Incense Cedar

Incense cedar is a native conifer of drier forest sites in the interior Pacific Northwest, a narrowly columnar tree rarely planted in Western Washington lowlands but valuable for its distinctive form and aromatic heartwood. The foliage is arranged in flattened sprays of scale-like leaves, bright yellow-green, and strongly aromatic when crushed. The bark is thin, reddish-brown, and breaks into narrow, fibrous strips. The cones are small and elongate, maturing in a single year. The tree grows slowly and naturally reaches 70-110 feet in its mountain habitat; in managed lowland sites, it rarely exceeds 50-60 feet. The intensely narrow, columnar crown makes it useful for vertical emphasis, though the form is less impressive here than in its drier native range.

In Western Washington, incense cedar faces challenges in maritime conditions with high humidity. The tree requires well-drained soils and struggles in waterlogged conditions or with frequent summer irrigation. Fungal diseases, particularly root and canker diseases, thrive in regional moisture and humidity, limiting reliability on lowland sites. On exceptionally well-drained soils (gravelly, sandy, south-facing slopes), the tree can persist. For vertical columnar form in Western Washington, Port-Orford-cedar, Alaska cedar, and western white pine are better adapted to the regional climate.