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Protecting Northern Michigan's ​Water Resources

White Cedar

This long-lived species is native to the northern Great Lakes region and into Canada, at times living to be over 1,000 years old.

Common Name:
White Cedar
Scientific Name:
Thuja occidentalis

Description

This long-lived species is native to the northern Great Lakes region and into Canada, at times living to be over 1,000 years old. South Manitou Island within Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park is home to a grove of white cedars called the Valley of the Giants that contains cedar trees that are up to 500 hundred years old and among the largest in the world. The tree’s brown, peeling bark and flat, scaly leaves are key features of this species.
White cedar is found naturally growing in wet forests or swamps where other trees may struggle to survive. This species can develop deep or shallow root systems depending on soil conditions, but with age develop a widespread root system that is well adapted to capturing water.

Gallery

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