WESTERN RED CEDAR
thuja plicata

• other common names: Giant Arbor-Vitae, Canoe-cedar, Pacific Red-cedar, Shinglewood
• the western red cedar is British Columbia's official tree
• can be referred to as 'arbor-vitae' or "tree of life"

UNIQUE FEATURES:

• drooping branches that turn up at tip
• trunk spreading out at the base
• has large number of cones bent backward along the branches

LOCATION:

• low to mid elevations
• coast and wet belt of the Interior
• in cool, mild, moist locations
• can grow in shaded areas with lots of nutrients

SIZE:

• up to 60 metres tall

CONES:

• seed cones: egg shaped
• 1 cm long with several pairs of scales
• pollen cones: small, reddish

NEEDLES/LEAVES:

• are scale-like
• lie in pairs
• overlapping like shingles
• very strong aroma

BARK:

• grey
• stringy - tearing off in long strips

WOOD CHARACTERISTICS:

• resistant to decay and insect damage
• wood can remain sound for over 100 years

USES:

• modern - house siding, interior paneling, outdoor furniture, decking, fencing, roof shakes
• traditional - wood: canoes, totem poles, longhouses, household boxes, tools, paddles; pounded fibres: mats, clothing, baskets, nets, fishing lines; medicines, religious masks