Cedar Logs Wanted

[Cypress Man]

Does anyone in the Louisiana area know where I can buy some good cedar logs from?  It seems like the cedar that grows in the central-southern part of the state has rotton spots through out the log(maybe from the high humidity?).  I would love to be able to find a good supplier in the northern part of the state.  Any help would be appreciated.

[Cedarman]

Doesn't Baton Rouge mean red stick which is what cedar was called?

[mike_van]

Red Stick was a game the indians played if i remember right???

[pineywoods]

Hey cypress man, I'm about as far north as you can get and still be in La. Cedar here is same as yours, scarce and dowdy. To get good stuff you'll have to go up to north arkasas

[TexasTimbers]

When you say they are all rotten, what size trees we talking about here that are all rotten?

[Cypress Man]

Kevjay,

Anysize log will have these rot spots.  Some worse than others.  Most are unusable with these rotspots evry 2 inches apart or closer.

[TexasTimbers]

Man that is tough. I have never heard of this. Is this some type of blight or disease? Has it been this way long as you can remember?
I bet your county extension agent could give you some reasoning about it. Not that it would help you any of course.

[Tom]

Doty cedar is pretty common here.  I here of it being expected in any log of much age throughout the southeast.

[DanG]

It probably has something to do with being on the southern edge of ERC's natural range.  I would expect quality to increase toward the center of that range.

[dad2nine]

Good freaking luck - I've been hunting a pecking all summer for cedar - get 10 or so here and there.  Anything over 14" small end dia around here is full of rot and I'm in Northern North Carolina about 15 miles from the VA line. Around here ERC is treated like an exotic, but I've heard thier much better in the mountians and further north in VA and WVA. Cedar around here is also full of face defect so I consider myself blessed if I can get a 2x8 free of waine.

[DWM II]

Just a quick history lesson. When the explorer LaSalle was navigating the lower Mississippi, passing through Baton Rouge, he spotted a large branch overhanging the river where the Choctaw indians hung their game. The branch was used daily which gave it the red stain that came to be known as Baton Rouge.  :P

On the subject of cedar, I have been getting some clear cedar from a friend who bought some property in SE Oklahoma. They cut it down to burn it or just let it rot. But like you, I havent seen much useable cedar in the Florida parishes either. I only find it in yards (where it is normally big, rotten and very poorly shaped) or along fence rows with about 20 years worth of barb wire nailed to it :(. It is kind of a treat to cut, so much easier than all the long been cut down oak I normally get. Good luck finding some. I may make a trip this spring to make a haul down from OK. You would be inbetween me and them maybe we could work out a deal. Ill let you know when I plan a trip, if your interested?
Donnie

[Chris Burchfield]

This won't help you find logs but, I just finished cutting 19 old growth cedar here in Memphis. Most had some dowdy/punk, some shake, and knots that rotted out. I culled four that had cable eye lag screws. I was able to cut enough 2 X 6 & 5/4 X 6 to build a 16 X 16 deck. I used a very little that was dowdy. When I did, I would use the good face up where the dowdy was down and would not catch water.

An interesting note, the dowdy would would check and give the appearance of char like fire wood in the fire place. In fire investigations we would refer to this as alligator char.