Once in a while we cut a dead, standing tree. The surface may be rotted, but not necessarily the heart, because it has a very different resistance to rot. So trees that have been standing up for a few years might be still very good. Judge piece by piece for the intended use. Alaska cedar is in the Chamaecyparis genus, along with Atlantic white cedar.
People use it a lot for closets and the like.
BTW, the butts begin to develop heavy flutes once they get to about 10 to 12 inches in diameter. I understand that the seeds of this tree are very tough and require the surface to be scratched before they can germinate, which can be done in a bird's stomach, which in turn is why we see so many of these trees growing along a fence line. Gene The acid scarification helps them sprout as well, Gene. Birds love those berries, but little else will touch them. We don't have to worry too much about developing E. redcedar around here as a commercial species for the reason you listed, plus it usually gets grabbed up at 5 to 8 feet for Christmas trees.