlings can be dug up and transplanted to grow to a stronger and larger development. Before planting a cedar in a permanent place, make sure that its root system is sufficiently formed. If it is not possible to grow seedlings yourself, they can be purchased at a nursery.
Planting Siberian Cedar.
Siberian cedar is freedom-loving, so when planting several trees at once, keep a distance of at least 8 m. When planting cedars, it is important to pay attention to the condition of the tree’s root system. It should have free, even branches, and if, after removing the seedling from the container, you find a tangled tangle, then carefully untangle it, freeing the roots and straightening them.
Cedar is characterized by superficial distribution of roots, so the seedling is planted in the top layer of soil, which, unfortunately, in most regions is the most fertile layer (20 cm).
The planting hole should go down 1 meter, and its diameter is about 1.8 m. The huge size of the hole is necessary to fill with a suitable substrate, which will later become the home of a strong tree. Insert dry alder or birch branches vertically along the diameter; when they rot, they will accelerate the development of the root system of the seedling, which will go deeper.
We fill the hole itself with good fertile soil and add compost to it in large quantities. If your soil is clayey in nature, then be sure to add sand to the soil. The entire substrate should be thoroughly dug up and moistened, getting rid of voids. This procedure is carried out a couple of days before planting the cedar to allow the soil to settle. Cedar is planted within 20 cm of the top layer of light fertile substrate, providing decent air permeability.
Remove the seedling from the container carefully and together with the soil clod. To prevent the roots from drying out in the future, place them in water, allowing them to become saturated with moisture. Build a mound on top in the center of the hole, place a seedling on it and evenly distribute the cedar root system around the entire circumference. Place the seedling straight, and if it is slightly curved, then place the wrong side towards the sun. The trunk of the seedling can be tied in a figure eight.
Sprinkle the root system up to the beginning of the trunk with fertile soil, not forgetting to compact it. The perimeter of the pit also needs to be sprinkled with a little earth, and then watered generously (40-50 liters). Next will be a mulch layer of about 8 cm from compost and mowed grass (1:2), and lay turf along the edges of the hole.
Siberian cedar is planted in groups (3-4 trees) in open areas, making it possible to form a luxurious crown and acquire resistance to winds and heavy snowfall. In such conditions, cedar is able to generously bestow fruits ahead of schedule.
It is useful to plant berry bushes and low trees that bear fruit next to cedars. But plant it in such a way that while the cedar is growing, the neighbors will not darken it. Lupine will be an excellent biological fertilizer that accelerates the growth of seedlings.
Care.
Mulching is a mandatory process; it creates a favorable atmosphere for maintaining fertility and moisture, and provides the root system with the necessary amount of oxygen. Deciduous tree stands will become an excellent mulch, protecting cedar from many diseases.
For active growth of cedar, its adventitious roots are stimulated by adding a layer of mulch (once a year). In dry weather, be sure to water the cedar (not allowing the soil to dry out in a 5 cm layer) and spray the needles (in the evening), removing dust particles and improving gas exchange. Digging of the earth is prohibited - only loosening the top layers of soil; pruning of side branches is also excluded.
We feed the seedlings with potassium sulfate (20 g per 10 liters per 1 seedling) three times during the growing season: in May, in June, in July, watering the tree trunk circle. Fertilizers containing nitrogen begin to be used no earlier than one year after picking.
If the needles are covered with cotton balls, wash them off under powerful water pressure and treat the branches with Actellik medicinal solution. When wet weather lasts for a long time, a white coating sometimes appears on the branches, which, when developed, significantly slows down the growth of cedar and contributes to the death of shoots. In this case, take warm water, add laundry soap to it, whipping up the foam, and wipe the infected areas with a soft cloth several times.
It will be productive to place large flat stones against the tree trunk, which over time will give rise to fungal growth, which will continue to promote the growth of your seedling.
Varieties of Siberian Cedar.
When choosing which varieties to plant on your site, consider why exactly you need cedar. There are many types of varieties, both exclusively decorative and fruit-bearing, as well as varieties that begin to bear fruit 5-6 years after planting, but the number of fruits will be small. Below you will find types of decorative varieties of Siberian cedar, bred specifically for those who want to have a small but very valuable tree.
Variety President.
Cedar with full-fledged large cones and high fruiting in relation to its low height (up to three meters). It has a low density cone-shaped crown with long green conifer needles and a good growth rate. The variety was presented to V.V. Putin for his anniversary.
Variety Oligarch.
It was bred as a gift to M.B. Khodorkovsky. It grows slowly, bears fruit abundantly, is distinguished by small flattened cones and a medium-density ovoid crown.
Variety Narcissus.
It has original decorative qualities, velvety needles of pale green color, and a very dense spherical crown. It grows slowly and does not bear fruit; the cones are very small and do not have time to ripen.
Variety Biosphere.
Its qualities resemble the narcissus variety. It grows a little faster than narcissus and has low fruiting. The spherical crown is dense with green needles and medium-sized cones.
Variety Ideal.
Doesn't bear fruit. A variety with an ideal spherical dense crown, long green needles on which small cones are located. Great for decorative landscaping on your site.
Subalpine variety.
It grows quickly with a cone-shaped, loose crown with long gray needles and large cones that have low fertility.
Record holder variety.
An elite variety with high yield and rapid ripening of fruits. It grows slowly with a medium-dense spherical crown with green needles and large full-fledged cones.
Variety Emerald.
It is distinguished by bright green needles with medium-sized cones that bear moderate fruit. The crown is dense, cone-shaped, the growth rate is average.
Tamagotchi variety.
This variety stands out from the rest, grows very slowly, has abundant branching, and is sterile (does not bear fruit). A spherical crown of high density with short gray needles and small cones.
Variety He-and-She.
It has a spherical, loose crown, regular green long needles, on which large fruiting cones are located. The growth rate is average.
Variety Highlander.
It grows slowly with a dense, ovoid-shaped crown with regular green needles of medium length and small cones that bear fruit poorly. Bonsai lovers will like this variety.
Plantation variety.
This variety grows well and pleases with good fruits; its qualities are similar to the President variety. The spherical crown is loose, with long green needles, on which large, full-fledged cones ripen.
Log houses
Nowadays, probably, only a few craftsmen can make a real log house. Modern construction companies offer the construction of wooden houses from rounded timber. Such structures are manufactured in factories, and the logs are collected on site according to the established procedure. Only a professional can distinguish a building from a real log house.
Old log houses were built without nails and from large diameter cedar. Such a house could be erected in several weeks of continuous labor. New log houses are built in a matter of days. Modern technologies make it possible to perfectly match logs to each other, without leaving the slightest gaps between them. A house made of cedar logs cannot be insulated, and no finishing work is carried out on the walls inside, including wallpaper.
The advantage of the houses is that there is a special atmosphere here. The disadvantage is that the house is expensive and quite cold, so heating it well requires large energy costs. Nevertheless, the assessment of a log house, new or old, for originality and beauty is 5. Now log houses are exotic; they are built as dachas. They also make bathhouses from natural wood.
Log houses made of cedar and cedar beams
Cedar log house
Cedar log house
Cedar log house
How to use
Cedar-based preparations are designed to help with inflammation, injuries, asthma and bronchopulmonary diseases. The antimicrobial, cleansing (in particular blood purifying) and soothing effect of cedar components is widely used. Fresh cedar bark collected in spring can be used as an anthelmintic, laxative, and diuretic.
Cedar oleoresin is a “skin healer.” Taking it internally even treats ulcers.
“Lenten milk” made from pine nut powder has long been used as a medicine against tuberculosis, kidney and liver diseases, and nervous system disorders.
Regular consumption of pine nuts helps normalize blood pressure, powerfully strengthen the immune system, and treat impotence.
Rubbing with an infusion of nut shells helps with rheumatism, gout, arthritis, and other joint diseases; lotions help with skin problems and burns.
Hands and feet are washed with a decoction of nut shells to remove hair. Chew the resin for stomatitis, sore throat, and ulcers. Pine nuts and pine needles are used against scurvy.
Cedar essential oil soothes toothache and treats periodontal disease.
Cedar baths
A log house for a bathhouse, most often made of rounded timber, is built using the same technology as houses. Such a bathhouse can decorate any private home. She looks stylish and beautiful. The humidity and smell here will always be ideal. The only drawback is that cedar releases resin at high temperatures and in the steam room, leaning against the wall, you can get burned.
The advantages of a cedar log house for a bath are as follows:
- speed of construction;
- beauty of design;
- durability of the building;
- special atmosphere inside the log house;
- there is no need to carry out interior finishing.
Such baths will be relevant for a long time. Rating 5. Reviews are all positive. Natalya from Voronezh: My father insisted and we made a bathhouse at the dacha from cedar logs. To say that I'm pleased is to say nothing. Excellent appearance, no maintenance of the logs is required, and the smell in the steam room is simply amazing.
If financial resources are limited, then the main construction can always be done from any other material. Inside the bathhouse, cedar lining is perfect for finishing.
Mini sauna
Nowadays, the barrel sauna is very popular. This is a design, the dimensions of which can be either that of an ordinary barrel or almost the same as that of an ordinary small steam room. A prerequisite is that the structure must be vertical and round or oval. Safe heating elements are installed in a cedar barrel. They heat it to the desired temperature in a few minutes. There is also a steam generator here, its task is to supply steam.
Sitting down in a small barrel (so that only the head remains outside), a person seems to find himself in a real steam room. Cedar helps saturate the air with useful bactericidal elements. A small barrel can be installed even in the bathroom of a city apartment. The average price of such a mini-bath is from 50,000 rubles. This is the only design flaw. Rating 5.
Examples of mini-baths
Mini-sauna made of cedar
Cedar barrel
Cedar barrel with steam generator
Location in a cedar mini-sauna
Cedar fonts
A small wooden pool or a large barrel is a font for a sauna and it is best made from cedar wood. Such a bath attribute will help you relax and cool down after the steam room, and will give you the opportunity to recuperate. The healing properties of cedar will help you leave the bathhouse after such a bath not only clean, but also morally purified.
The cedar font does not have to be installed in the bathhouse itself; it can also be located outside. Modern bathtubs have a drainage system, and clean water is supplied using a pump. What remains of the original fonts is their shape (round or oval) and the absence of a cleaning system - cedar does not allow the water to stagnate.
Large-volume hot tubs require a ladder. The bowl itself is assembled from slats carefully matched to each other, which are then tightened with metal hoops. The font costs a lot. This is its main drawback. Without water, it can dry out, and if the water is not changed for a long time, the process of wood rotting will inevitably begin. Nevertheless, a beautiful and comfortable, useful and exclusive bath item deserves a 5 rating.
Andrey's review from Perm is as follows: Friends gave me a font for my bathhouse for my birthday. The water in it is somehow especially clean. It’s very pleasant to lie in such a font, it seems that your strength doubles.
This is what a cedar font looks like
Bath
It differs from the font only in shape. If the font is round or oval, then the cedar bathtub is completely similar in shape to a metal one. It can be big or not very big, with or without a ladder. This bath has a high therapeutic effect. Modern designs have a drain, and you can supply water from a tap or a hose. Rating for cedar baths: 5.
What are the benefits of pine needles?
Cedar needles are rich in ascorbic acid, beta-carotene, phytoncides, and provitamin A. The maximum amount of vitamin C accumulates in young needles, especially in winter. What other useful elements does the green mass of the plant contain:
- chlorophyll;
- essential oils;
- vitamin concentrates;
- microelements: phosphorus, iron, copper, cobalt, manganese, etc.
The needles have powerful anti-scorbutic properties; their potency is equal to that of lemons, oranges, and other citrus fruits. It is better to use fresh needles for infusions and decoctions, since when stored, especially in a warm room, the healing properties are reduced by 40-45% in 5-7 days.
Benefits of cedar needles for the body:
- increases elasticity and strength of blood vessels, helps cleanse toxins and cholesterol plaques;
- improves the composition and quality of blood, improves the structure, saturates with energy;
- stops uterine and internal bleeding;
- It is considered a powerful immunomodulator, indispensable for weakened, disease-depleted people;
- strengthens the cardiovascular, endocrine, and nervous systems, relieves fatigue and nervous tension.
Infusions and decoctions of raw materials are useful for diseases of the respiratory system of a cold, viral, or fungal nature. They help with bronchial asthma, pneumonia, bronchitis, tracheitis, pneumonia, and any pulmonary ailments. It is recommended to gargle with a decoction for sore throats and mouth mucous membranes for stomatitis. Slightly heated, it is used to rinse the nasal and maxillary sinuses for a runny nose, sinusitis, sinusitis, or any inflammation of the nasopharynx.
Coniferous baths are considered useful and restorative. They are indicated for children with scrofula, rickets, for adults - with fatigue, exhaustion, loss of strength after a debilitating illness. Steamed raw materials have long been used to treat radiculitis, muscle pain, and spasms.
Alcohol tincture of pine needles is an effective wound healing agent. Recommended for joint rheumatism, arthritis, arthrosis, gout. To prepare, take 100 g of crushed raw materials, add 200 ml of alcohol, leave for 7-8 days in a cool place, protected from light.
The decoction is useful for washing abscesses, wounds, and using as a lotion for pustular skin formations. If you suffer from migraines, it is useful to apply a towel soaked in a strong decoction of needles to your temples and forehead. At the same time, medicinal tinctures are taken orally. With constant use, health improves, the functioning of the nervous and cardiovascular systems is normalized, immunity and the body's protective functions are increased.
Chlorophyllocarotene paste is produced from pine needles, which is indispensable in dentistry and surgery. It is useful to take it orally for peptic ulcers, and to use it externally for various skin diseases, burns, and soft tissue injuries.
Cedar houses
Cedar is a resinous tree. This feature allows the building to be preserved in any weather. Wood is resistant not only to rot, the formation of fungi and mold, but also to the harmful effects of chemicals.
The structure of cedar is such that the wood consists of tiny hollow tubes. Their number is measured in tens of thousands. And precisely because there is air inside cedar, its thermal conductivity is quite low. At the same time, the air in a cedar house will also have disinfecting properties.
Advantages of houses made of cedar logs:
- Ecological cleanliness.
- Disinfected air.
- Beauty.
- The high cost of construction is perhaps its only drawback. Rating 5.
The photo shows examples of large diameter cedar houses
House No. 1
House No. 2
House No. 3
House No. 4
House No. 5
What does Canadian cedar look like and where does it grow?
The tree, legendary among lumberjacks and builders as red cedar, belongs, like all thujas, to the Cypress genus. Distribution area: Pacific coast of North America. In places where Canadian cedar grows, damp and swampy, slightly acidic soils predominate. Precipitation is plentiful all year round, winters are mild. The forests in this part of the continent are dense, shady, and consist of powerful conifers: pine, hemlock, larch, and fir. There are also different types of thuja.
Canadian cedar is an evergreen tree with a dense columnar crown. The trunk is up to 20-30 meters or more. The diameter of the butt is more than a meter, in some surviving specimens it reaches 2.5-5 m. Horizontally raised branches extend from the trunk, forming a slender pyramidal silhouette of the tree. The lower branches descend to the ground. The plant lives for centuries, acquiring a majestic appearance. Largely for this reason and due to the strength of the valuable wood, the pioneers called thuja cedar.
Many varieties of thuja grow in gardens up to 10-16 m, but with a compact crown they occupy only 3-5 m in diameter. The tree is fast growing, growth is 25-28 cm per year, in diameter - 9-11 cm. The bark of a soft brown hue was used by the Indians as fiber. The dark green needles of Canadian cedar are scaly, hard, shiny, and have whitish stripes underneath. The oval-shaped cones, 10 cm long, green in summer, turn brown by winter. Now breeders have developed dwarf varieties of Canadian cedar, which are in great demand among landscape designers.
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Imitation of timber
Glued laminated timber is quite often used in construction. It is also called imitation timber. This building material is made by gluing individual lamellas along the entire plane. Imitation of timber is used in the construction of houses and baths, as well as in carpentry.
The material has a number of significant advantages, for example:
- Predicted quality and strength indicators.
- Excellent thermal conductivity.
- Beauty.
Imitation timber is more expensive than the timber itself, but its service life is not much longer. Rating 5.
Furniture
Any furniture is made from this expensive and rather rare wood. Cedar can be used to create living room furniture, kitchen walls, hallways, chests of drawers, cabinets, upholstered furniture, and beds.
Solid cedar wood undergoes careful processing, sanding and painting. Its ability to hold nails, screws and self-tapping screws well helps to make high-quality, strong furniture. Moths do not grow in cedar cabinets and chests of drawers, and even with high humidity in the house there will be no mold.
Countertops are also made from cedar wood. When processing, craftsmen preserve the interesting texture of the wood, which makes it possible to create an unusually beautiful and expensive piece of furniture. Considering that cedar is a large, large tree, tables made from its wood can also be made large.
They look incredibly beautiful and stylish, and can be used for a long time. Reviews from people who use such countertops are most often positive. The only disadvantage they note is the impressive weight of such a table.
Examples of cedar furniture
Cedar table and chairs
Cedar chest of drawers
Set of cedar furniture
Cedar chest
Is there cedar in Russia?
How to answer this question? From the position of systematics and geography of plants, where cedar is understood as the genus Cedrus, we can say that cedar grows only on the Mediterranean coast (Atlas Mountains of North Africa, Cyprus, the Middle East) and on the western slopes of the Himalayas). From the same position, we can say that there is no cedar in Russia, with the exception of individual plantings in arboretums, since Cedrus grows only in subtropical latitudes.
Pine growth area
The habitats of cedars in the Mediterranean
Habitats of cedars in the Himalayas
However, if we consider the issue from a historical point of view and the origin of the name, then “real” cedars should be called Cembra (cedar pines) , and Cedrus should be interpreted as cedar-like. This point of view exists among scientists.
Based on the last statement, cedar is growing in Russia ! In the European part it is now rare, but in Siberia it is very widely represented.
Other products
Siberian craftsmen still make various crafts, interior items, and dishes from cedar wood. It has been proven that the shelf life of perishable products is significantly increased if they are stored in cedar dishes. Thus, milk remains fresh for a long time in cedar jugs. At the same time, many are inclined to claim that products receive positive energy from such wooden containers.
Cedar combs, stands, shelves and decorations made of cedar are also strong and beautiful, and their presence in the home ionizes the air and purifies it. Products made from cedar are highly valued and can be safely given the highest ratings.
Which cedar is better - Siberian or Altai?
Most people have confusion in their heads when choosing the type of cedar for construction and often a person chooses which cedar is better - Siberian or Altai?
In fact, they are the same type of wood! It was people who divided the mountains into areas and regions. By the way, most people think that Altai cedar grows in the Altai Territory, in Barnaul. This is wrong! Wheat and sunflower grow well in Barnaul. “Altai” cedar received its name thanks to the Altai Republic (Gornoaltaisk), a territory bordering on Khakassia. For example, we are preparing forest in Khakassia, 70 km from Lake Teletskoye.
Its name is CEDAR, according to one legend the tree should be grateful to Peter 1.
You can learn more about cedar from this short video.
Staining cedar
Cedar products are painted well. True, at the beginning they are deresined. The wood is moistened and the resin is gradually washed off. To give cedar an unusual color, after deresining it is sometimes bleached. And only then the cedar can take on any color.
But most often in carpentry, furniture production, as well as construction, cedar is left in its natural color, emphasizing its texture through careful processing and revealing the surface with varnish.
There is hardly any other wood more useful and beautiful than cedar wood. Cedar disinfects the air and fills it with biologically active substances. It does not rot and can last for centuries. Therefore, products made from it are very expensive and always popular.
At the end of the article, we suggest watching a video on how you can build a sauna from cedar beams yourself from scratch:
Main varieties
Cedar grows in the wild in many countries around the world. This tree can be found in forests of both the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. Various types of interior items and decorative crafts can be made, for example, from cedar:
- Siberian;
- Lebanese;
- Himalayan;
- Canadian;
- Far Eastern;
- European;
- Korean
All these varieties are distinguished by their beautiful texture, durability and ease of processing. But in our country, the most popular are Siberian, Canadian and Lebanese cedar. Products made from Altai cedar, which is also Siberian, but grown in special conditions, are also highly valued in Russia.
