Overview
Cedar trees are evergreen plants that feature scale-like foliage that grows on a flattened or rounded branchlet; most cedars possess a very pleasant aroma to their wood and bark.
Size
The cedars of the United States vary in size, with the western red cedar of the Pacific Northwest attaining heights upward of 200 feet while the northern white cedar reaches 50 feet tall.
Geography
The cedar with the largest distribution in the nation is the eastern red cedar, which exists in most of the eastern United States. The northern white cedar is native to New England and the Great Lakes states while cedars such as the incense cedar and the Alaska cedar grow on the West Coast.
Bark
The bark of most cedar trees is quite thin and shreds into stringy strips. Deer have a habit of rubbing their antlers on cedars, which then reveals an orange inner layer in types such as the eastern red cedar.
Considerations
Cedar trees will thrive in alkaline and dry soils that other trees have a hard time gaining a foothold in.
Benefits
The wood of cedar trees has many uses, including comprising the lining for closets, making pencils, sturdy fence posts, cedar shavings and cedar chests. Cedar trees are also a popular landscaping and ornamental species.
- Eastern Red cedar: Ohio Department of Natural Resources
- "A Guide to Field Identification-Trees of North America"; C. Frank Brockman; 1986
Keywords:
cedar trees, eastern red cedar, northern white cedar
About this Author
John has written thousands of articles for Demand Studios, Associated Content and The Greyhound Review. A Connecticut native, John has written extensively about sports, fishing, and nature.
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