I captured this beautiful specimen of an Incense Cedar on 05/06/2011 while riding with my brother as we were driving along the road that leads to Fallen Leaf Falls on the south-western edge of South Lake Tahoe. Judging from its size, one can gather that it has lived a long life and is quite old. | ||
The fruit is reddish-brown or yellowish-brown that ripens in the early autumn and remains on the tree until spring. The bark is bright cinnamon-red, broken into irregular ridges, and covered with closely appressed plate-like scales. It can be found in the mountains from western Oregon in higher Coast Ranges and Sierra Nevada to southern California and western Nevada. An important timber species, Incense Cedar is also the leading wood for the manufacture of pencils, because it is soft but not splintery. |