Soil Erosion Control with Eastern White Cedar
Landscape Specimens and Natural Groves Excellent Wildlife Habitats
Aug 10, 2009
The tree (Thuja occidentalis) also provides excellent shelter and food for deer, small mammals, and a wide variety of birds.
Soil Erosion Controlled by Cedar’s Deep Roots
Seedlings of the cedar tree develop deep roots in well-drained soil and shallow roots in swampy, saturated soil. With age, it develops a wide-spreading, dense, fibrous root system.
As part of the natural vegetation growth on shorelines, the cedar is vitally important. Along streams, rivers, and lakes, it helps stabilize the embankments. Large eastern white cedars, or groves of cedars, control the amount of erosion. They also cool the water and help maintain the quality of water and the aquatic life.
Evergreen, Coniferous Eastern White Cedar
The eastern white cedar has fan-like branches with unique flat and filigree sprays of tiny leaves. The yellowish-green leaves’ oil-filled glands give the foliage a soft, embossed texture. It grows in conical shape to a height of about fifty feet under normal conditions.
This cedar tree will grow and flourish in a wide variety of soils that range from sphagnum bogs to limestone plains. Their growth rate in the bogs is slower than that in other locations. A single cedar that appears to be growing straight out of a large rock or on the face of a cliff is well adapted to obtain water and nutrients from cracks in rocks.
The eastern white cedar grows best in moist, well-drained soil over limestone bedrock. Ideally suited to grow in shallow soil, it tolerates short periods of drought and periodic floods. It often establishes dense, pure stands in old fields and pastures.
Excellent Landscape Tree and Wildlife Habitat
The eastern white cedar is an excellent specimen tree in the landscape. It is also very attractive when planted in groups or groves similar to natural settings. Frequently planted as a hedge, it provides privacy and shelter from winds at maturity.
Stands of eastern white cedar are important habitats for wildlife. The white-tailed deer uses it for shelter as well as food, especially during harsh winters. The moose will eat the leaves only when other foods are not available. Seeds of the cone clusters are important food for red squirrels.
The tree is a source of food and shelter for many types of birds, including white-throated sparrows, hermit thrushes and several warblers. Chickadees and other wintering birds find shelter in the dense foliage. Pileated woodpeckers create cavities in large white cedars to feed on carpenter ants.
More than one hundred cultivars of the eastern white cedar are sold with the name “arborvitae”. They provide great variety in growth habits, hardiness, and color to suit any landscape
Source:
Trees in Canada by John Laird Farrar, Published by Fitzhenry & Whiteside Ltd., 1995
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