Names: man c’a, Incense Cedar, Calocedrus decurrens

Native American uses: The bark is made into planks for traditional Nisenan houses, and its shredded bark was used to insulate moccasins in winter and used for “baby diapers,” and its branches were made into bows. Tribes used incense cedar for medicinal purposes, including treating stomach ailments with leaf decoctions, utilizing the leaves as a vapor infusion for colds, and even using the leaves as a food spice; they also used the bark fiber for basketry, twine, and friction fire-making, and the branches for brooms due to their aromatic properties

Bird Uses: Woodpeckers, chickadees, Brown Creepers, nuthatches, and Kinglets forage flake and peck at the thin cedar bark and eat the scale (insects) hiding underneath. This is especially important in winter when food is scarce.