South of the border cedar is a hardwood

ALTHOUGH NOT a true cedar. a ftsouth-of-the-border namesake wood is developing an identity all its own. Unlike our domestic softwood cedar, Spanish cedar is a hardwood, but with that pleasant, familiar scent.

The trees can be found from Mexico to the West Indies and in all of the Latin American countries except Chile. Spanish cedar is also known as cedro, South American cedar, Brazilian cedar, Peruvian cedar, British Guiana cedar and like names, according to its country of origin.

The trees grow in mixed forests, where all commercial timber is harvested and later separated at the mill. Since railroads are rare in the dense South American forests, wood is carried to trre mills and plants by huge trucks with capacities up to 50 tons. The manufactured product is then trucked to the closest port, where it is loaded onto cargo ships for transport via the Panama Canal to a West Coast destination.

Spanish cedar's heartwood, when freshly cut, is pinkish to reddish brown, darkening to a red or deep reddish brown after exposure. The color is said to vary with location, with the driest harvest sites produc- ing the darker, prized wood. The grain is generally straight, although some interlocking does occur. The hardwood also displays a medium to high lustre, determined by the depth of the wood's colorl the darker the wood, the higher the lustre.

Story at a Glance

Cedar from Latin America is a hardwood retains scent of domestic softwood namesake boasts rich color and physical attributes similar to mahogany. commercial use expanding.

The wood is similar to Central American mahogany in most properties, trailing only in the areas of smoothness, hardness and compression perpendicular to the grain. It has moderately good bending properties; is strong for its weight; dries rapidly with only slight warping, checking and splitting; works easily and well with hand or machine tools; holds nails; screws well, and glues satisfactorily.

This type of cedar is quite durable, resisting both fungus and termites, but is susceptible to attack by the powder post beetle. Another problem is distortion or collapse, which often can be avoided by kiln drying with a low temperature schedule.

The wood's distinguished scent comes from its volatile oil, which may ooze out and appear on the surface as a sticky resin. The gum-like substance can stain materials in close contact and may cause boards to stick together. Kiln drying the unsurfaced stock followed by heating at 200'F will bring the oils and gums to the surface where they can be removed by planing. If left unattended, the exudation can present problems later in staining and polishing.

Importers believe Spanish cedar from Nicaragua, Costa Rica and the Amazon area has more exudation than does wood from Mexico, Belize and Guatemala, making the latter wood preferred.

Actually, the genus Cedrela grows in about 20 different commercial species. The most prevalent of these are'. Cedrela odorata, found in the high meadows of the Amazon forests; Cedrela ongustifolia, common in the humid forests of the coastal regions, and Cedrela y'ss/rs, which grows in inland jungles.

Traditionally, the hardwood has been used so often for cigar boxes, it is sometimes called cigar box cedar. Other products include furniture, cabinets, paneling, high-class joinery, flooring, house construction, boat building, skins of racing boats, canoe decks, organ sound boards, clothing chests, lead pencils, and sliced veneers for paneling.