Species of the Month

March’s article written by Brooke VanGroningen, Co-Op Student - Hamilton District Christian High School

While winter leaves most trees bare and dormant for the cold season, this only helps to show off the ones that don’t let go of their leaves - trees like the Eastern White Cedar, also known as Arborvitae. This tree grows throughout Ontario, though more commonly in swampy areas with underlying limestone rock, and many use it as a landscaping hedge due to its small size and hardiness. The White Cedar grows well in nearly any soil - especially in a moist area like a swamp - but anywhere contaminated with road salt will kill these trees.

In winter, this tree becomes a meal for many different species. Small mammals like hares and squirrels will eat the stems, while white-tailed deer will browse the twigs. As well as being a snack station, the tree provides shelter for many birds that hang around for the winter instead of migrating farther south. An easy way to identify these trees is by the needles. The needles are yellow-green and small and scaly. They grow to cover fan-shaped twigs, and the cones grow in clumps of 5-6 pairs.

These trees commonly have a lifespan of about 200 years, though some growing on the Niagara Escarpment are over 700 years old. Their age is partly owing to the hardiness of the trees, which makes them popular choices for carpentry. Eastern White Cedars are very slow growing, though over time they can grow to be up to 15m (about 50 ft) tall.