The name of this tree derives from a sweet, sticky substance which exudes from injuries to its bark. Here, by this old trash dump, is a good place to stop and think about one human influence on the environment not just about unsightly litter, but about the dumping and disposal of larger quantities of waste. The average American generates about 1,800 pounds of solid household trash every year. On the right of the trail stands a dead red cedar tree. It has probably been standing here dead for many years, since cedar wood is very resistant to decay.
Red cedar is often one of the first trees to colonize an abandoned field.
It can not tolerate a lot of shade, however, and it dies out when faster-growing deciduous trees overtop it. The presence of this 'ghost tree' and others like it, tells us that this woodland was an open field, sometime during the past hundred years. This is a typical tree of wet woodlands everywhere in eastern North America. Like many large trees, this one is at least partly hollow, and an opening can be seen in the stub of a branch that projects over the trail. In past years, gray squirrels, red squirrels, raccoons, and great horned owls have used this tree as a home.