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Northern White-Cedar

Thuja occidentalis trees on a rock ledge. Potawatomi State Park, near Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, USA. 
Attribution: Brynn [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], from Wikimedia Commons
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Something_out_of_nothing_2.jpg

Latin (group) name: Thuja
Latin (specific) name: Thuja Occidentalis (Linnaeus)
Average max height: 49' to 125'
Average diameter: 3' to 6'
Associated state: none
Category: American Woods
The Softwoods - Conifers



The Tree

Northern White-Cedar is a tree of medium size and of slow growth.The tree inhabits swamps and generally grows in such dense stands that its growth is greatly retarded. It is a favorite forage tree for the white-tailed deer in winter, when, because of deep snows, the deer are dependent for food to a great extent upon the foliage and young seedlings of this species.

northern white cedar cones
White Cedar Cones
northern white cedar foliage
Northern White Cedar Foliage
northern white cedar tree bark
White Ceder tree bark

Common Names in Use

  • Northern White-Cedar (trade)
  • American Arborvitae (N.Y., hort. and Eng.)
  • Arborvitae (Me., Vt., Mass., R.I., Conn., N.Y., N.J., Pa., Del., Tenn., Va., W.Va., Ind., Ill., Wis., Mich., Minn., Ohio, Ontario)
  • Atlantic Red Cedar (Calif,lit.)
  • Cedar (Me., Vt., N.Y.)
  • Eastern Arborvitae (trade)
  • Michigan White Cedar (trade)
  • New Brunswick Cedar (trade)
  • Oo-soo-ha-tah “Feather-leaf” (Indians)
  • Swamp Cedar (N.Y.)
  • Vitae (Del.)
  • White Cedar (Me., N.H., Vt., R.I., Mass., N.Y., NJ., Va., N.C., Wis., Mich., Minn., Ont., trade)

Growth Range

The natural growth range of Northern White-Cedar extends from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to southeastern Manitoba in Canada, south to Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana. Ohio, and in the mountains, to Tennessee and North Carolina.

The Wood

The heartwood of Northern White-Cedar is usually a very light-creamy-brown or very whitish-tan, and the thin sapwood is almost white. The color is generally so faint that the grain or figure of the wood is not very pronounced. It is very light in weight, soft, brittle, weak, coarse straight-grained, and uniform in texture. The wood has a tendency to separate between the annual growth rings. It has a pleasant aromatic odor which, however, is not as pronounced as in some other cedars. The wood shrinks little in drying, is easily worked, stays in place well and takes and holds paint very satisfactorily.

Uses

Because of its many knots and finishing qualities, Northern White-Cedar is being used more extensively in interior finish as “knotty Cedar.” It is a desirable species for poles and posts because of its durability in contact with the soil. This is now prolonged by treatment with wood preservatives. This wood is used in building construction, boats, canoes, tanks, shingles, wooden ware, containers of various kinds, sash, doors and other rnillwork.

bedroom set
Northern White Cedar bedroom set

File References

  ID T Name Source Actions
295 Thuja Occidentalis Linnaeus
Thuja occidentalis trees on a rock ledge. Potawatomi State Park, near Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, USA.
Attribution: Brynn [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], from Wikimedia Commons
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Something_out_of_nothing_2.jpg
296 Northern White Cedar Foliage

Thuja occidentalis foliage, Wisconsin State Natural Area #13, Peninsula State Park, Door County, Wisconsin
Attribution: Joshua Mayer from Madison, WI, USA [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)],
via Wikimedia Commons
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thuja_occidentalis_foliage_Wisconsin.jpg
297 Northern White Cedar Cones
Thuja occidentalis, Cupressaceae, Eastern Arborvitae, Northern Whitecedar, cones. Karlsruhe, Germany.
Attribution: H. Zell [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thuja_occidentalis_004.JPG
298 Northern White Cedar Tree Bark
Thuja occidentalis, Cupressaceae, Eastern Arborvitae, Northern Whitecedar, bark. Karlsruhe, Germany.
Attribution: H. Zell [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thuja_occidentalis_002.JPG
299 Northern White Cedar Range Map
Range map of Thuja occidentalis
Attribution: U.S. Geological Survey [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thuja_occidentalis_range_map.png

Bibliography


  • Shelley E. Schoonover (American Woods) 1951 (Watling & Co. ) Santa Monica, CA 


Contributors to this page: admin and John Morris .
Page last modified on Sunday July 24, 2022 17:11:32 PDT by admin.