The western red cedar or redcedar, the largest tree in the Pacific Northwest, is an environmentally and culturally important tree in the region. Indigenous tribes have long used the tree for homes, canoes, fishing, art, clothing, and medicines. An important part of the ecosystem, the western red cedar is naturally insect- and fungi-resistant and the shade from the tree helps keep stream temperatures cool for salmon. As European Americans settled in the area in the late 1800s, they imposed treaties on tribes and forced them onto reservations. Settlers moved into Indigenous lands, including local forests, and the logging industry became an important part of the economy.

In this photo, a man stands at the base of a large western red cedar tree. The commercial photography studio Webster & Stevens may have taken this photo during the 1920s for an auto tour article in The Seattle Times.

Caption information source: “Species Spotlight – Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata),” by Lindsie Lawson, Nisqually Land Trust, January 19, 2024, https://nisquallylandtrust.org/species-spotlight-western-red-cedar/
Caption information source: “Logging, Lumbering, and Forestry in the North Cascades,” by Adam M. Sowards, HistoryLink.org Essay 23147