>         I am wondering why is it difficult to find the "high grade" Cedar.

Years ago (1966) I had a project in Vancouver, BC to construct a large fancy
cedar ceiling fixture for "The Engineer's Club", a private professional club
for Architects and Engineers.   The decor of the club was amazing, all very
60's west coast woody and spiritual, and the designer's specs called for
Clear #1 Western Red Cedar for the chandelier.   However, I discovered it
was impossible to purchase that kind of wood anywhere in the city, being
told it was all designated by government decree "For Export Only" and not
available in Canada !

We thought the situation was totally ridiculous due to our West Coast
location, but no one would budge and time was running out.

Finally some inner club networking was accomplished with a member who was a
VP of McMillan Bloedell (lumber barons), and a quiet deal was set up whereby
I had to appear after business hours at the back gate of a certain North
Vancouver lumber yard in the dark at 7 pm to load the 300 board feet I
needed for the job.   No one was to speak of where the wood came from and no
bill for the material was ever submitted.

The job was completed in time, a giant chandelier with tie-dyed fabric and
hundreds of cedar pieces all notched and pegged, and it remained a happy
part of the club for many years.   I made $0.50 per hour building it, but it
remains one of the highpoints of a career.  When the building was torn down
at the end of the 80's, I wondered where the "Illegal" wood ended up.
Probably as kindling in someone's Bar-B-Q.

Cuyler in BC
Home of Great First Growth Cedar