Where does Eastern White Cedar come from?

The species was first described by Carolus Linnaeus in 1753, the name remains current. Common names include Eastern Arborvitae, American Arborvitae, Techny Arborvitae, or just Arborvitae, the last particularly in the horticultural trade. This name, arbor vitae, is derived from the tree of life motif - for the supposed medicinal properties of the sap, bark and twigs. Other names by which it is known include Northern Whitecedar, Eastern Whitecedar or White Cedar, and Swamp Cedar. Thuja occidentalis trees are unrelated to cedars, or to the Australian tree, Melia azedarach, also known as White Cedar. A large number of names for cultivars are used by horticulturalists.

Thuja occidentalis grows naturally in wet forests, being particularly abundant in swamps where other larger and faster-growing trees cannot compete successfully. It also occurs on other sites with reduced tree competition such as cliffs. Although not currently listed as endangered, wild Thuja occidentalis populations are threatened in many areas by high deer numbers; deer find the soft evergreen foliage a very attractive winter food, and strip it rapidly. The largest known is 34 m tall and 175 cm diameter, in South Manitou Island within Leelanau County, Michigan. It can be a very long-lived tree in certain conditions, with notably old specimens growing on cliffs where they are inaccessible to deer and wildfire; the oldest known living specimen is just over 1,000 years old, but a dead specimen with over 1,500 growth rings has been found. These very old trees are, despite their age, small and stunted due to the difficult growing conditions.

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