A medium-sized tree, up to 80 feet tall and 3 feet in
diameter; has a broad, grooved trunk that spreads out widely at the
base. The crown is sharply cone-shaped, with branches that spread
out and droop, and have small, loosely hanging branchlets.
The leave are scale-like, dark, bluish-green, and
slender with sharp points. Unlike western red cedar, the leaves of
the yellow-cedar are all alike, so that the leaf-covered twigs
appear four-sided rather than flat.
Cones are round, 1/4 to 1/2 inches in diameter,
berry-like in the first year and becoming woody as they mature.
Mature cones have 4 to 6 thick umbrella-shaped scales.
On young trees, the bark is thin, grayish-brown and
scaly; on mature trees, it has narrow intersecting ridges. The
inside of the bark smells like potato skins.
Common west of the Coast Mountains, plenty in Alaska
and it rarely occurs in southeastern British Columbia
Yellow-cedar grows well on deep, slightly acidic,
moist soils, usually as single trees, or in small clumps. It is
common in old-growth stands at low elevations especially in the mid
or north coastal regions, with western red cedar and western hemlock
and other plants such as salal and deer fern. It is most common at
high elevations, growing with mountain hemlock and amabilis fir.
The wood from Yellow Cedar has always been highly
prized because of its many superlative qualities. Its distinctive
and uniform yellow color is much admired. The narrow band of sapwood
is very similar in color to the heartwood. The wood is exceptionally
fine in texture and has an unusually straight grain. When green, the
wood has a pungent sulphur odor. One of the world's most durable
timbers, Yellow Cedar has excellent resistance to decay, insect
attack and marine borers, a property that contributes to its
exceptional long life. It is a relatively hard wood, considerably
harder than most commercial softwoods, and has excellent strength
and wear properties as well as good impact resistance.
Aboriginal people along the coast used yellow-cedar
extensively. They used the wood for paddles, masks, dishes, and bows
and wove the bark to make clothing and blankets. Yellow cedar
presently are also used for making outdoor furniture and garden
products,
The wood is very valuable commercially because of its
dense structure, straight grain, yellow color, and resistance to
decay. It is used extensively for boat building.
