Wood + Lumber Types

The Pacific Northwest is world renowned for it’s expansive and lush conifer forests and towering trees such as douglas fir, western red cedar and sitka spruce - hence it’s no surprise that wood and lumber play a massive role in our architectural vernacular here in Central Oregon.

Structural Lumber

Aside from the few members or pieces of hardware made from steel, nearly all homes throughout the high desert are built from wood products sourced locally in Oregon and Washington, as well as British Columbia. Not only a naturally dominant species, but commercially dominant too, the lumber industry has come to hands-down favor douglas fir - prized for its strength, dimensional stability, and ability to grow rapidly, particularly in clearings. The dimensional structural lumber, think 2×4s or 2×6s, used to frame those homes are almost exclusively DFL#2 = Douglas Fir Larch #2. “Larch”, being western larch, which also grows in the temperate forests of the Pacific Northwest alongside the douglas fir and exhibits similar structural properties. “#2” being the grade of lumber, with #3 being poorer quality, and #1 being of the highest quality with fewer knots, straighter grain, and fewer visual defects.

That said, large old-growth species are unfortunately rare and hopefully protected, so the lumber industry had developed engineered products to maximize strength utilizing younger, smaller trees, as well as utilizing lumber byproduct and waste. Below is a short visual guide to the most common engineered products that you may encounter on your project.

Exterior Woods

With much of the Pacific Northwest receiving high volumes of annual rainfall, many of the temporate rainforest trees are naturally resistant to moisture, decay and insect damage. Most notably, western red cedar, coastal redwood and various cypress species have been historically prized for exterior siding and trim material. Their low density, dimensional stability, and natural oils/tannins help them withstand the elements, while minimizing warping and cracking. Due to scarcity and associated higher costs, and wildfire risk, many wood products traditionally used in exterior applications are being replaced with engineered composite materials.

Interior/Finish Woods

While the forests of the Pacific Northwest are known for and dominated by tall conifers with softwood less suitable for interior applications and finish materials, some hardwood species do exists, including white oak, red alder, and big leaf maple. That said, designers and builders throughout Central Oregon have looked to a broader array of hardwood species not native to the Pacific Northwest to expand their creativity and offerings, including many of the hardwoods native to the eastern portion of the US, such as red oak, white ash, hickory and black walnut, or even tropical hardwoods sourced from other continents.