5 
The wood is of great commercial value, on account of its 
lightness and durability under all sorts of exposure. 
It is not uncommon to find a tree five feet in diameter 
growing over a fallen cedar which is still only sap-rotten, 
although lying on the ground for two or three centuries. 
The Red cedar is an extremely long-lived tree. Trees 
three feet in diameter are about 200 years old, and the largest 
trees take about 1,000 years to reach maturity, and may remain 
standing in a state of decadence for several hundred years 
more. Woodman, spare that tree ! 
The Red cedar grows all over the Pacific coast region of 
British Columbia. It is to be found scattered amongst the 
Douglas fir forest, seeking out the wetter spots. It also covers 
those areas of the country too wet for the Douglas fir. It is 
the dominant tree on the west and northern coast of Vancouver 
Island — I may specially mention, Barkley, Clayoquot and 
Quatsino Sounds. 
It extends over the islands and northwest coast of the 
mainland to the northern boundary of British Columbia. 
It is the prevailing tree on the Queen Charlotte Islands. 
A large quantity of fine cedar at one time grew on the 
shores of Burrard’s Inlet and Howe Sound, but is now almost 
depleted. 
Narrow belts of Red cedar occur along river valleys in the 
interior of British Columbia, such as on the Columbia, Koot- 
enay and North Thompson rivers, but it only reaches a mod- 
erate size and is inclined to be hollow-butted and knotty. 
Red cedar has a strong tendency to become scrubby 
where the conditions are not favorable. The old trees make 
the best merchantable lumber. It is a prolific seeder, and 
takes root readily on moist ground ; but not so well over 
ground covered by forest fires. 
WESTERN HEMLOCK (Tsuga heterophylla) 
Hemlock is the most universal of any forest tree in British 
Columbia. Almost everywhere it occurs as a subordinate in 
association with Douglas fir and Red cedar, and forms ini- 
