Thuja plicata

Western redcedar is in the cypress or Cupressaceae family and is native to western North America, growing in the temperate rain forest along the coast of British Columbia, Washington and Oregon as well as in parts of the interior in B.C. and the American states bordering it to the south.

It can grow to be a very large tree, up to 70 m tall and 4 m in diameter, reaching well over 1,000 years old. Western redcedar is very shade-tolerant and forms one of the climax species on sites together with Douglas-fir, Sitka spruce and western hemlock. It is the provincial tree of British Columbia.

The wood of redcedar is relatively soft, making it unsuitable for construction lumber. However, it contains plicatic acid which makes the wood very resistant to decay and thus most suitable for uses such as siding and decking.

• Foliage is scale-like, closely pressed to stem, in opposite pairs, lush green with a strong sweet smell when crushed.
• Seed cones are green to yellow-green slender, 10–18 mm long, overlapping scales, egg-shaped, and 4 mm wide when closed, opening to 10 mm, brown colour; male pollen cones are minute, reddish, numerous on branch tips in spring.
• Bark is in long fibrous strips; younger trees having drooping tops.