8/01/2009

Multi-Century Cedars: Canada's Largest, Oldest Trees

Bark of an ancient Avatar Grove Cedar
Less than 100 km, as the eagle flies, from Sooke lives Canada's largest known tree, the Cheewhat Lake Cedar.

This Western red cedar (Thuja plicata - thoo-yuh ply-kay-tuh) is 18.34 m/60.2 ft in circumference and 55.5 m/182 ft in height.

It is the second largest known tree of its type on the planet.

The largest cedar is the Quinault Lake Cedar on the Olympic Peninsula, over the Juan de Fuca Strait from Sooke.

After a hike to the Cheewhat Lake Cedar, tree pilgrims are often left feeling speechless. It is difficult to achieve a sense of proportion around such a massive living thing. The Cheewhat Cedar is often described as "a wall of wood." This wall is old, with estimates ranging upwards of 2500 years, and still growing.

Vancouver Island is in the middle of Western red cedar range. The island is prime territory for these slow growing, long lived, droopy, fragrant trees. Fittingly, the Western red cedar is British Columbia's official tree.

Cheewhat Cedar, Pacific Rim Park






















In practice, however, the liquidation of this sacred tree continues. British Columbia's business-friendly government is aiding in the demise of its own provincial trees.

In 2007 the B.C. Liberals adopted a new Coastal Forest Action Plan.

The plan reported that "since 1995, the proportion of old-growth harvested on the Coast has declined from 95 per cent of the harvest to 71 per cent."

The plan attributed the decline to the increase in the amount of old growth protection, but is more likely due to the dwindling supply of old growth trees. With only about 25% of original old growth forests left on Vancouver Island, it will not be long before the cathedral-like ancient groves are gone.


Sooke River Ancient Cedars

The Sooke River watershed contains several cedars that are prime specimens. The river valley also contains huge Douglas fir, Sitka spruce, Hemlock, and Fir, but the largest diameter trees in the area are Western red cedars.

They are the oldest, too. In ideal conditions a cedar can live for thousands of years, making it the oldest living tree in the British Columbia rain forest. The oldest trees in the Sooke River valley are easily many hundreds of years old, perhaps close to one thousand.

Sooke River valley Western red cedar
One of the indicators of old growth forests (over 250 years) is an abundance of large diameter woody debris. It includes large fallen logs as well as standing dead trees (snags), and provides habitat and nutrients for the forest ecosystem. Fallen logs also act as "nurse logs", providing nutrients for new trees. Small patches of this type, such as in small ravines, remain along the Sooke River.



A cedar snag can continue to stand for a century after it dies. Once it falls it can lay on the forest floor for centuries more before it fully decays. Because of this rot resistance, cedar is the most valuable, sought after wood of the Pacific forest.

Big tree hunters like Robert Van Pelt think that record breaking cedars still exist on Vancouver Island, although opportunities to identify them are "dwindling." Some may be in unexplored protected areas, and some certainly exist in privately held lands.

All along the river one can also see evidence of logging. Early hand loggers used springboards to raise themselves up the trunk of trees so that they were above the thickest part of the bole (the main stem of the tree). This left tall stumps.







"Cedar Rats", or shake bolt cutters, work in old cut blocks harvesting the large cedar stumps left behind from previous logging. On a good show the cedar stumps can be more valuable than the second growth forest around them.





The massive fluted trunks of ancient cedars are so spectacular that it is easy to forget to look up to admire the equally impressive crowns of these trees. Over hundreds of years they take on a droopy, gnarled, weathered look. The reddish-grey bark is stressed wood at its best, and the crown is a dense confusion of droopy light-seeking branches and scaly leaves.



A 250 year old cedar can be anywhere from .61-2.44 m/2-8 ft in diameter. Much larger trees exist here. The biggest trees, though, aren't until you get to the valley bottom. There you will find very large, very old Western red cedars, accompanied by luxurious mounds of moss and towering ferns.



The atmosphere and towering columns give one the sense of being in a natural cathedral. It is hard, even for professional foresters, to age a tree, but these are Brobdingnagian boles.



Currently, Sooke does not have a tree protection bylaw, even though many tourists come to the area specifically to see big trees.

Who would travel here to see someones siding, roofing, or deck?

Outside of Sooke and up the coast there are very few protected areas and/or parks. Muir Creek represents one choice old growth location for protection and park status. There are nice Western red cedars in the Muir Creek watershed.


That Vancouver Island has any old growth left is something to celebrate. We have protected only 6% of Vancouver Island's productive forest lands in our parks system.

If we are not careful British Columbia will soon have to change its provincial tree from the Western red cedar to the Red alder. Red alder is the "healer tree" of the forest as it fixes nitrogen in the soil and speeds forest regeneration. It is the first tree to grow in clear cuts, and B.C. has plenty of those.


10 comments:

  1. Saw your blog link on a page posting about the Cheewhat Cedar. I recently saw the Quinault and Kalaloch redcedar trees. I'm pretty certain the Cheewhat must have a better looking crown, although it's unlikely any have more character than Kalaloch. After locating most of the redwood champions, its likely I'll just look for the redcedars over a period of year, when I happen to be in the vicinity.

    M

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  2. Thank you for visiting. I have seen some of the trees you mention, but only in Robert Van Pelt's awesome book "Forest Giants of The Pacific North West". I am planning my own quest to the Cheewhat tree. Have you considered Douglas firs? Outside of Port Renfrew is the Red Creek Fir which is a phenomenal giant tree. There are several large cedars in that area, too. Your own area is rich. I have not crossed the Juan de Fuca to check it out thus far. Can make out a few big trees over there with binoculars though...

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  3. Anonymous2/4/12

    This is all wrong, the largest tree is in Burlington Ontario, the Buffington Tree with a stump of about 25m round and 155m tall

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    Replies
    1. Pictures? References? April Fools Day?

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  4. Anonymous22/7/13

    I would love to have cuttings for cloning and study, of such ancient trees, if anyone would be so gracious to help! Kennyh_87@live.com

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  5. I lived n Bamfield on the West coast of Vancouver Is n the early 70s. I come frm the East coast, N.S. And I was just n jaw-dropping awe of the size of the trees (amongst other things ie seafood) out that way. 1 we were able 2 drive thru! Another fallen 1 was a ladder from a beach to the West Coast Life-Saving Trail, as it was called n those days. And I climbed it, backpack & all! I wish I knew now just how high that was; any1 know? Thank u for all the previous info.

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  6. Anonymous1/9/22

    Good 👍 on ya keeping these great tree safe. They are so old it would be a sin to harm them . Keep up the good work. They are Beautiful

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  7. Anonymous22/2/24

    Hello. I live in Nanaimo British Columbia Canada on Vancouver Island. Recently, I have moved onto the edge of three parks. One called Morrel Sanctuary and the Collier Lakes dams. As well as Mount Benson. It’s interesting to see, touch, and smell the forests and natural beauties surrounding me. It is the western Cedars and Douglas Firs in all of its glory and ancient years I love to experience. Enjoy and learn from them when you can. We are so blessed for these beauties to remain alive. I have always felt that the forests feel our presence of each step we move within them. They all communicate together on a scale which science cannot understand. This affirms to those who have experienced divine and captivating moments outside of any science, reasoning, and unknown's. I have had two moments of this in my lifetime. I saw and heard the natural elements communicate with every leaf, the invisible air that surrounds us and the lake waters within my vision as i saw and melted into this peace. At each event, this life were all glorifying God. I concluded these were supernatural events meant for me and to share this to anyone who loves a Divine mystery turning into true understanding and knowledge of who is in control over all things. I needed those events for some unknown reason of which I will be forever reminded. It was meant for me and to share with you. God is alive and lives in everything. I have experienced that. It was supernatural. Gods desire is for you to accept Him and grow together as a friend to you. This I learned from my experience and talking with Him. Good luck in your journey, Next time you speak to Him, please say hello from me.
    Phil

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous29/2/24

      From my own experience in Vancouver Island forests I know you are not exaggerating their impact one little bit. We would be poorer as a species without them.

      Save the trees, save ourselves!

      - Gregg

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