Western Redcedar

November 18, 2020June 14, 2023
Conifer, Flora and Fauna, Native to BC
by dhir

Last updated November 19, 2020. All photos taken by the author.

A small group of western redcedar growing in full sun in a city park.

Thuja plicata is our provincial tree and is very easy to find and identify once you know what to look for. It is known to live for over 1000 years and is a very important part of Northwest Coast aboriginal culture (more on that at the end of this post).

An evergreen with scales for leaves, mature western redcedar trees have characteristic stringy bark and flat drooping sprays of leaves. If you crush a few leaves and smell them they have a sweet odour reminiscent of Christmas and fresh forests.

Western redcedar on the left and Douglas-fir (I think) on the right. Notice the drastic differences in texture of the barks.

Western redcedar. Notice the buttressing at the base of this tree and the slight reddish tinge to the bark.

The buttressed trunk of a mature western redcedar in a bed of its fallen leaves and twigs.

A young western redcedar tree approximately 6 feet tall. The bark of young trees is smooth, unlike the ragged appearance of mature trees.

The leaves of a western redcedar are tiny scales (not needles like the Douglas-fir or broadleaves like a maple).

From the side you can see just how flat the leaves are of a western redcedar.

A closer look at one branch demonstrating the drooping nature of the western redcedar tree branches and leaves. The branches tend to swoop up slightly at the tips.

A western redcedar tree with some older (reddish brown) leaves ready to fall off. All evergreens lose at least some leaves every year.

Closeup showing the shape of western redcedar leaves (scales).

Western redcedar is a conifer, meaning it reproduces by seeds protected during their development inside of cones. The cones are small with up to 12 scales.

From left to right: Douglas-fir, western hemlock, western redcedar x 2.

From left to right: western redcedar, pine, Douglas-fir, spruce.

Clusters of open mature female cones still on a tree.

A single mature female cone still on a tree. The cones tend to have their tips pointing upwards, unlike the downward hanging cones of Douglas-fir and spruce trees.

Conifers drop at least some of their leaves every year. I have noticed that in late summer western redcedar tree leaves start to turn bright reddish brown and fall off.

Some fallen western redcedar leaves, cones, and twigs in the fall.

Western redcedar is also one of the evergreens commonly called arborvitae, or tree of life. Arborvitae, in landscaping, are smaller tree varieties (shrubs or dwarf varieties) that are used for hedges or decor in containers. Go for a walk in a residential neighbourhood and you will likely see Thuja plicata arborvitae on every block. Like the grand wild trees, western redcedar arborvitae have the same leaves (scales), cones, and odour.

Arborvitae redcedar hedge. The foliage stick out from the trunk in vertical sprays.

Cones on an arborvitae. Identical to those found on wild western redcedar trees. Notice also the flat scales (leaves).

Arborvitae hedge. Notice the individual trees are encouraged to grow into each other and are pruned to maintain fairly straight vertical sides and a flat top.

There are other evergreen conifers in our neighbourhood that you may mistake for western redcedar, but there are differences such as leaf shape, cone shape, bark, and odour.

NOT a western redcedar, I believe it is a Lawson cypress tree. Photo taken in the spring. Notice the mature brown female cones are balls unlike the western redcedar. Also, the male pollen cones are bright red unlike the western redcedar.

NOT a western redcedar. You can tell by the ball-shape of the female cones.

Western redcedar trees were used extensively by British Columbia First Peoples whose territories included the range of this great tree. Bark, wood, roots, and boughs were all used for a variety of purposes. You are probably familiar with dugout canoes and totem poles, but western redcedar was used also for dishes, boxes, baskets, and clothing. (See Plant Technology of First Peoples in British Columbia by Nancy J. Turner for more information.)

So, head outside this week, or any week of the year, and find yourself a majestic western redcedar. Of all the species in our neighbourhood you should definitely learn to identify this one!

Books I used:

Native Trees of British Columbia, by Reese Halter et al., Global Forest-Pure Science, 2003, p. 60.

“Thuja Plicata.” Flora: over 20, 000 Plants and Their Cultivation Requirements, Firefly Books Ltd., 2003, p. 1413.

“Thuja Plicata.” Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest, by Arthur R. Kruckeberg, University of Washington Press, 2019, p. 71.

“Thuja Plicata.” Vancouver Tree Book: a Living City Field Guide, by David Tracey, Pure Wave Media, 2016, pp. 46–47.

“Western Red-Cedar.” Plant Technology of First Peoples in British Columbia, by Nancy J. Turner, Royal British Columbia Museum, 2019, pp. 70–79.

“Western Redcedar.” Tree Book: Learning to Recognize Trees of British Columbia, by Roberta Parish and S. M. Thomson, Canadian Forest Service, 1994, pp. 16–19.