The White Cedar is Breeches Lake’s soul in winter. It is the evergreen that finds its home closer to the lake’s shore line and gives Breeches Lake a beautiful colour all year round.
It may grow to 20 m. in height and its life span may be higher than 500 years as its growth rate is slow. There are Cedars near my beach that look as if the coming winter will be killing its roots, yet when the spring comes the same Cedars are still there green as always, welcoming visitors. In one case, a cedar tree was so old and sick that its bark had been lost and holes of 10 cm were visible as woodpeckers were trying to eat the worms and bugs hiding in the dying tree. He was right at the shoreline and we decided not to cut it as a dead cedar may serve as home to a variety of birds and insects. To our surprise, the following year two small branches grew from the top and after more than 20 years those branches are still green, reminding us that a cedar tree, like cats, have many lives and never give up.
Cedar trees provide an aromatic wood and branches which is disliked by ants and other insects. This makes cedar a primary wood for building insect-proof log cabins and chests.
