NORTHERN WHITE-CEDAR or

EASTERN ARBORVITAE

NORTHERN WHITE-CEDAR or Eastern Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis)

Northern white-cedar is generally found in swamps, along streams, mountain slopes and old pastures where the soil is moist. Dense stands are widely distributed in the state. It is most abundant in the northern and eastern sections, and grows best on alkaline soils. It is widely used as an ornamental.

The head is compact, narrow and pyramidal in shape. The branches are horizontal, short and turned upward. Trees grow to 60 feet in height and to 3 feet in diameter. The trunk is often very strongly buttressed.

The bark has shallow fissures, which divide it into flat narrow ridges. It is reddish brown in color, tinged very often with orange.

The leaves are opposite or two-ranked, usually only about 1/8 inch long, scale-like, blunt, and so arranged as to make the small branches flat in shape. They have a pleasant, aromatic odor, and a rather pleasing taste.

The cones are erect, small, about 1/2 inch long, with only a few pairs of scales. They mature in one season. The seed is small and winged.

The wood is soft and light, coarse-grained, brittle, has very durable heartwood and a fragrant odor. It is used for railroad ties, shingles, slack cooperage, poles, posts, rustic fencing, and is occasionally sawed into lumber for boxes, crates, siding, and boats.