Western Redcedar

Western redcedar, Thuja plicata, is a conifer of the family Cupressaceae native to the Pacific Northwest of North America, not a true cedar of the genus Cedrus despite its common name. It grows into a large, long-lived tree with fibrous, reddish bark and scale-like foliage, and its naturally rot-resistant wood was central to the culture of Pacific Northwest Coast indigenous peoples, who carved it into dugout canoes, totem poles and longhouse planks, uses that continue to give the species deep cultural significance in the region.