The first people on our giant continent may well have called their giant cedars the trees of life, as they rooted in their earth and reached up into the heavens. However, recent events in South America have showed us how easily forests vanish. We should therefore be careful not to over-harvest nature’s treasure.
Chemical Secrets in the Heart of Cedars
Cedar trees have their chemistry to thank for their long life, and immunity from disease. Chief among these are the natural fungicides tree scientists call thujaplicins. They prevent the wood from rotting and the effect can last a century.
However, we only find these fungicides in significant quantities in older trees. And as a result, saplings may still develop rot at their cores, but heal later. Therefore, when someone promises us thirty-to-fifty-year cedar shake life, perhaps we should ask which part of which cedar tree was that.
Factors Affecting Cedar Shake Life
From the above it follows there is no precise standard how long these shakes should last. The age of the tree plays a determining role, although the environmental conditions also have influence. As does the homeowner too. What measures did they take to care for their shingles down the years?
Signs Your Cedar Roof is Failing
- Your roof is starting to leak. This will seldom if ever begin as a flood. You are more likely to notice damp patches on ceilings and upper walls.
- The edges of the cedar shakes are curling as life ebbs away. The summer heat is drawing out the moisture and the natural fungicide.
- Those curls are turning to cracks as years pass. The cycle of the seasons is showing in the wood, as surely as the rings in a tree.
- You start noticing missing shingles here and there. Roofers nail on cedar shingles for a long life up top. Nothing lasts forever even up there.
- Moss, mildew or rot appears in shady parts of your roof. Your supply of thujaplicin fungicide is running on empty. You need help fast.
Get Help Fast from Valiant Exteriors
We are a small, family owned company serving Calgary home owners with all their waterproofing needs. That’s the shingles, eaves troughs, and siding that keep their homes warm and dry inside.
We don’t promise to reinstate cedar shake life. Nobody could do that. However, we do undertake quality jobs that last longer for discerning clients. Call (403)829-1661 now to tap into this resource, and be assured of quality service.
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Cedar Trees on Keats Island, Vancouver Canada (Tim Bray BY CC 4.0)