Why would anyone who wants a log home settle for phoney logs? They might if they liked logs' look but didn't trus wood. Enough folks feel that way, apparently, that someone got the idea to make logs out of concrete.
Making stuff look like other stuff is a hallmark of American civilation. Think plastic. Way before that, though, even George Washington built his Mount Vernon masnsion with wood siding cut to look like stone blocks.
Nobody now uses wood to mimic other materials, so why vice-versa? Simple: to capitalize on wood's natural appeal.
So imitation logs really shouldn't come as a surprise, any more than plastic ones, which, yes, also exist. Concrete-log manufacturers insist their products beat wood chiefly because they're maintenance-free.