Cedar Speclal lsgue lncense holds its own

A LTHOUGH often overshadowA ed by western red cedar, California cousin incense cedar offers many of the same benefits, plus a few of its own.

Incense cedar can be found at moderate elevations in the Sierras, the coastal range mountains of Northern California and in Southern Oregon. It is named after the fragrant oil which seeps to the surface just after the wood is cut. The sapwood is white or cream-colored, the heartwood light brown to reddish-brown, often pecky, with a fine, uniform texture.

Its most outstanding characteristic is its high resistance to decay and high durability when exposed to weather. lt machines well, glues superbly, and takes and holds paints and stains well. High dimensional stability results in low volumetric shrinkage, while top marks in thermal conductivity make it one of the finest wood insulators.

"But it's not really a construction wood," says Bob Smith, Bohannon Lumber Co., Orange, Ca. "lt's a remanufacturing type of wood." Yet with its distinct appearance and properties, incense cedar proves an ideal material for countless products: o Siding (due to is decay resistance, dimensional stability, high insula-

Story at a Glance

Proving western red is not the only cedar in theforest, incense cedar offers many of the same advantages. distinct appear' ance, high durabilitY, working properties lead to countless remanufacturing opportunities.

tion, light weight, workabilitY, weathering and paint holding properties) I r Sheathing and subflooring (insulation, stability, resistance, workability, light weight); e Paneling and interior finish (clear grades, rich color, small knots, wear resistance, easy maintenance, paint and stain receptiveness); o Fencing, short poles and shakes (ease of splitting to post sizes, resistance, weathering, workability, light weight); o Pencil stock (straightness of grain, softness and ease of whittling, light weight, workability, exceptional gluing); o Venetian blinds (smooth surface. light weight);

. And closet lining, moulding, decking, lattice, outdoor furniture, hot tubs, toy stock, greenhouse benches. flower boxes, nursery flats, boardwalks, mud sills, rafters, window sash, ice houses, irrigation and drain boxes, grave lining, casket shook, shallow ditch shoring, duck boards, pickets, chicken houses, rabbit hutches, birdhouses, garden summer houses, garden stakes, trellises, beach dressing cabins, small boat houses, dog houses, feed troughs, plates, fire stoPs and other milled articles and specialty items.

P&M Cedar Products. Stockton, Ca., manufactures incense cedar into a wide range of products, utilizing the entire log, right down to the downfall. "The different size trees are graded while in the forest for their best intended use and then separated for size," explains P&M's Jean Fakundiny. "The larger, older logs have a lot of peck in them and are best suited for pencil stock. Smaller logs are good for exterior siding, interior paneling and mould- ing. And even smaller logs go into our cutstock program for picture frames, window parts, handles for barbecues, and so on."

P&M even uses the wood chiPs to feed a cogeneration plant and to produce Duraflame woodwax firelogs at its California Cedar Products division. "We've done a lot of tests, and incense cedar seems to make a better firelog than all other species. It's better than pine, certainly better than any hardwood, because of its natural bonding properties to wax," saYS California Cedar Products' Chris Caron.

But why incense cedar and not western red cedar? El Louise Waldron, Waldron Forest Products, Carmichael, Ca., says, "People used to buy incense cedar because ol, number one, its color. lt's a creamy white and not the bright red of western red cedar. Two, the price had been considerably less, although now it's pretty much in line with western red cedar. Three, for decorative items, if you're looking for a lower grade of pecky cedar, incense cedar has it and western red cedar lower grades really don't. And finally, incense cedar can be found in California, while western red cedar grows in the Northern hemisPhere. So location may or may not be an advantage."

Yet with rising prices, the incense cedar business has changed over the last few years. "lt's not what it used to be," says Smith. "lt's fairly hard to find and there's not as much demand for it, so consequentlY the mills haven't been producing it like they had been. We just sell the moulding grade now."

Incense cedar may not be the onlY tree in the forest, but its advantages are clear.

(ircr!:ju-l\r'ilit' cotttinttcs its lcqirl battlc to obtltin control ol' (i'aut Nortln'rn Nckoostt ('orp. (scc p. l9 lbr story) ... Il.t'ttrnd l\tncl.s /lr'. is closing its Ncw Orlcurrs, l-a.. plant in a rcalignnrcnt ol'opcrutiotts (scc p. l9lor story) llrchittgar ('o. hld grancl opcnings tor storcs in llcchinger ('cntcr, Ilcstun, \'u.. ut-tcl l:airlirx ('irclc. Vrr. ... Ittv't"s opcncd ncw storcs in ('r<lssvillc and'l'ullahonra,'I'n., and rclocatcd a (irccnwood, S.('., operittion

^5t'ol4'15 is cxPanding storc No' l6 in Winter I lavcn, l:1., to 42,800 sq. ft. plus a 10,000 sq. lt. nursery and garden center. plans lor cloubling the sizc of the Key West, lfl., St'oltYlr havc been submitted to the city

IIonrc Dcpot expects to open a new 85,000 sq. fi. store in Channelview, Tx., this ntonth a 102,000 sq. ft. Hotrtc DePrtt is planned lbr an ll acre site in Charlotte l'larbor, Fl., targeting a summer opening . . . fkttne DePot nlanagement is projecting three additional Atlanta, Cia., units this year...

Holsinger Lumber ('o., Staunton. Va., has been sold by Robert l-lolsinger to Bruce I'rank and Chapman Kester ll I'eonItardt Lunber Co.. Oklahoma City, Ok., had its bankruPtcY reorganization plan for paying back creditors in full approved by the court horrrc rcpair training sessions for voluntccr groups like I Iabitat jbr I ltnnunit.v Addirtgton- Beennn, /lr'., Newport News, Va., recently gave $ | ,000 to help needy chilclren

Lr)v,e's 1'entple. 'f x., store has hclcl sessions prescntecl bY the police and assistant city attorney in a new progrant to recluce clr climinatc shopliliing lJucll Door (,'o., l)allas, Tx., has been purchased by Lee Kirkley. pres. of the companY for the last 15 of its 22 years

Anniversaries'. IJt'rtnn Lunrber ('o., Pawhuska, Ok., 73rd', Gull' Lumber ('o., Mobile, Al., -sorh . .

Acquisition negotiations between ()crtqinTced's Cameron Wholcsule. Waco, Tx., and ABC Supply, lleloit, Wi., have been ternrinated (see P. l7 for storY) . . .Gull' Lunfter, Mobile, Al., will use its recently acquired Novell Woocl Produt'ts Co.. Nashville. Tn., to double its pressure treated wood production capacity...

Hillsborough Holdirtgs CorP. which bought ./lnr ll/alter Corp. for $2.4 billion in 1988 has filed lbr reorganization under ChaPter l l bankruptcy... Re.Ynokls Metctls Co. is modernizing and expanding its Bellwood, Va., plant .

'flrc National Retail Hardware Association has moved to 5822 W. 74th St., Indianapolis, In. 46278 ... Hickson Corp., Allanta. Ga.. will have Wolmanized Extra weather resistant lumber as a finalist in the 1990 lnnovator Awards Competition at the Nationali 'Home Center Show, March ll-13...

Servistor ('orp., Butler. Pa., is purchasing KurJ'ees Coalings lrrt'., Louisvifle, Ky... . Azro<'k hirs moved its corporate Hq. and international Design Center to the CityView Bldg., San Antonio, Tx.

Gold Madal, Irtc'., Richmond, Va., hits acquirecl D)'er Woodlurnings, lnc., llouston, Ms., including mfg. facilities in Maben and Vardaman, Ms.

Enterprise Cotnputar .llsrctrts, (ireenville. S.Cl., has been recognized by VAR Rttsittcs.r ntagazine as one of'the 100 best comPanies in the computer software industry...

United Plywoods & I'tunber, /rt'., Birntingham, Al., oPens a branch this month in Jackson, Ms.. Don Puckett, mgr. . Univcrsal Forest Produt'ls, Int:. has taken over two former We.verhaeuser Gr. distribution centers in l:lorida (see p. 7 for story) . '

The Building Code Changes Committee of Building Ollicials and Code Administrators Interna' rional (BOCA) rejected a change to eliminate single-layer Type l5 f'elt underlayntent under asphalt shingles on roof sloPes 4:12 and greater after hearing testimonY from Billy Thompson, executive v.p., Kentucky LBMDI, and rsprr,', resentatives from Owens'Corniig Fiberglas Corp., G-P, CAF and the Asphalt Roo.fing ManufacturersAsslciation...

Housing slal"/s were down 8olo to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,235,000 units in Dec. (latest figs.) single familY homes dipped l0%; multifamilY units, 2.40/o uuilding permits for future construction were off 0.40/o

Sequoia & Grip-Rite Merge

Sequoia Supply and Grip-Rite Group have merged in a $124 million transaction to form PrimeSource, Inc., the largest independent distributor of building materials in the U.S.

Marvin E. Miller. chairman of Grip-Rite, White Plains, N.Y., will be chairman/ceo of the new company. Paul W. Hylbert, president, Sequoia Supply, Irvine, Ca., will be president/ceo.

Miller Supply, Metropolitan Wholesale Supply, Guardian Purchasing, Pan American Building Materials and Mid-American Distributing, all Grip-Rite companies, will be part of PrimeSource, Inc. The merger results in 46 branch locations. but will be cut to 44 with the combining of Sequoia Supply locations in Dallas, Tx., and Chicago, Il., with Guardian Purchasing Corp. and Metropolitan locations in the same areas.

Elders Ready Cochon de Lait

Let the good times roll. Elder Wood Preserving Co., Mansura, La., will host its annual Cochon de Lait March 24,2 to 9 p.m. at the Mansura Pavillion.

Paul Lemoine will entertain. Snacks of boudin, cracklins and fried sweet potatoes will be served as well as a Cochon de Lait dinner.

Cameron Sale To ABC Aborted

Acquisition of Cameron Wholesale, Waco, Tx., by ABC Supply, Beloit, Wi., has been halted with both companies agreeing to discontinue negotiations.

The acquisition, which would have made ABC one of the biggest building material distributors in the nation, was first scheduled to close in early November of last year. Despite press reports of the deal being consumated, negotiations stalled and were called off in late December.

CertainTeed Corp., Valley Forge, Pa., parent company of the Texas wholesaler, "plans to restructure the business," according to Donald Huml, CertainTeed vice president and president of the building material distribution group.