OFFICIAL TREE: WESTERN RED CEDAR

Rande Cook stands in his Victoria studio pointing out items made of western red cedar: boxes, masks, hats and even skirts.

A coniferous tree, the cedar primarily grows along the west coast of British Columbia and can be found throughout Vancouver Island.

The tree is key to many First Nations bands across Vancouver Island, including Cook’s Kwakwaka’wakw tribe, for its many uses in their culture.

“It’s what we call our tree of life,” the 36-year-old artist said. “It is our greatest tree because we used it for pretty much everything. It’s just the perfect wood.”

The cedar is one of the easiest trees to carve, with soft bark that can be woven.

The tree was chosen as B.C.’s official tree in 1988 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the B.C. Forest Service.

While trees such as the Pacific dogwood are under attack from diseases, the cedar is threatened by urban development and climate change.

A 2007 study by the University of B.C. determined that some trees on the Island could withstand climate change, but low-elevation sites would see a decline.

Ryan Senechal, a local arborist, said the large height and root system of the tree deters residents from planting them on their property.

Since the 1980s, Senechal estimates 20 per cent of red cedars in Saanich have been destroyed or lost because of construction.

“It’s just such a character piece of our landscape and it’s worth preserving,” Senechal said. “And we have the power to affect the decline.”

(Adopted: 1988)