10 FORESTS OF MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK. 



and the wood has a pleasing aromatic odor. Nearly all the large 

 trees are hollow at the butt. The roots spread laterally to a great 

 distance, but extend only for a short distance below the surface of the 

 ground. The tree is easily overthrown by the wind and usually 

 grows in sheltered localities. On account of the thinness of the bark 

 it is easily killed by fire. 



The red cedar flourishes on fertile and well-watered soils near sea 

 level, where it grows to an enormous size. In the park it is a smaller 

 tree, 150 to 170 feet high and rarely more than 4 or 5 feet through 



FIG. 5. Two big Douglas firs and a western red cedar (on the left) along the 



road up the Nisqually Valley, Mount Rainier National Park. 



Photograph by A. H. Denman. 



above the swollen butt. It grows occasionally up to an altitude of 

 4,000 feet, but is a small and insignificant tree in the high mountains. 



In the sapling stage the red cedar grows rapidly. The mature 

 tree increases very slowly in size. It exceeds all other trees in the 

 Cascades in longevity. Individuals more than 500 years old are not 

 uncommon and there is a well-authenticated instance where the an- 

 nual rings indicated a growth of more than 1,100 years. 



While the red cedar forms no great proportion of the forest of the 

 Pacific Northwest, it is peculiarly valuable to the pioneer on account 

 of the durability of the wood and the ease with which it can be split 



