EASTERN WHITE CEDAR(Thuja occidentalis) Often referred to as the ‘Tree of Life' or aborvitae, the white cedar was worshipped by some native tribes as one of the most useful trees in the forest. For them it provided a cornucopia of medicinal tonics and poultices. Leaves were burned as a smudge to purify sacred objects. Forest animals gravitate to cedars for food and shelter. The familiar fragrant wood resists decay and is still used in a host of ways from fencing to furnishings. White cedar can be found in shallow and even swampy soils, often over limestone rock. It has a wide, fibrous root system that defies the most unfriendly surfaces, sometimes clinging to escarpment edges for hundreds of years. Some of our more ancient cliff-dwellers are over 1500 years old.