96. Western Red Cedars

There are many beautiful trees in Idaho and northern Idaho is draped with forests nearly everywhere. This is my home and I love the forest. Growing up on the Salmon River made me realize that that river is a boundary in Idaho, not only for the time zone but also types of trees. You don’t see Western Red Cedar south of that river.

            Now I live north of the Salmon and cedar trees are everywhere. There are ancient cedar groves scattered throughout the state. The largest tree in the United States that is not on the Pacific coast or in the mountains of the west coast states is an old cedar tree in the Clearwater country just out of Elk River. While it is in an isolated area and doesn’t get the visitors of the Redwoods, it does command some respect. It’s not alone either. There are several giants surrounding it, but if you go you will know you’ve found the right one by the boardwalk that has been built around it. It’s over 3,000 years old.

            I love going to these old cedar groves that are scattered around the northern part of Idaho. Most of them are in fairly remote areas which explains why the lumber barons of the early twentieth century didn’t log them off. These groves always feel like you’re entering a cathedral. The scent of the trees is like incense, the tree trunks themselves are the vaults that raise your eyes to the fretted canopy of the ceiling through which you can often see the heavens. These groves provide a refuge from everything, so it’s no wonder I am in awe of them. Everyone should be.

            So there are varieties of trees that sprinkle our country that make our country particularly unique. One of those happens to be the Western Red Cedar, a tree that is especially prolific in the forests of the inland Pacific Northwest. Just one more thing to be particularly proud of in this beautiful country of ours.