Cunninghamia

China Cedar is an evergreen which is usually seen from 30 to 75 feet in height with a spread of 10 to 30 feet. The strong, heavy trunk stands straight up at the base of the coarse, irregular, pyramidal form which is composed of somewhat pendulous branches densely clothed in 1.5 to 2.5-inch-long, bright green, pointed needles. It is somewhat reminiscent of some of the spruces like Blue and White Spruce.

Known as Cunninghamia, it is sometimes called “China-fir” or “Chinese Cedar”, but it is neither a fir nor a cedar. Its name derives from its similarity to Western Red Cedar, which, by the way, is also not a true cedar. The genus name Cunninghamia honours Dr. James Cunningham, a British doctor who introduced this species into cultivation in 1702

China Cedar has a reputation for producing naturally durable heartwood. As a result, this material is being imported into the United States for use as decorative exterior applications where durability is desired. China Cedar is also classified as highly resistant to fungal attack, a classification that is similar to that given to its cousin, the western red cedar. Cunninghamia is largely plantation grown and greatly contributes to China’s number 1 ranking in the world for plantation forest area.

This is a prized timber tree in China, producing soft, highly durable scented wood similar to that of Coast Redwood and Sugi. It is used in particular for manufacture of coffins and in temple building where the scent is valued.. The timber is esteemed in China as being the most useful, after bamboo, for all kinds of woodwork.

The wood is pale yellow to white, density 0.4-0.5, soft but durable, easily worked, and resistant to insects and termites. It is used in house-building, for furniture, floor, panels, and packaging. It is suitable for reforestation and planting along the roads of mountainous provinces, in subtropical evergreen, coniferous and mixed broad-leaved forests. It is the most important fast-growing timber tree of the warm regions south of the Chang Jiang valley. The wood is strongly resistant to rot, is not eaten by termites, and is easily worked; it is used in constructing buildings, bridges, ships, and lamp posts, in furniture manufacture, and for wood fiber.

Wood - light, fragrant, durable but rots easily if it is continually wet, easily worked, resists insects damage. Used in construction, ship building etc wherever great strength is required.

• Warm light grain reddish hues
• Highly Termite & Insect Resistant
• Very Durable & Stable
• Lightweight-Easy to work with
• Accepts a wide range of stains and other coatings

Exceptional Durability & Long Life More importantly, Cunninghamia, as tested by the Department of Forest Products at Oregon State University,is proven to be as rot, termite and fungal decay resistant as the other durable softwoods such as Western Red Cedar, Redwood, Incence Cedar and Northern White Cedar.

* Decorative Mouldings

* Fencing-Pickets & Backers

* Decking

* Outdoor Furniture Components

* Custom-Drying, Staining & Drilling

The fast growth and desirable wood properties make it an important timber species and in China it accounts for 20-30% of the total commercial timber production. The wood has straight grain, uniform texture and only minor differences between early and late wood. It is used for house construction, poles, fences, boats, vehicles, building and furniture. The bark is used for tannin, paper and textiles and the branches for extracting an oil used in the perfume industry.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Chinese Cedar: (Cunninghamia Lanceolata)
 

Billed sometimes as Chinese cedar or Chinese fir, the tree known as Cunninghamia lanceolata is, in fact, neither. Cunninghamia is a sweetly scented cypress that's been harvested in southeastern Asia for more than 800 years and is prized because it naturally repels pests, fungus and rot. It is a close cousin to the popular western red cedar, which also isn't a true cedar.  Cunninghamia is used indoors and out the world over where durability is critical, from fencing, decking and trim boards to building ships and homes. Read on for more information about this versatile, time-tested wood product.
 
What exactly is Cunninghamia?

Cunninghamia is a unique type of evergreen that grows to average heights of 30 to 75 feet. It is often referred to as Chinese cedar or Chinese fir by the North American lumber industry because, like cedar, it is exceptionally resistant to decay and pest infestations, yet it shares the grain and texture qualities of Douglas fir. The Chinese word for Cunninghamia is shanmu. The written character for shan is a combination of the symbols for "tree" and "ornament," while mu simply means tree.

Where does Cunninghamia come from?

The name Cunninghamia recognizes British doctor James Cunningham, who in the early 18th Century became the first known westerner to cultivate the tree. In fact, Cunninghamia's history stretches much further back than that. It has been grown and harvested in Asia for at least 800 years, since the Yuan dynasty, and probably for much longer. Cunninghamia grows in China, Vietnam, Laos and possibly parts of Cambodia, and it has been planted as far away as Japan and South America. After bamboo, it is widely regarded as the most important wood product in Asia.

What does Cunninghamia lumber look like?

Cunninghamia wood is characterized by warm, pale-yellow-to-white grain with reddish hues. It is soft but durable, and easily worked.

What is Cunninghamia used for?

The broad range of uses for Cunninghamia is testament to its versatility. Traditionally prized for its durability, sweet scent and natural strength against decay, fungus and pests, Cunninghamia has been used for centuries throughout Asia for everything from building ships and temples to making exterior doors and windows. With growing interest overseas in this sturdy wood, common uses have expanded to include fencing, decking, trim boards, and outdoor furniture and play sets, to name a few.

Why do contractors choose Cunninghamia?

Interest in Cunninghamia is consistently growing in the North American market, and it's no mystery why. Cunninghamia's durability has stood up under the scrutiny of lab and field tests conducted by universities and independent research organizations in the United States, China and Japan, proving that, like western red cedar, Cunninghamia is highly resistant to decay, fungus and insects. What's more, although Cunninghamia does not require any treatment, it accepts a wide range of stains and other coatings.

What do homeowners like about Cunninghamia?

First, Cunninghamia is a reliable, high-quality product that looks great and performs in the long term. Second, Cunninghamia is largely plantation grown. That means homeowners who buy Cunninghamia products help take pressure off old-growth forests by buying from a renewable wood source. The stewards of Asia's forest belt have used Cunninghamia to keep the mountains green for at least 800 years, thanks both to its vitality and to its unique ability to re-grow from its roots.

About Us: FLW Wood Products, Inc., founded in 1983, is a recognized leader in the distribution of forest products to wholesale and retail fence distributors, wholesale and retail lumber yards, wholesale landscape supply yards and industrial manufacturers. FLW ships by the carload, container and truckload, both domestically and overseas.

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China Cedar:Specs

From Bwf

Decay resistance of China Cedar (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lambert) Hooker)

Camille Freitag J.J. Morrell

China Cedar (Cunninghamia lanceolata) grows at higher elevations in many areas of southeast Asia, particularly in southern China, Laos, and Vietnam. This species has a reputation for producing naturally durable heartwood and has been extensively planted in China (Kunshan et al. 2005). Many of these plantations are reaching harvestable ages and a number of importers have begun to bring this material into the United States for use as decking and other exterior decorative applications where durability is desired. While China Cedar has a reputation for durability, there are concerns among potential users that this second-growth material may lack the durability of lumber from old-growth trees since there is evidence of this effect in other wood species (Taylor et al. 2002). In order to assess the potential decay resistance of these materials, the following study was undertaken.

Materials and Methods

China Cedar lumber was evaluated in three separate tests over a three-year period. Boards where randomly selected from shipments into the United States and 19-mm cubes were cut from the heartwood in each board. In all, 15 boards were evaluated in the 3 tests and 12 blocks were cut from each board. In addition, 19-mm cubes were cut from ponderosa pine sapwood (Pinus ponderosa Laws) and western red cedar (Thuja plicata D Donn.) boards. The pine blocks served as decay-susceptible controls, while the western red cedar served as a positive, decay resistant comparator (Scheffer and Morrell 1998). The blocks were oven dried (103 C) and weighed prior to being briefly soaked, and then sterilized by exposure to 2.5 mrad of ionizing radiation from a cobalt 60 source. The blocks were then exposed to either Gloeophyllum trabeum (Pers ex. Fr.) Murr (Isolate Madison 617) or Trametes versicolor (L ex. Fr.) Pilat (Isolate FP 101,664-Sp) in a soil-block test according to procedures described in American Wood Preservers’ Association Standard E10 (AWPA 2004).

Results and Discussion

Weight loss controls for ponderosa pine controls exposed to G. trabeum ranged from 7.2 to 44.5 percent. In several instances, weight losses for the pine blocks were somewhat lower than would normally be found in a decay test, particularly for the G. trabeum exposures; however, weight losses were generally high enough to delineate differences in decay resistance. The lowest weight losses for this fungus were found in Test 2 and appeared to reflect excess moisture in the pine blocks, which may have inhibited fungal attack. Moisture levels in the China-fir blocks were not excessive, leaving us to include these results in our study. Weight losses for western red cedar heartwood averaged –0.35 and 0.32 percent for G. trabeum and T. versicolor, respectively, illustrating the excellent decay resistance of this species. Mean weight losses for China-fir blocks exposed G. trabeum ranged from –1/36 to 1.71 percent and the blocks were largely free of fungal attack at the end of the test period. Weight losses for blocks exposed to T. versicolor varied more widely from a low of –0.49 to 11.49 percent. In general, samples exposed to white-rot fungus experienced low weight losses, but boards from three blocks experienced mean weight losses from 7.28-11.49 percent. It is unclear why these boards were so much more susceptible to fungal attack, especially to a white-rot fungus, although it is possible that some sapwood was inadvertently included in these samples or that these boards were cut from zones of the heartwood that were less durable (blocks were only cut from zones free of visible sapwood). White-rot fungi typically cause lower weight loss on coniferous woods than brown rotters in this test. This variation may reflect the natural range of decay resistance of wood of this species. Based upon the weight losses obtained, the material examined would be classified as highly decay resistant according to the ASTM Standard classification.

The results of this test were then compared with those from pine sapwood and western red cedar hardwood. Decay resistance was classified using the scale described in ASTM Standard D2017 where highly resistant hardwood experiences 0-10 percent weight loss, resistant woods 11-24 percent weight loss, moderately resistant woods 25-44 percent weight loss, and non-resistant woods experience weight losses greater that 45 percent (ASTM 2001). Our method differed slightly because we used an arbitrary 12-week test, while the ASTM method is based upon the weight loss of pine sapwood controls.

Conclusion

Although there was some variation in the durability of the individual boards, the china-fir evaluated in these studies was classified as highly resistant to fungal attack, a classification that is similar to that given to western red cedar.

Literature Cited

American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). 2001. Standard

American Wood Preservers’ Association (AWPA). 2004. Standard

Kunshan, S.L. Zhinyang, L. Fenming, and Z. Rui. 2005. Asia Pacific

Scheffer, T.C. and J.J. Morrell. 1998. Natural durability of wood: A

Taylor, A.M. B.L. Gartner and J.J. Morrell. 2002. Heartwood formation