Western Red Cedar Lumber Association

What Western Red Cedar Lumber Association does

Western Red Cedar Lumber Association is a non-profit trade association founded in 1954, headquartered in Abbotsford, British Columbia, with field offices in Oklahoma and Washington State. It represents 40+ member companies spanning the Western Red Cedar value chain, including manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and allied professionals such as architects, builders, and designers. Executive Members include Alta Forest Products, BlueLinx, BPWood, Western Forest Products, Woodtone Specialties, Canyon Lumber, Cedarline Industries, Central Cedar, and Delta Millworks. The association promotes Western Red Cedar through its consumer-facing RealCedar.com brand, a Yellow Cedar sub-brand at yellowcedar.ca, the Cedar Book reference series (with Cedar Book XVIII launched in 2026), the Real Cedar Certified Installer program, and a retail/dealer locator connecting consumers with member suppliers.

Core offerings are educational and reference content, certification programs, and member services rather than a software or technology product. The association partners with research bodies such as FPInnovations for technical and standards work and refers consumer roofing inquiries to the Cedar Shake and Shingle Bureau. Geographic reach spans North America (USA and Canada) with an International Associates membership tier for members outside the core region. Operations are run with a small staff in the 11–50 employee range, with no AI, software platform, or data product disclosed.

The revenue model is recurring membership dues paid by member companies across multiple tiers, supplemented by category-promotion activities under the Real Cedar brand. The association does not sell lumber directly, does not take a transactional cut of member sales, and does not disclose financial results because it operates as a non-profit industry association. Member engagement, brand reach across the architect/builder/consumer funnel, and ongoing content publishing (Cedar Book XVIII) constitute the principal operating KPIs.

Name

Western Red Cedar Lumber Association

Legal name

Western Red Cedar Lumber Association

Website

https://realcedar.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WRCLA is a 1954-founded non-profit trade association representing 40+ manufacturers, distributors, and retailers of Western Red Cedar lumber across North America, funded by recurring membership dues and promoting the species via the RealCedar.com consumer brand and educational content.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Lumber and Wood Products Trade Association

NAICS

Sawmills (321113), Sawmills and Wood Preservation (3211), Sawmills and Wood Preservation (32111), Forestry and Logging (113)

SIC

Sawmills & Planting Mills, General (2421), Lumber & Wood Products (No Furniture) (2400), Wholesale-Lumber, Plywood, Millwork & Wood Panels (5031), Wholesale-Lumber & Other Construction Materials (5030)

akta.pro primary industry

Softwood Lumber Sawmills (IMAMABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Softwood Lumber Distribution & Trading (IMAMAIAA), Wood Siding, Cladding & Exterior Wood Profiles (IMADADAH), Sawmilling & Lumber Production (IMADADAA)

Keywords

• Lumber industry association
• Cedar product certification
• Building materials marketing
• Architectural specification resources
• Wood product advisory services

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership dues and programs: The WRCLA generates revenue through membership fees from manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and supply chain partners in the Western Red Cedar industry. Association activities include demand generation, marketing programs, and member support services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Western Red Cedar Lumber Association (WRCLA) is a non-profit trade association founded in 1954 that represents manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and supply chain partners of Western Red Cedar lumber. Operating under the proprietary "Real Cedar" brand, WRCLA delivers collective marketing, technical guidance, certification programs, and a DIY project plans library to grow demand for member-produced cedar products including siding, decking, outdoor structures, timbers, and indoor applications such as saunas, doors, windows, paneling, and blinds.

Product overview

The Western Red Cedar Lumber Association (WRCLA) operates as a trade association representing manufacturers, distributors, and supply chain partners for Western Red Cedar products. Their product portfolio centers on Western Red Cedar as a natural building material, encompassing siding, decking, outdoor structures (including fencing with pre-built panels and lattice), timbers, and specialty indoor products such as saunas, doors & windows, tongue & groove paneling, and blinds & shutters. The association also offers engineered cedar products, DIY project plans, and educational resources including their periodic Cedar Book publication. Yellow Cedar is offered as a complementary product line.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WRCLA Industry Membership Tiered paid membership program for cedar manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and supply chain partners, providing collective marketing under the Real Cedar brand, technical support, and industry representation.
• Cedar Advisory Service Technical advisory service providing expert guidance on Western Red Cedar properties, grades, applications, installation, and specification to members, architects, and builders.
• Engineered Cedar Certification Program
• Real Cedar DIY Project Plans
• Find a Retailer Locator Service

Quantifiable outcome

• Western Red Cedar is pitch and resin-free with high dimensional stability, making it the best softwood for accepting paints, stains, oils and other coatings

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Alta Forest ProductscoreOthersExecutive member of WRCLA - a manufacturer and supplier of Western Red Cedar products
• BlueLinx CorporationcoreOthersExecutive member of WRCLA - a major building products distributor serving the United States
• BPWood Ltd.coreOthersExecutive member of WRCLA - Western Red Cedar manufacturer and supplier
• Western Forest ProductscoreOthersExecutive member with 4 cedar manufacturing facilities and 350MMFBM annual cedar production, established 1955
• Woodtone SpecialtiescoreOthersExecutive member, established 1977. The largest pre-finisher in the Pacific Northwest operating 3 coating and manufacturing facilities in Seattle, Washington, Chilliwack, BC and Armstrong, BC. Manufactures engineered cedar products including structural posts, pattern stock and trim.
• Cedar Shake and Shingle BureauminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferral partner for WRC Shake and Shingle inquiries - WRCLA directs customers with shake and shingle questions to this organization
• FPInnovationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWRCLA works closely with FPInnovations on research, new product development, and sits on code and standard committees with this forestry research organization

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Western Wood Products Association: US-based non-profit trade association representing softwood lumber manufacturers in the western US. Direct peer to WRCLA as both serve as the unified voice for western softwood lumber species, providing grading, technical support, and marketing to a similar manufacturer/distributor ecosystem.
• Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC): Canadian national trade association for forest products manufacturers including lumber, pulp, and panel producers. Comparable to WRCLA in representing Canadian forest products manufacturers, advocating on policy, and providing industry representation; WRCLA works alongside FPAC on overlapping issues.
• North American Wholesale Lumber Association (NAWLA): Trade association for wholesale lumber distributors and supplier companies in North America. Comparable to WRCLA as both represent and support wholesale distribution of lumber products, with member companies such as BlueLinx playing in both ecosystems.
• APA - The Engineered Wood Association: Non-profit trade association for engineered wood manufacturers (plywood, OSB, glulam, I-joists). Comparable to WRCLA as a wood-product trade association providing technical standards, code representation, and marketing for member manufacturers, with overlap on engineered cedar products.
• WoodWorks: Non-profit wood promotion organization providing free technical support and education to designers using wood in commercial and multi-family buildings. Comparable to WRCLA as a wood-promotion association providing architect/builder education, with overlap in technical advisory services for building professionals.
• Softwood Lumber Board: US federal checkoff program funded by softwood lumber manufacturers to promote softwood lumber use. Comparable to WRCLA in its mandate to drive demand for softwood (including cedar) products through research, promotion, and education initiatives.
• National Hardwood Lumber Association: Non-profit trade association for the hardwood lumber industry, providing grading rules, inspector training, and member services. Comparable to WRCLA as a wood-lumber trade association with a peer-based governance model, though focused on hardwood rather than softwood species.
• Cedar Shake and Shingle Bureau: Non-profit trade association for cedar shake and shingle manufacturers. Direct peer to WRCLA as both represent cedar-specific manufacturers under a unified brand, with referral partnership already in place; closest comparable in product category (cedar) and certification model.

Regional players

• Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association: Regional trade association for northeastern US lumber manufacturers providing grade-marking, inspection, and marketing. Comparable to WRCLA in its trade association model and member services for lumber manufacturers, though focused on a different region and species mix.
• Southern Forest Products Association: Southern US regional trade association for southern pine lumber manufacturers. Comparable to WRCLA in providing marketing, technical support, and grade-marking services to a member manufacturer base, though serving a different US region and softwood species.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/realcedar
• Facebookfacebook.com/RealCedar
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/real-cedar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Western Red Cedar Lumber Association