Postcards from the forest - among the cedars

They are thirsty trees, and are usually present near a source of water. Flat cedar, also known as incense cedar, can be found in the transition habitat for chaparral to conifer and sub-alpine forest which begins to occur around the 3,000 foot elevation, and extends to about 6,000 feet.

This habitat range is a sort of "sweet spot", an ideal climate zone not only for plants, but for humans, and native people who called the Angeles National Forest home long before it was a national forest were fond of that same zone.

The cedar tree remains an important cultural resource, as well as a desirable wood for furniture making.

Cedars can get quite large, and as they age their bark changes, with long striations of lovely red-colored wood stretching vertically, sometimes criss-crossing and forming diamond patterns and other shapes.

Cedar bark can be used to weave everything from baskets to clothing items, and the leaves provide medicine, incense and insect repellant. The wood is a favorite for making flutes. Their scent is refreshing and invigorating; the bark is also used today for landscaping applications and keeping moths out of sweaters.

Young trees can often be found growing close together in dense stands. Over time, the weaker trees die back, or fire consumes them, easy targets as they stand so close to each other. Their love for water can sometimes be their demise; swollen creeks can erode their foothold, and times of drought leave the trees ill-prepared for survival without water. Eventually, just a few trees survive to what could be called adulthood, and of them, perhaps one will become a giant. It's a process that may take the better part of a century.

In these images, "adolescent" to young adult trees sort out their place in a meadow at roughly 5,000 feet.

I'll be sharing images from the forest over the coming weeks as we navigate these new times. They are part of a body of work called the Forest Recovery Project, Redbird's documentary of the Angeles National Forest after the Station Fire, going on eleven years now. Redbird is a local Native American and environmental non profit and, like most arts and culture entities, ours has seen an immediate and all-consuming impact from COVID-19. But there's hope. We'd like to ask everyone who shops Amazon to use Amazon Smile, and when you do, Amazon will make a donation to Redbird. It's free. It's very simple. And it will provide critical support during these times when we are unable to offer cultural and educational presentations and events Learn more about Redbird at www.RedbirdsVision.org, and sign up for Amazon Smile at https://smile.amazon.com/ch/77-0374732