Incense Cedar

Calocedrus decurrens (California incense cedar) is a species of conifer native to western North America, with the bulk of the range in the United States, from central western Oregon through most of California and the extreme west of Nevada, and also a short distance into northwest Mexico in northern Baja California. It grows at altitudes of 50–2900 m. It is the most widely known species in the genus, and is often simply called 'incense cedar' without the regional qualifier. C. decurrens is a large tree, typically reaching heights of 40–60 m and a trunk diameter of up to 3 m (maxima, 69 m tall and 4.5 m diameter) The wood is the primary material for wooden pencils, because it is soft and tends to sharpen easily without forming splinters. It is also a popular ornamental tree, valued for its drought tolerance. It is also grown particularly in cool summer climates (notably eastern Great Britain and elsewhere in northern Europe, and in parts of the northern Pacific Northwest of North America) for its very narrow columnar crown. Source: Incense Cedar (Calocedrus Decurrens).