Generic "pine vs cedar" articles abound. This one is specific to log furniture — how each species behaves as a log construction material in Canadian conditions, not as dimensional lumber for a deck.
| Property | Lodgepole Pine | Western Red Cedar | Eastern White Cedar | White Birch | Aspen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardness (Janka) | 480 lbf | 350 lbf | 320 lbf | 910 lbf | 420 lbf |
| Weight (lbs/ft³) | 31 | 23 | 22 | 38 | 26 |
| Rot Resistance | Poor | Excellent | Very Good | Poor | Poor |
| Insect Resistance | Low | High | Moderate | Low | Low |
| Checking Tendency | Moderate | Low-Moderate | Low-Moderate | Low | Moderate |
| Indoor/Outdoor | Indoor only (unless treated) | Both | Both | Indoor only | Indoor only |
| Colour (fresh) | Pale yellow-white | Rich reddish-brown | Cream with pink tinge | Creamy white | Near white |
| Colour Change | Yellows/ambers heavily | Silvers outdoors, deepens indoors | Silvers outdoors, slight amber indoors | Slight yellowing | Slight yellowing |
| Relative Cost | $ | $$$ | $$ | $$ | $ |
| Primary Regions | BC, Alberta | BC Coast | Ontario, Quebec | Ontario, Quebec, Maritimes | Prairie provinces, Ontario |
Lodgepole pine is the default species for log furniture in western Canada. It grows straight and tall with minimal taper — ideal for log construction because the diameter stays consistent along the length. Most Alberta and BC log furniture is lodgepole.
The catch: pine yellows. Aggressively. Fresh-cut pine is a pleasant pale yellow.
Within a year indoors (faster with oil-based finishes), it turns golden amber. By year three, it's firmly orange. Some people love the warmth.
Others hate the transformation. If you want pine to stay light, you need a water-based finish and UV protection.
Pine also has no natural rot resistance. It's strictly an indoor wood unless treated with preservative. For outdoor furniture, choose cedar instead.
Western red cedar is the prestige species for log furniture. Gorgeous reddish colour, aromatic (that classic "cedar closet" scent), naturally rot-resistant, and 25% lighter than pine.
A cedar Muskoka chair you can lift with one hand. A pine one, you need two.
The premium is 15–25% over pine for equivalent pieces. Worth it for outdoor use — cedar doesn't need treatment to survive rain and snow.
For indoor-only pieces in a heated home, the premium is harder to justify on performance alone. You're paying for aesthetics and aroma.
Cedar is softer than pine (350 vs 480 Janka), which means it dents more easily. On a dining table surface, this matters. On a bed frame, it doesn't.
If you're buying log furniture from an Ontario maker, it's almost certainly eastern white cedar. This is the cottage country wood.
Lighter in colour than western red, slightly softer, but similar rot resistance. Huron Log Furniture sources their logs from St. Joseph Island — you know exactly where the wood grew.
Eastern white cedar is the lightest common furniture wood on this list at 22 lbs per cubic foot. For seasonal cottages where furniture gets rearranged or moved to storage, that weight advantage is real.
Birch is the outlier on this list — it's a hardwood. At 910 Janka, it's almost twice as hard as pine.
Birch log furniture resists dents and scratches in ways softwoods can't. The white bark peeling look is distinctive and instantly recognizable.
The tradeoffs: birch is heavier, harder to work, and more expensive to produce. It has zero rot resistance — indoor use only, no exceptions.
And birch log furniture is harder to find because fewer makers work with it. It's a specialty choice, but a beautiful one.
Aspen doesn't get the respect it deserves in the log furniture world. It's light, reasonably hard, pale white (almost luminous when fresh), and grows abundantly across the prairies and boreal forest. Aspen log furniture has a distinctly different look from pine — cleaner, brighter, more contemporary.
Downsides: poor rot resistance (indoor only), and it can be stringy to work — not every maker likes it. But for a bright, modern-rustic look in a heated home, aspen is worth considering.
| Province | Primary Species | Also Available |
|---|---|---|
| British Columbia | Lodgepole pine, Western red cedar, Douglas fir | Beetle kill pine (blue-stain) |
| Alberta | Lodgepole pine | Spruce, beetle kill from BC |
| Saskatchewan / Manitoba | Aspen, spruce | Jack pine |
| Ontario | Eastern white cedar, white pine | Birch, ash |
| Quebec | White cedar, spruce | Birch, maple (for accent pieces) |
| Maritimes | Spruce, white cedar | Birch |