Thuja plicata

Thuja plicata, commonly known as the Western Red Cedar, is a species of Thuja, an evergreen coniferous tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae. Native to the western North America, the tree is widely distributed in the moist Pacific Coast forests.

Description

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. The bark is thin and fibrous with a stringy texture, and is reddish to brownish in color. The foliage forms flat sprays with scale-like leaves in opposite pairs, with successive pairs at 90 degrees to each other. The cones are slender, 10 to 18 mm long, and 4 to 5 mm broad, with 8 to 12 thin, overlapping scales.

Habitat and Distribution

The Western Red Cedar is native to the western North America, with its range extending from southern Alaska to northern California, and from the Pacific Ocean eastward to the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains. This species is a component of the Pacific Northwest rain forests, which are the most extensive temperate rain forests in the world.

Uses

Thuja plicata is commercially valuable for its timber and is extensively harvested for use in construction, particularly for the roofing shingles. The wood is also used for the production of musical instruments and for decorative purposes due to its straight grain and uniform texture. The tree has also been used for traditional medicinal purposes by various indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest.

Conservation

While the species is not currently considered to be at risk, it has been over-exploited in the past and large, old growth specimens are now rare outside of protected areas. Conservation efforts are focused on maintaining its presence in older forests, and on locating, preserving and propagating potentially resistant trees.

See Also

• Thuja occidentalis
• Cupressaceae
• Pacific Northwest rain forests