in November with a smattering of evergreen white cedars (left) and other trees and shrubs Northern white cedar grows naturally in wet forests, being particularly abundant in
coniferous swamps, where other larger and faster-growing trees cannot compete successfully. It also occurs on other sites with reduced tree competition, such as
cliffs. Although not currently listed as endangered, wild white cedar populations are threatened in many areas by high
deer numbers; deer find the soft evergreen foliage a very attractive winter food and strip it rapidly. The largest known specimen is tall and diameter, on
South Manitou Island within
Leelanau County, Michigan. Northern white cedars can be very long-lived trees in certain conditions, with notably old specimens growing on cliffs where they are inaccessible to deer and
wildfire. As of 2008, the oldest known living specimen was 1,141 years old, but a dead specimen with 1,653 growth rings has been found. Despite their age, these very old trees are small and stunted due to the difficult growing conditions. These individuals' long lifespans have been attributed to their slow growth and their ability to survive when different sections of the tree are damaged or killed. The
Witch Tree, a
T. occidentalis growing out of a cliff face on
Lake Superior in
Minnesota, was described by the
French explorer
Sieur de la Verendrye as being a mature tree in 1731; it is still alive today. ,
Wisconsin Specimens found growing on cliff faces in southern Ontario are the oldest trees in
Eastern North America and all of Canada, having achieved ages in excess of 1,653 years. ==Uses==