The tree is highly preferred by white-tailed deer for both shelter and browse. Fun Facts. The wood is soft and easy to cut but doesn't hold nails well due to its low mechanical qualities such as the ability to bend. The Cedar Club. Habitat of Northern White Cedar Northern White Cedar is a shade-tolerant plant that can survive in a variety of soils and well to very poorly drained sites. Habitat and Range . The tree is highly preferred by white-tailed deer for both shelter and browse. It is relatively easy to uproot and transplant. Where the Northern White Cedar Lives You will find that the main range of northern white-cedar extends through the southern part of the eastern half of Canada and down to an adjacent northern part of the United States. Base. It is one of New England's longest-lived trees, lasting 200-300 years, hence its common name arbor-vitae (tree of … Northeastern United States. At maturity northern white-cedar is 40 to 50 feet (12-15 m) tall and 12 to 24 inches (30-60 cm) in d.b.h. Another white cedar with a ring count of 1,567 years was estimated to be missing 323 rings from its base, thus an estimated age of 1,890 years" (Kelly and Larson 1997, and P.E. The largest tracts of Thuja occidentalis (White Cedar) at Cedar Creek surround the knolls in the vicinity of Cedar Bog Lake. CT, MA, ME , NH , RI , VT ; throughout most of northern New England, but becoming rare and local to the south. They were also used as a source of fibre, making fishing spears, tinder, dye, incense, and as an insecticide. An individual from Ontario has been dated at more than 1650 years old. It enjoys the shores of the Great Lakes and cold areas of Maine, where it thrives in pure and mixed stands of trees. spreading. The eastern white cedar and western red cedar have a long history of medicinal uses for this tree.
Moist, deep, loamy soil.
Ancient specimens of northern white-cedar, exceeding 1,000 years in age, grow scraggly and tough from cliffs edging Lake Superior. In recent years, NWC have been negatively affected by white-tailed deer browsing, harvesting, low recruitment, and high competition with associated trees and shrubs. Can tolerate acidic soil.
Northern-white cedar is an arbuscular mycorrhizal tree species that is common in the northeastern United States and Canada.
Northern White Cedar glues and finishes well. Odor: Northern White Cedar has a distinct (though moderate) cedar-like smell when being worked.
Infrequently it reaches heights of 70 to 80 feet (21-24 m) and diameters of 48 to 60 inches (120-150 cm) . The same tree in a different ecological setting forms swamps in the boreal and mixed hardwood forests of the Upper Midwest; these white-cedar swamps are some of the wildest spots in the region, sheltering moose and black bear. Northern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis). The white cedar heartwood is resistant to typical decay and termites, making it a hardy tree that can stand up to many pests in the wild. The white cedar tree seeks out rich, moist and fertile soil to feed its slow-growing branches. It is relatively easy to uproot and transplant. White-cedar trees are also a source of nesting material for American red (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) and northern flying squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus), a behavioral adaptation to the anti-parasitic properties of the bark (Patterson et al. Swampy areas … Northern white-cedar has scalelike foliage and fibrous, sometimes shredding bark [25,26]. White-cedar is also utilized by such mammals as the snowshoe hare, porcupine, and red squirrel. Northern White Cedar can reproduce by layering when its branchlets extend into moist soil; the woody branches can also develop roots when a tree falls to the ground.
more acidic peatlands. Swampy areas are a … In the last decade, forestland owners and managers in the United States and Canada have identified challenges in regeneration, and thus survival, of white-cedar. The cone, or fruit, is small (1/3-1/2 inches long) and oval. Taxonomic notes Description. Since its barks, twigs, and sap are believed to have medicinal properties, it is named “arborvitae” in Latin, meaning “tree of life.” Kelly e-mail 2002.11.15). It enjoys the shores of the Great Lakes and cold areas of Maine, where it thrives in pure and mixed stands of trees. The northern white-cedar type is valuable for wildlife habitat, particularly for deeryards during severe winters. Pileated woodpeckers will excavate large, oval holes in the sides of the white cedar in search of carpenter ants. A favorite food of deer. Year Round. Wood from Ceylon cedar, Northern White Cedar, Mexican White Cedar, and Japanese Cedar is widely used for construction purposes. Porcupines eat the thin cedar stems as a tasty snack and red squirrels nibble on the buds.
Season. Northern white cedar also called swamp cedar is an evergreen species of conifers found in eastern Canada and many places in the United States. Northern-white cedar provides a variety of benefits, particularly related to wood products and wildlife habitat. Shorelines, fens, swamps, and cliffs, also an occasional component of upland forests to the north. Sapling stands produce a great amount of deer food (47) and clearcut stands in Michigan yielded almost 6000 kg/ha (5,340 lb/acre) of browse from tops (16).