The Forestry Forum

Hello all...

My first post and I thought I would ask a question around my love for Cedar.

In my part of my New England on the eastern part of the Appalachian Mountains. We hug Ct and Ma on the western part of Connecticut. Now that you have an idea of where I'm at...lol  In my search for red cedar I came across a couple different varieties. I have found nothing but red on my property. deep red heartwood. Driving across Barkhamsted reservoir (beautiful drive if your up in the area) there is a stand of cedar that I think is white. I pulled a few branches and seed pods during the early spring.


So what is it...?


From left to right...first 2 found in a stand of cedar along a favorite hiking trail-Red Cedar?  The 1 next was off a tree I felled this winter. And the far left (along with the seed pods) was pulled from the white cedar (I think) along Barkhamsted reservoir. White Cedar?

(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/55288/4E73EE98-DC78-4D28-B670-5E67D612633B.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1556390710)(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/55288/9C610BD0-6A62-4B15-A4E0-AFAD6FCD4B33.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1556390692)
 
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/55288/F459694E-4157-4537-9E7E-F96C38B8AD86.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1556390692)
  

The third one from the left may be Arborvitae or Thuja occidentalis.  It is often used as a landscape plant if that is what it is.  I have never cut one down so I do not know what they look like inside.  Someone with more knowledge of the trees in your area will probably give you better info soon.
Welcome to the FF.

I think you may also be in the range of atlantic white cedar, chamaecyparis thyoides.

Quote from: caveman on April 27, 2019, 10:07:16 PM
The third one from the left may be Arborvitae or Thuja occidentalis.  It is often used as a landscape plant if that is what it is.  I have never cut one down so I do not know what they look like inside.  Someone with more knowledge of the trees in your area will probably give you better info soon.
Welcome to the FF.

Thank you for the welcome Caveman...

You may be right on the use of landscaping. The 3rd one from the left is from trees along a scenic route over Barkhamsted reservoir. 

And so I've finally been able to open my NAS field guide.  Seeing that both Oriental and Northern White are both from the Arborvitae family I can see why it may look like Oriental. Looking at the photos in the book, the Orientals leaves are not as flat as the NW. So I'm going with Northern which really doesn't matter (and sucks) since I don't have any on my property and those branches came from the reservoir area which is of course off limits...lol  

Thanks for the welcome and input...

BIF...

The eastern red cedar, not a cedar but a juniper, has different foliage at the top than at the lower branches. Most confusing of all is the bark [on all 3 eastern cedars].  The wonderful Atlantic white cedar will grow much larger than the other 2. The northern w. cedar grow in clumps along the rivers but just up the bank grows single and taller like the atlantic but never as large. The color of the Atlantic lumber is quite different than the tan/brown northern. I can have yellow/pink color.