NW Sustainable Building Products Is Ramping up for Spring Planting Season

NW Sustainable Building Products in Portland, Oregon is ramping up for spring planting season by offering a variety of materials that are long lasting, beautiful and eco-friendly for planter boxes. Cedar is traditionally the "go-to" choice for long lasting planter box material. It is resistant to rot, it has a beautiful color, it smells fantastic in the sunshine, and people are used to building with it. The sad truth is that the only high quality cedar up to the task of wet soils and boring microbes comes from old growth logs. When harvested in the traditional manner the loss of whole swaths of ancient forest are at risk. When harvested in a sustainable and environmentally sound way, considering the whole ecosystem, with concern for salmon spawning beds, with an eye toward the future of our "FORESTS" not our second growth and reprod tree farms, the cost goes up. But, there is an alternative to the cedar. Western Juniper is the most rot resistant wood in western north America. Rated to be free of rot for 30 years longer than any other western species, this is the "Big Kahuna" of out door building materials. Oregon State University has claimed this to be true. In 1928 the forestry department of this famous agricultural college started a post life survey to determine the best lumber for in ground use. The Juniper posts are still free of rot to this day. The claim of "30 years longer" is a safe estimate of the usable lifespan of untreated Juniper. Redwood heart is good in the ground for 20-25 years. Old growth dark cedar is good for 15-20 years. Do the math here...Potentially 50 years of service from Juniper in the soil. Now to the best part of the equation. A Western Red Cedar 6x6x8' timber retails for a cost to the customer of approximately $60-80 depending on the quality of the cedar. A Western Juniper 6x6x8' of the same quality is now selling at NWSBP for $30. A full 2 inch by 6 inch tight knot cedar board for planters can cost as much as $2.35 per foot for an 8 ft. Piece. The same in Juniper costs currently $1.65 per foot. Cheaper and longer lasting. Oh, one more thing.Western Juniper is taking over the range and grass lands of central Oregon and depleting the water table. Mother Nature used to control the population of Juniper with naturally occurring wild fires. We put a stop to that and now there is over 6.5 million acres of Juniper in the ranges of central Oregon. Cutting is an ecological benefit to the entire region. Cutting is an economic solution to growing financial pains in the central and eastern Oregon communities. Cutting takes pressure off of the ancient cedar and redwood forests of our coasts. There is no bad side to Juniper. Build a planter and your children's children will eat the produce that is provided by these generation lasting boxes. Source: free-press-release.com