Species Spotlight: Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata)
This month, we cast the Species Spotlight on the Western Red Cedar!
Western Red Cedar sapling at a Nisqually Land Trust planting near Ohop Creek
As we near the end of planting season, we are highlighting the Western Red Cedar.
This evergreen conifer has long been important in the Pacific Northwest. Culturally, it holds great significance for tribes across Western Washington, having been utilized for millennia in homes, canoes, fishing gear, art, medicine, and more. It is naturally insect- and fungi-resistant, and the wood is evenly grained, making it economically valuable. The Western Red Cedar also provides shade critical for salmon, keeping stream temperatures cool and allowing them to thrive.
This planting season, Nisqually Land Trust staff and volunteers have planted Western Red Cedar saplings, along with other native trees and shrubs, on one of our properties along Ohop Creek.
NLT Stewardship Manager Jake Pool noted that the Western Red Cedar is “not commonly replanted in wetland areas, and when logged it is often replaced with timber species.” One reason it can be difficult to replant is that it needs to be protected from deer and elk, as they like to eat it. Those who have planted with us over the years have noticed that we stake and tube the new trees and shrubs. In doing so, we provide extra protection for the saplings until they have grown tall enough to thrive.
Black bears and other small animals often strip Western Red Cedars for sapwood.
The Western Red Cedar is also heavily utilized by other wildlife. Jake captured the photo on the right, showing a Western Red Cedar on NLT property where a black bear had clawed open and chewed on the tree, stripping it for the sapwood underneath. Smaller animals, such as porcupines and squirrels also strip the bark to line their nests and for food.
The Western Red Cedar has been heavily impacted by climate change in recent years. While it is a member of the Cypress family, it is not drought tolerant as are other Cypress trees. Since it does not have a taproot, but rather a shallow and wide-spreading root system, it cannot extend deeper for water sources when moisture levels are low. As a result, it has suffered widespread die-off over the past decade in the Pacific Northwest with warmer temperatures and repeated droughts.
One of our greatest priorities for our properties is habitat restoration. For this reason, our Stewardship Team works to plant Western Red Cedars in areas we believe they can thrive, while also removing invasives to minimize competition for water resources.