12 VIRGINIA FORESTS Historic Range of Atlantic White Cedar, based on data from E.L., Jr, 1971. Atlas of the United States trees, Vol. 1, conifer and important hardwoods: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Miscellaneous Publication 1146. Atlantic white cedar, (Chamaecyparis thyoides, a member of the cypress family Cupres sacea), is native to the Atlantic coast, originally found from Georgia to Maine and along the Gulf coast from Florida to Mississippi. Today, while still present across much of its historic range, Atlantic white cedar’s presence is much diminished in our costal forests. Growing up to 90 ft. in height with a DBH up to 30 in., and with a maximum lifespan of about 200 years this tree regularly dominated the forest canopy. The historical estimate of 500,000 acres dominated by Atlantic White Cedar has been reduced to about 100,000 acres Atlantic White Cedar Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow today as a result of habitat loss and prior, unsustainable harvest. Found in coastal swamps and bogs, Atlantic white cedar is commonly associated with red maple (Acer rubrum) and Black gum (Nyssa sylvatica). It thrives on acidic, swampy sites. It reproduces through windborne seeds from cones and does best with an open, debris free forest floor. Swamp microsites are particularly important; the best germination is found on hummocks that lie high enough for the seed to find exposed soil but low enough to provide moisture during dry summer periods to the shallowrooted seedlings. While it is somewhat shade tolerant, it does best on sites with little ground cover or overtopping vegetation. Atlantic White Cedar trees in The Nature Conservancy’s Pemberton Forest Preserve in Delaware. The state’s largest Atlantic White Cedar tree was discovered in this preserve in 2023, which measures 38 inches in diameter and 119 inches in circumference. (©THE NATURE CONSERVANCY) Being shallow rooted, Atlantic white cedar is particularly susceptible to windthrow. Low-level damage from wind or ice disfavors regeneration due to competition from hardwoods, but major damage, such as from hurricanes, tends to favor regeneration of pure stands. Atlantic white cedar can form extremely dense stands, with stocking levels of up to 300 sq. ft. per acre of basal area and 1,700 trees per acre. Mature stands on good sites have been known to contain as much as 110 cords per acre of volume. Interestingly, the highest recorded volumes for Atlantic white cedar were found in the VirginiaNorth Carolina section of its range, from 34 to 37 degrees north latitude. Correspondingly, the highest concentrations of Atlantic white cedar were found in the peat swamps of Virginia and North Carolina, particularly the Great Dismal Swamp. Yesterday Early settlers found that Atlantic white cedar was particularly suited for By Fred Schatzki, VFM Editorial Board
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