# 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.

- **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.

## About

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 .

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/0a0967d3-d1a0-4c02-904e-3779c5985e0f
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/48252
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thuja plicata
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/81527/medium.jpg (J Brew, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.