This magnificent western red cedar (thuja plicata) is estimated to be more than 1,000 years old. The massive candelabra-like crown resembles the spires of an ancient cathedral and this cedar started its life when the earliest cathedrals were being built in Medieval Europe. The Kalaloch cedar is a testament to the cycle of life and death in the forest. The multiple dead tops show how some sections of the tree die off and are replaced by new trunks. Half of the tree collapsed in recent storm as seen in the top photo. The fallen log will become nutrients for future generations of trees. The remaining section of the tree supports an entire ecosystem including mature western hemlock trees (tsuga heterophylla) that are growing out of it trunk drawing nutrients from the decaying wood. In turn, their tangled network of root systems appear to be providing structural support for the massive cedar trunk. Soil that has built up on giant burls is supporting a hanging garden of shrubs and ferns. Together, these features provide a wide range of habitats within this one western cedar tree.