Quileute Tribal School

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May 26, 2011

Cedar Bark Gathering Day One

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Last week the whole school went cedar bark gathering. Of course, our research project found that the cedar in the Pacific Northwest is actually Western REDCEDAR, a word-combination denoting the fact that the "cedar" in this area is not actually true cedar. Nevertheless, this tree has an important part of history for Northwest Coastal tribes, and we were careful to choose trees carefully and never peel more than a third of the bark.

See comments for exciting trivia questions which the kids created about the Western Redcedar.

While walking through the woods looking for our tree to peel, Lonna and Eugene came across the remains of predation. The skeleton was completely laid out with a tiny skull the size of my fist about a foot in front on the spine shown below. We were also able to see jawbones, teeth, and hooves. Fur lay all around the remains, and very thickly in two different spots five and ten feet away. A front leg bone was broken. One of our mentors guesses that it was a four- to six-month-old faun chased and killed by a cougar... the fatal snap on that front leg after tussling in those two fur-laden spots.  The faun put up a good fight.  This scene was macabre and sad, but also a very interesting lesson in evolutionary biology.

The next step after the gathering is to peel the outer layer of bark from the inner layer of bark. This should be done outdoors, but we did it in the classroom while watching episodes of Nickelodeon's Avatar. We tried to clean up the big pieces, but the classroom carpet is now brown shag. Apologies go out to our Maintenance staff.
























Posted by at 5/26/2011

7 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 31, 2011 at 10:27 AM

    questions
    1.what is the largest known specimenof redcaedar?
    2.wher is it located near the northwest shore of the lake quinalt?
    3.why is it used to line closets.
    4.what is in the tree that makes it not rott?
    5.how long does cedar not rott after it falls?


    answers
    1.lake quinalt
    2.near aberdeen
    3.it has strong-smells oils
    4.thujaplicin
    5.hunded years

    ReplyDelete
  2. StormMay 31, 2011 at 10:49 AM

    1.What genus do true cedars belong to ?
    2.What do genus cedrus similar to ?
    3.Describe the leaves of a false cedar.
    4.Western red cedar is native to the northwestern United States and what other area place ?
    5.How long are the cones ?







    1.Cedrus
    2.Larches
    3.-tiny,scale-like leaves that overlap like shingles and form flat sprays like a fern.
    -distinctive, Small cones that remain on the tree long after their seeds are gone.
    4.Southwestern Canada
    5.10-18mm long

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousMay 31, 2011 at 10:59 AM

    Question:
    1.What is the scientific name for cedar?
    2.Will the tree die if it is completly stripped?
    3.Why is the word redcedar on word?
    4.What is the redcedar also known as?
    5.How long can a fallen cedar remain on the forest floor?
    Answer:
    1.Cedrus
    2.Yes
    3.It is a false cedar
    4.Thuja Piclata.
    5.Well over a century

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousMay 31, 2011 at 11:01 AM

    CeeCee(:!<3

    ReplyDelete
  5. ejjMay 31, 2011 at 11:03 AM

    Five Trivia Questions About Western Red Cedar

    1. Where is the biggest known Cedar In the World?
    2. What is red Cedar best used for in the United States?
    3. How many air-filled cells per cubic inch are there in a Western Red Cedar?
    4. How high can a Pacific Northwest Red Cedar grow?
    5. How many varieties of Cedar trees are there?



    answers
    1.lake quinault
    2. Shingles, decks and posts
    3.There are millions of tiny air-filled pockets per cubic inch.
    4.130 to 200 feet
    5.There are two in the Pacific Northwest-Western Red Cedar, Northern White Cedar,

    ReplyDelete
  6. donMay 31, 2011 at 11:06 AM

    1.Descrde the leaves.
    2.True or false-cedar is aromatic
    3.How many species of treesin Pacfic Nortwest
    4.How many are true cedar
    5.What colors are cedars called?


    1. tjny,scale-like leavs that overlap like shingles and form flat sprays like a fern with the leaves
    2. True
    3. Four
    4. 0
    5.Red,Yellow

    ReplyDelete
  7. julia!(:May 31, 2011 at 11:34 AM

    1. Where's the biggest cedar tree in the Pacific Northwest?
    2. How tall do they grow usually after 30-40 years?
    3. What is the highest that a cedar tree can reach?
    4. How long do cedar trees live?
    5. What is the real name to the Pacific Northwest cedar?

    1.The biggest cedar tree in the Pcific Northwest is located near the Northwest shore Lake Quinault north of Aberdean.
    2.They live to be 2,000 years old
    3. 40-70 ft
    4. 100 ft
    5. Thuja plicata

    ReplyDelete

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