western redcedar
Thuja plicata
Known as the 'Tree of Life' by coastal Indigenous peoples, who harvested its bark and wood sustainably without killing the tree.
- Scientific name
- Thuja plicata
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Pinopsida › Pinales › Cupressaceae › Thuja
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Temperate rainforests, moist coniferous forests, and riparian zones.
- Diet
- Autotrophic (photosynthesis)
- Range
- Pacific Northwest of North America, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Idaho
- Size
- Up to 70 meters tall with trunk diameters reaching 4 meters.
- Lifespan
- 500 to 1,000+ years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Climate change-induced droughts, logging, and heavy deer browsing on young seedlings.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. You can safely approach and touch this ancient giant. Respect its bark and root systems by staying on designated trails to avoid soil compaction. If climbing, beware of falling branches.
Thuja plicata , commonly called western or Pacific redcedar , giant or western arborvitae , giant cedar , or shinglewood , is a species of Thuja , an evergreen coniferous tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae native to western North America. It is not a true cedar of the genus Cedrus .
Photo: J Brew, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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