Editing Thuja plicata (section)

{{Short description|Species of conifer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Thuja plicata Vancouver.jpg
| image_caption = An old tree in [[Vancouver]]
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Farjon, A. |date=2013 |title=''Thuja plicata'' |volume=2013 |page=e.T42263A2968155 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T42263A2968155.en}}</ref>
| genus = Thuja
| species = plicata
| authority = [[James Donn|Donn]] ''ex'' [[David Don|D.Don]]
| range_map = Thuja plicata range.png
| range_map_caption = Range of ''T.&nbsp;plicata'' in the [[Pacific Northwest]]
}}

'''''Thuja plicata''''' is a large [[evergreen]] [[conifer]]ous [[tree]] in the family [[Cupressaceae]], native to the [[Pacific Northwest]] of North America. Its common name is '''western redcedar''' in the U.S.<ref name="PLANTS">{{PLANTS |id=THPL |taxon=Thuja plicata |access-date=10 December 2015}}</ref> or '''western red cedar''' in the UK,<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/18154/thuja-plicata/details | title = ''Thuja plicata'' | publisher = [[Royal Horticultural Society]] (RHS) | access-date = 7 September 2021 | archive-date = 2 August 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210802151825/https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/18154/Thuja-plicata/Details | url-status = live }}</ref> and it is also called '''pacific red cedar''', '''giant arborvitae''', '''western arborvitae''', just '''cedar''', '''giant cedar''', or '''shinglewood'''.<ref name=GRIN>{{GRIN | access-date = 11 December 2017}}</ref> It is not a true cedar of the genus ''[[Cedrus]]''. ''T. plicata'' is the largest species in the genus ''[[Thuja]]'', growing up to {{convert|70|m|ft}} tall and {{convert|7|m|ft|abbr=on}} in diameter. It mostly grows in areas that experience a mild climate with plentiful rainfall, although it is sometimes present in drier areas on sites where water is available year-round, such as wet valley bottoms and mountain streamsides. The species is [[shade-tolerant]] and able to establish in forest understories and is thus considered a [[climax species]]. It is a very long-lived tree, with some specimens reaching ages of well over 1,000 years.

[[Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest]] use the wood of this species for many purposes, such as building canoes, [[totem pole]]s, and tools. The bark is harvested by indigenous peoples and processed into a fiber, which they use to make items such as rope, baskets, clothing, and rain hats. Because of its wide range of uses, the species is of great cultural importance to these people. Western redcedar wood is aromatic and rot-resistant and is used for applications such as the construction of shingles and siding. It has been introduced to cool temperate areas in other parts of the world, such as [[Northern Europe]] and [[New Zealand]].