One of my favourite questions I get to answer when I talk to a client or run into someone who has that confused look while shopping for wood at a big box store is what type of wood is the best when it comes to wood fences. There are many varieties of wood fences out there, from bamboo and spruce to yellow locust pine and fir. All of them can easily be fabricated to build a suitable border for your property. But, if what you’re looking for is the best type of wood fence on the market, look no further than a western red cedar fence!
A Brief History of Western Red Cedar Fence
Western red cedar comes from the Pacific Northwest region. Its use in our country dates back to Native Americans who named this wood the “Tree of Life.” In fact, Native Americans not only used this wood to build homes, they also used it to build canoes, totem poles, masks, rope, and clothing!
One of the most remarkable things about cedar is that it was the source of one of humankind’s earliest perfumes. The ancient Egyptians used the sticky oil from the cedar for embalming. They also used the tree’s wood to construct coffins, some of which are still on display in museums thousands of years later. If you know your Bible studies, you may have read that Noah created an offering of cedar and myrtle incense to give thanks for surviving that infamous flood. There are also documents that Tibetan monasteries burned cedar as incense.
Making the Case for Western Red Cedar
Western red cedar is a high-quality grade wood that often costs more, but its benefits make that additional investment in price a worthy one. Don’t ever let a service rep in a box store tell you that there aren’t many differences between wood grades and that buying something less expensive will often suffice (And trust me, I overhear this said in those stores all the time!). That’s just not true. In the case of wood fences, a lower grade wood means your materials may need replacing sooner than you think—meaning you may spend more time and money repairing your fence by choosing lower quality fencing materials.
If you truly want to know why cedar fences are the best, here are some reasons we tell all our customers.