brought to you by LEAF
Eastern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) is a resilient, evergreen beauty that offers year-round benefits for your yard and the environment.
Quick Facts
Height: approximately 20 feet in urban settings
Spread: approximately 7 to 10 feet in urban settings
Form: dense, conical to narrowly pyramidal crown that can be single or multi-stemmed
Leaves: evergreen, yellowish-green, flat, scale-like, fan-shaped sprays; new foliage emerges in spring
Bark: reddish brown when young; fibrous, exfoliating, red-brown to grey when mature
New cones: small, yellowish, round male and dry, pinkish female clusters found at branch tip
Cones: young female cones mature to small, brown, oblong cones borne upright on branches with reddish-brown, leathery, rounded scales; emerge in spring, mature throughout the winter
Distinguishing Feature
Eastern White Cedars have small, scale-like leaves arranged in flat sprays.
Historical Fact
The oldest known tree in Ontario is an Eastern White Cedar located on the cliffs of Lion's Head along the Niagara Escarpment. This tree, which germinated in 688 AD, is over 1,330 years old.
Why We Love It
Eastern White Cedar is a favorite in Ontario for its dense, evergreen foliage and graceful, conical shape. It provides year-round privacy, wind protection, and enhances local biodiversity. Resilient to harsh weather, it's a low-maintenance, long-lasting tree that thrives in Ontario's climate, making it an ideal choice for homeowners and tree planting organizations alike.
Did You Know?
- Indigenous peoples have long relied on Eastern White Cedar for its medicinal properties, as well as for building materials, including canoes and shelters.
- Known as the “Tree of Life” because its high vitamin C content helped cure early European settlers of scurvy. Today, its leaves are used to make tea.
- Its wood is naturally resistant to decay, making it ideal for use in fences, shingles and boatbuilding.
Plant Your Own!
Planting an eastern white cedar in your yard is a wonderful way to enhance the beauty of your property and provide habitat for native wildlife. Plant for Less with LEAF’s subsidized Backyard Tree Planting Program today! LEAF (Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the protection and improvement of urban forests. We envision vibrant communities where everyone benefits from a healthy urban forest. For over 30 years we have been connecting people with trees through education, planting and stewardship.
