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Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata) |
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Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata) Identifying Characters: Western Red Cedar is the only species of Thuja in western North America. The flattened foliage and the characteristic female cones will readily identify the species. Similar Species: None within its range. Measurements: Western Red Cedar is large tree with a tapering trunk, and a cylindrical, but irregular, crown; height 60 to 150 feet with isolated individuals reaching 200 feet; diameter 3 to 5 feet at breast height. Female Cones: Cones oblong, in clusters, and erect (pointing upward) on the branches; length about 0.5 inches, arising from a short curved stalk; mature cones brown with 10 to 12 thin, sharp-pointed cone scales; 6 of the scales bearing 2 to 3 seeds. Leaves: Leaves scale-like, arranged opposite in 4 rows; length 1/16 to 1/8 inches; scales on the side with a keel, flat pair without a glandular dot; color shiny dark green. Bark: Red-brown, fibrous, and shredding. Native Range: Western Redcedar grows along the Pacific coast from Humboldt County, California (lat. 40° 10' N.), to the northern and western shores of Sumner Strait in southeastern Alaska (lat. 56° 30' N.). In California, it is common only in the lower Mad River drainage and the wet region south of Ferndale in Humboldt County; it is found elsewhere only in isolated stands in boggy habitats. North of the California-Oregon border, the coastal range broadens to include the western slopes of the Cascade Range north of Crater Lake and the eastern slopes north of about latitude 44° 30' N. Optimal growth and development of Western Redcedar are achieved near the latitudinal center of its range- Washington's Olympic Peninsula. North of the Olympic Peninsula and Vancouver Island, the coastal range narrows again and is restricted to the Coast Ranges and offshore islands. A few scattered stands are found between the Coast Ranges and the Selkirk Mountains near the southern border of British Columbia, but redcedar's coastal range is essentially isolated from its interior range. The interior range extends south from the western slope of the Continental Divide at latitude 54° 30' N. in British Columbia through the Selkirk Mountains into western Montana and northern Idaho. The southern limit is in Ravalli County, MT (lat. 45° 50' N.). With the possible exception of a few trees east of the Continental Divide near the upper end of St. Mary Lake, Glacier County, the eastern limit of the range of redcedar is near Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park, Montana. (Silvics of North America. 1990. Agriculture Handbook 654.) Habitat: Western Red Cedar is a montane species found most commonly in the bottoms of canyons or along mountain streams. The species usually occurs as single individuals in mixed coniferous forests from sea level along the coast to higher in the mountains inland.
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