# Eastern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis)

> A dense, narrow, pyramidal evergreen with flat fan-like sprays of scale leaves, tiny cones and stringy reddish bark. It is the default hedge, screen and windbreak conifer across Canada and the northern states, with hundreds of cultivars from tight globes to narrow columns such as 'Smaragd' (Emerald Green), 'Techny' and 'Brandon'. Deer strip it in winter and heavy snow can split multi-stemmed plants; Ontario notes it does not tolerate road salt.

Source: https://treerm.org/trees/thuja-occidentalis · Updated 2026-11-08 · License CC BY 4.0

## Facts

- Also called: Northern white-cedar, Eastern arborvitae, Arborvitae
- Family: Cupressaceae
- Type: Conifer
- Mature height: 15 m; spread 4 m
- Growth: Slow growing; lives about 200 years
- USDA hardiness zones: 3 to 7
- Light: Sun or part shade
- Water: Moderate water
- Soil: Moist, well-drained, neutral to alkaline clay or loam; natural home is limestone swamps and cliffs
- Native range: Southeastern Manitoba east through Ontario and Quebec to the Maritimes, and the northern United States from Minnesota to Maine with scattered populations south along the Appalachians.

**Benefits:** Windbreak, Birds, Wildlife, Flood tolerant, Fits small spaces, Long lived

**Good for:** Hedgerow, Screening, Windbreak, Small yard, Timber

**Watch out for:** Toxic parts

## Care

Water regularly for the first two summers and in drought, and shelter from strong winter wind to limit browning. Shear hedges in early summer; tie up or knock snow off columnar forms. Protect from deer with fencing or repellents. Bagworm, arborvitae leafminer, spider mites and occasional cankers are the main problems.

## Where it stands

- **Native:** Canada (Native from southeastern Manitoba through Ontario and Quebec to New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island; grows throughout Ontario.); United States (Native from Minnesota to Maine with scattered populations in the Appalachians south to Tennessee and North Carolina (more than 15 states).)

## Sources

- https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/thuja-occidentalis/
- https://mortonarb.org/plant-and-protect/trees-and-plants/eastern-arborvitae/
- https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/THOC2
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thuja_occidentalis
- https://www.ontario.ca/page/eastern-white-cedar