Western red cedar

Appearance

''Thuja plicata'' is a large to very large tree, ranging up to 65 to 70 m tall and 3 to 4 m in trunk diameter, exceptionally even larger. Trees growing in the open may have a crown that reaches the ground, whereas trees densely spaced together will exhibit a crown only at the top, where light can reach the leaves. It is long-lived; some individuals can live well over a thousand years, with the oldest verified being 1460 years.

The foliage forms flat sprays with scale-like leaves in opposite pairs, with successive pairs at 90 degrees to each other. The foliage sprays are green above and green marked with whitish stomatal bands below; they are strongly aromatic, with a scent reminiscent of pineapple when crushed. The individual leaves are 1 to 4 mm long and 1 to 2 mm broad on most foliage sprays, but up to 12 mm long on strong-growing lead shoots.

The cones are slender, 10 to 18 mm long, and 4 to 5 mm broad, with 8 to 12 thin, overlapping scales. They are green to yellow-green, ripening brown in fall about six months after pollination, and open at maturity to shed the seeds. The seeds are 4 to 5 mm long and 1 mm broad, with a narrow papery wing down each side. The pollen cones are 3 to 4 mm long, red or purple at first, and shed yellow pollen in spring.

Naming

''Thuja plicata'' is one of two ''Thuja'' species native to North America, the other being ''Thuja occidentalis''. The species name ''plicata'' derives from the Latin word ''plicare,'' meaning "folded in plaits" or "braided," a reference to the pattern of its small leaves.

Most authorities, both in Canada and the United States cite the English name in two words as western redcedar, or occasionally hyphenated as western red-cedar, to indicate is not a cedar , but it is also cited as western red cedar in some popular works. In the American horticultural trade, it is also known as the giant arborvitae, by comparison with arborvitae for its close relative ''Thuja occidentalis''. Other names include giant redcedar, Pacific redcedar, shinglewood, British Columbia cedar, canoe cedar, and red cedar. ''Arborvitae'' comes from the Latin for "tree of life"; coincidentally, native Americans of the West coast also address the species as "long life maker".

Distribution

''Thuja plicata'' is among the most widespread trees in the Pacific Northwest. It is associated with Douglas-fir and western hemlock in most places where it grows. It is found at the elevation range of sea level to a maximum of 2,290 m above sea level at Crater Lake in Oregon. In addition to growing in lush forests and mountainsides, western redcedar is also a riparian tree, growing in many forested swamps and streambanks in its range. The tree is shade-tolerant and able to reproduce under dense shade.

It has been introduced to other temperate zones, including western Europe, Australia , New Zealand, the eastern United States , and higher elevations of Hawaii.

The species is naturalized in Britain.

Status

Western red cedar is export-restricted in the United States under the Export Administration Regulations.

Behavior

The wood was worked primarily with the adze, which was preferred over all other tools, even ones introduced by European settlers. Alexander Walker, an ensign on the fur trade ship ''Captain Cook'', reported that the indigenous peoples used an elbow adze, which they valued over new tools brought by the Europeans, such as the saw or the axe, going so far as to modify traded tools back into an adze. Tools were generally made from stone, bone, obsidian, or a harder wood such as hemlock. A variety of hand mauls, wedges, chisels, and knives were used. Excavations done at Ozette, Washington turned up iron tools nearly 800 years old, far before European contact. When James Cook passed the area, he observed that almost all tools were made of iron. There has been speculation on the origin of these iron tools. Some theories include shipwrecks from East Asia or possible contact with iron-using cultures from Siberia, as hinted in the more advanced woodworking found in northern tribes such as the Tlingit.

Evolution

A huge number of archeological finds point to the continuous use of redcedar wood in native societies. Woodworking tools dating between 8000 and 5000 years ago, such as carved antlers, were discovered in shell middens at the Glenrose site, near Vancouver, British Columbia. In Yuquot, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, tools dating 4000 to 3000 years old have been found. The Musqueam site, also near Vancouver, yielded bark baskets woven in five different styles, along with ropes and ships dated to 3000 years ago. At Pitt River, adzes and baskets were dated around 2900 years aol. Wooden artifacts 1000 years old were unearthed on the east coast of Vancouver Island.

Red Cedar was used extensively wherever it was found along the northwest coast . Evidence of this use is found in CMTs that are found throughout the coast. When First Nations people removed the bark from cedars, it left a scar - which is considered a CMT. Other types of harvest leave different types of evidence of cultural modification.

A legend amongst the Coast Salish peoples describes the origins of the western redcedar. In this legend, there was a generous man who gave the people whatever they needed. When the Great Spirit saw this, he declared that when the generous man died, a great redcedar tree will grow where he is buried, and that the cedar will be useful to all the people, providing its roots for baskets, bark for clothing, and wood for shelter.