Atlantic white cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides)
Description
The Atlantic white cedar is an evergreen, aromatic tree with narrow, pointed, spire-like crown and slender, horizontal branches. It is a columnar, evergreen tree, with short, ascending branches and blue-green, scale-like leaves on twigs spreading in a fan-like manner. At maturity, the trunk is devoid of branches for three-quarters of its length. Its bark is ashy-gray to reddish-brown. It prefers habitats where the soil is saturated with water at least during the majority of the growing season. The trees are associated with a wide variety of other wetland species because of their wide north-south range. The remaining populations are now found mostly in remote locations that would be difficult to harvest, so its popularity as a source of lumber has decreased. It can grow 40 to 75 foot high and often higher in the wild.
