Thuja plicata, Western Red Cedar (11)
Western Red Cedars are erect, single stemmed, coniferous evergreens. Mature trees often have fluted bases. On average, trees range in height from 70 feet to 130 feet and in diameter from 2 feet to 4 feet. The leaves are small, dark green, and hug the branches. The bark of mature trees is fibrous, thin, and cinnamon in color.
The trees can be found on the Pacific coast from northern California to Alaska (Cockrell, 1976). They prefer high levels of soil moisture and shade and are usually found from sea level to about 7000 feet.
The long-lived Western Red Cedars have a fine-grained wood that is very durable and prized as timber (Stuart and Sawyer, 2001). In fact, they were use by Native Americans along the Pacific coast for timber for houses. Full trees were carved for totem poles and for canoes. The bark was a source of fiber for textiles and ropes.
Just as the shade tolerance of the Incense Cedar has created problems for forest management, the Western Red Cedar’s ability to grown in the understories of old growth stands has also led to the replacement of some old growth groves by stands of Western Red Cedar.