Mystery Conifer Identified

After several weeks of not really knowing what the mystery conifer was/is, I think it is figured out now.

The trunk is close to four feet in diameter, and you can see the branches are quite large relative to the trunk. I did slab up a branch a couple weeks ago, that was my first introduction to it.  At the time, I was told it was a fir.

The growth rings are quite wide, so obviously it was very happy growing here. Whoever cut it down cut the trunk into pieces about 2 1/2' tall to make it easier to manage. I was skeptical of it being fir, my initial guess was cedar of Lebanon. I posted some pictures on a website specializing in milling, and asked for suggestions. Hemlock seemed to be the most popular suggestion of that group. As I investigated further, in particular by looking at the bark, I realized that it likely was not cedar of Lebanon, but the closely related deodar cedar.

Anyways, today I was down there cutting this round into quartersawn boards (not the one above, it's ugly. The one below.).

I got 12 quartersawn boards out of the half away from the big branch, for a total of about 100 bf. It's a lovely aromatic wood, would make great drawer bottoms or backs of cabinets, similar to Port Orford cedar's uses. There is a contrast between the heartwood and the sapwood though.

As I was cleaning up to go, a guy came by to drop off a load of pine he had cut down. He said that he was the arbourist who had felled the mystery conifer, it came from a house in south west Vancouver, and that it was  . . . deodar cedar!

I was well pleased with my sleuthing. And my cutting.