fi'P cuts nature's redwood "packages" down to size

The prime California Redwoods harvested by Georgia-Pacific include some of the largest logs now being cut anywhere in the world. Many, like the one shown here, must be divided into sections before they can be handled by even the outsized saws at G-P's redwood mills.

But that's only the first step in repackaging G-P Redwood for profitable dealer sales.

Redwood demands an exacting drying process. At flammond's drying yards millions of feet are in the drying process, often for more than a year. Laboratory-controlled kilns scientifically measure the specific moisture content desired for each usage.

That's why so many customers who mean Redwood Siding, Finish or Pattern, say GEORGIA-PACIFIC.

@'lll'if{@ HAMMOND

For a time-honored guarantee of the quality your customers seek include G -P -stamped redwood in yout inventoty.

Redwood Mills at Samoa and Eureka, Calilornia repellents do not alter the natural appearance of the .ivood, and can be applied rapidly and easily. The use of a waterrepellent modifies the natural weathering process, eliminating the initial stage of darkening, .lvhich frequently occurs. The wood changes gradually from its original reddish-brorvn color and stabilizes at lighter shades. The rvater-repellents also tend to minimize the occurrence of water marks or surface checks on the exposed rvood. This is an economical, easy-to-maintain type of treatment for exterior surfaces in new construction.

Do you have copies of the attractive CRA sheet number 4P3-2, "Weathered Red.ivood" (with illustrations in color) to give out to your customers ? It details the treatment, which is briefly described above, and gives a step-by-step cleanup process for redwood exteriors .lvl-rich have becorne darkened by age and the accumulation of dirt and grime.

Is it advisable to add a mildewcide to the natural finish systems for redwood in your area? The blackening of many finishes is due to mildew, in those climatic zones u'here milde'rv is a problem.

Cares of Clears

Have you explained to your customers that the glossy clear finishes-or any film-forming finish-must be applied carefully to a properly prepared surface in order to obtain good service ? And they are difficult and relatively expensive to maintain. Considerable surface preparation is frequently required prior to refinishing. (Any boat owner rvill understand that it takes constant care and renewal to maintain a spar varnish-let's get the u'ord to the builder and l-rome ou'ner !)

Merchandising Aids

To make the most of your sales approaches to potential redwood customers, .r,vrite to CRA for the latest revision of data Sheet 5C-1, "CRA Promotion Services" (formerly "Redwood Information Services"), and the Supplementlisting bulk prices on sales promotion aids. These sheets will give you a complete run-dorvn on mailing pieces, displays, films and informational data sheets rvhich will make you and your staff more effective sales agents for California redrn'ood.

The mission of the California Redrn'ood Association and its member companies is to deliver to the redwood lumber retailer the highest quality, certified grade-marked lumber of natural beauty and lasting durability and to assist you in moving those stocks to builders who rvill sell to satisfied custorners. We are at your service, sirs !

lllonder lllood From Callforole -- Redwood

By Bernarr BATES

The California Redwood Association

Frorn a tree which once lived with dinosaurs in rnany areas of tl-re globe comes a beautiful, durable lvood rvhich finds a greater variety of uses than any other single species. Limited now to a coastal fog belt, extending some four hundred rniles along the Northern California Coast-principally between San Francisco and qhe Oregon border, the California redwood tree is unique in the history and developrnent of the lumber industry.

It accounts for about 2/o of. the total lrrn.rber production of the Unitecl States, yet it l-ras won more national and international attention in the public press than any otl"rer single species of timber tree. Because of its unbelievable size and unique qualities, the redwood is a matter of personal and public pride-to those who have seen it, to those who live with-and by-it, ancl to those who would preserve it for the future.

(This article concerns itself only with the "Coast Redwood," not with the non-commercial stands of the so-called "Rig Trees" of Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks in California's High Sierra. )

For those visitors to California who would drive through and picnic in these impressive groves, more than 70,000 acres have been set aside in state and national parks. Many millions of dollars are being expended to reroute tl-re major highway (U.S. 101) through the Redwood Region so that these groves will not be disturbed by the increasing traffic.

In the commercial stands, more than a third of a million acres are dedicated bv tax-paying lumlter companies to the principles of "tree farming" to ensure a continuing crop of timber for the future. Many of these Redwood Region Tree Farms are parkJike in appearance. Today forest managernentincluding protection from fire-is proving that the Sequoia sempervirens (everliving) species from .w'hich redwood lumber is derived has the ability to replace itself, given the proper soil, sunshine, and moisture which is released to the immature trees when a mature stand is thinned out by modern logging techniques.

Since commercial logging in redwood forests is often remote from highways, the touring public does not see with what care this quality timber tree is l-randled. A trained company forester marks the mature trees to be cut. The woods crew prepares a falling bed so that the massive trunk will not break up on in"rpact nor harr.n the younger trees nearby. The tractors skid tl.re resultant logs through the woods with care so that the younger trees will not be skinr.red up. Actually, this skidding process serves to stir up the forest floor so that the tiny seeds r,r.hich filter clown from the "seed trees" will find a prepared bed in which to sprout and grow into new redwood trees for tomorrow's l.rarvest. And sprout growth fror.n stump roots adds to the new growth.

This sanre care follows through tl-re rnill and manufacturing processes-after the rnassive logs, sometimes containing as much as three thousand board feet in a single log, are hauled on privately built access roacls to the mill sites. The ultimate aim of the modern redwoocl rnill operator is the complete nse of the tree-even clown to the bark, for rvhich manv uses are found.

Uses

Architects, engineers, designers and decorators select a lraterial on the basis of its ability to r.neet the requirements of specific uses. Characteristics for which they look in lumber are: durability, beauty of grain and color, ability to take and hold paint coatings, workability, freedom from shrinkage. In all these qualities, redlvood ranks high and, in many of them, exceeds all Arnerican woods. fts "box score" of desirable properties is higher tl-ran that of any otl-rer kind of softwood lumber.

For instance, redwood has less volumetric shrinkage, less over-all shrinkage, than any wood common to commerce. It ranks in the highest class of woods when painting is concerned, being one of those which hold paint best and suffer least when protection against weathering becomes inadequate.

In home construction, redwood is used for outside walls, window and door frames, storm sash, interior paneling, and for substructure, where the heartwood's exceptional ability to resist decay and insects makes it particularly valuable. In schools, churches and other public buildings it is used as in homes, and for columns, steeples and other architectural decoration where an easily-worked wood is essential to accuracy.

As in other species of lumber, redwood is graded by trained inspectors and, when appropriate, grade-marked. Such grading

Men who work on the green choin ot redwood mills attend Groding School under louis Ehling of Inspeclion & Groding Division, one of many services CRA gives to member mills to insure lhe retoiler of rhe CRA grode mork on redwood indicates suitability for certain types of use. There are three finish grades, for use where appearance is important, and six construction grades. "Garden Redu'ood" is an assemblage of those grades which are best suited to use in garden stnlctures such as fences, patios, retaining walls, pools, benches, planting sheds. shelters. and furniture.

Clear All-Heart Redwood, a finish grade, is intended for fine interior and exterior woodwork. Many architects say that Vertical Grain All-Heart Redwood makes the world's finest siding.

Industry relies heavily upon redrvood to lower n.ranufacturing costs and increase plant efficiency. It is used both as a raw material from which products are fabricated, and as part of plant equipment.

America produces great quantities of lumber, and uses as much as 39 billion board feet in a single year. Only one piece in 50 can be redwood. Yet the great range of its usefulness, because of its grown-in characteristics, makes it one of our finest natural resources.

Nine high schools of California's Redwood Region offer courses in forestry.