 In This Issue
Port Orford Cedar Timbers
The Witkowski Remodel
Company News
Port Orford Cedar has earned a reputation for its
strength and decay-resistance throughout time.
The strongest of all the cedar products, historically
it has been the preferred wood for building
boats, railroad ties, and fence posts. Because of its
strength, durability and natural decay-resistance,
POC is the ideal wood for timbers. Known for
beauty and structural integrity, POC is useful for
both indoor and outdoor applications.
POC is a lightly colored wood, allowing it to accept
stains nicely. And with a fine texture, straight grain,
and pleasant, sweet-spicy scent, it's an excellent
choice for interior woodwork. Port Orford Cedar
is exceptionally strong for a softwood. In tests
for crushing strength, bending, shear strength and
side hardness, Port Orford outperformed all other
cedars and Redwood. Port Orford is specifically
45% stronger than Redwood or Western Red Cedar
in impact bending and 30% stronger in crushing
strength.
Bear Creek Lumber has on inventory this
hard-to-find specie in sizes ranging from
2x6 to 2x12, 4x6 up to 4x12, and some 6x
timbers in limited availability. Call us at
1.800.597.7191 and talk to one of our salesperson
to get pricing and shipping quotes. Buy
today at winter prices and we will hold your
order at no charge, for delivery in the spring.
 
Top: 4x16 Port Orford Cedar Timbers ready to be
shipped from our Yard. Right: Port Orford Cedar
Timbers Clear Grade detail.
Left: The Kilroy Home In Hawaii has POC timbers
and POC tongue and groove siding.
Featured Projects: The Witkowski Remodel
 Witkowski Remodel
Thank you to our building partners:
Desert Dog Designs - WSA Construction 509.997.0606
Cascade Concrete 509.996.2435
North Cascades Building Supply 509.996.2251
Cascade Foam Coatings 509.996.2803
Individual Thanks to:
Jim Laskey, Peter Wallis, Don Willson, Paul Parsons,
Dave Dunn, Wayne Reece, Paul White
List of Bear Creek Materials used:
Ipe - decking and railing
Western Red Cedar - siding, trim, posts
Hemlock - railing
Engleman Spruce / Lodgepole Pine - roof decking
Douglas Fir - timbers, posts, rafters and doors
Sapele - stairs
Port Orford Cedar - paneling
Alaskan Yellow Cedar - rail cap
Above: Before and after pictures of what Bear Creek Lumber can do for your remodel.
Below First row, left: Douglas Fir Posts and soffit. Center: A Hemlock rail cap, with Ipe railing connects to a Western red cedar Post. Right: Port Orford cedar Interior paneling. Middle row: Generous porches that wrap around with Ipe decking.
Bottom Row: Ipe hardwood decking is beautiful and is one of the hardest decking mterials available. It is also fire and rot resistant, making it an excellet investment. James finished the Ipe with a couple coats of Seafin. Rigth: Douglas Fir rafters.
 Company News
New Web Site to launch January 1st, 2007
Bear Creek Lumber is proud to announce the launch of it´s new website, coinciding
with it´s 30 Year Anniversary. Hector Bianchi, our webmaster has been busy
redesigning and adding features to our site. Easier navigation, a search box to
help you find what you are looking for, and more pictures of products and projects
are among the new features. We are adding a blog to keep you up-to-date on
industry news, new inventory and specials. Please feel free to send us your comments
to hector@bearcreeklumber.com. We hope you enjoy our new site!
Lumber Industry: Reflecting on the last 30 years.
The timber industry has weathered many changes over the last three decades; from clear cut logging in the 1970´s to
shutting down forests to protect endangered species. The practices of logging have seen many debates. As Bear Creek
Lumber enters into it´s 30 Year Anniversary, we take a look back at some of the issues that sculpted the timber industry
to where it is today.
In the 1970´s, the logging and timber industry was at an all time high, with one logger out of California, reporting to
have harvested 13,300,000 board feet in one year. The majority of the lumber harvested during this time period was
done so by clear cutting. Congress and other environmental groups saw the potential devastation that these clear cutting
practices were causing, and implemented the National Forest Management Act (NFMA) of 1976. The NFMA was
created to place a system for better forest management, resulting from debates over the legality of clear-cut logging. In
an effort to help protect the national forests from excessive logging, congress order the U.S. Forest Service to create
regulations that would limit the size of clear cut swaths, protect streams, restrict the annual rate of cutting and ensure
prompt reforestation and replanting. The NFMA also required the Secretary of Agriculture to review forest lands, and
develop a management program based on multiple-use, sustained-yield principles and to implement a resource management
plan for each of the units within the National Forest System.
"The days have ended when the forest may be viewed only as trees and trees viewed only as timber. The soil and
water, the grasses and shrubs, the fish and the wildlife, and the beauty of the forest must become an integral part of the
resource manager´s thinking and actions." ~ Senator Hubert Humphrey, 1976
Starting by the mid 1980´s and through the early 1990´s, several organizations that supported Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act and
the National Environmental Policy Act began showing interest in protecting both public and private forestlands. During
this time the timber industry was still going strong, harvesting around 12.6 billion board feet, while replanting
nearly 2.5 million acres. In 1999, 2,663,569 acres had been replanted on both public and private lands with 1.7 billion
seedlings being replanted on U.S. forestlands. By 2000 there were 81,365,552 tree farms, which companies like Boise
Cascade and Weyerhaeuser harvested from. Today, companies like these take a strict stand on replenishing and managing
timber as a natural resource, and many have joined efforts with the EPA in protecting air and water quality, as
well as promoting reusing and recycling wood products.
While we look ahead toward the future of the timber industry,
its important to remember that we are all working toward
the same common goal; providing a safe and beautiful
place to recreate, while managing a renewable resource that
will help the economy for years to come.
Check back next month for our reflection on Bear Creek
Lumber's thirty years in business anniversary.
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