Cedar’s fungal immunity lets it thrive where disease kills competitors

Evidence

The unique chemistry of cedar endows it with both life-saving and tree-saving medicinal properties. Rich with many highly antimicrobial compounds, it is especially resistant to fungi. Northwest forests, like any ecosystem, are susceptible to outbreaks of disease, the most significant of which is laminated root rot caused by the native fungus Phellinus weirii. While this fungus can be fatal for Douglas firs, hemlock, and other trees, the red cedars are blessedly immune. When root rot strikes the others, the cedars are poised to fill in the empty gaps, freed of competition. The Tree of Life survives in patches of death. — Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass, 1065

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to chapter 19 machinery of ecological resilience through disturbance — cedars fill gaps that disease opens, mirroring how ponds recover from interruption.