Tree-dimensional Tacoma: Cedar of Lebanon

“Every time I drive past Lawrence Street on North 21st Street, just uphill on the right, a particular tree that takes my breath away: cedar of Lebanon, Cedrus libani,” says Sarah Low, executive director of the Tacoma Tree Foundation. “Cedars of Lebanon look similar, and are closely related to, deodar cedars. I had assumed this North End Tacoma tree was a deodar cedar but upon closer examination I noticed the stiff branches characteristic of cedars of Lebanon unlike the drooping tips of the deodar cedar.”

This cedar of Lebanon is this week’s Tree-dimensional Tacoma, Peaks & Pints’ weekly Tacoma tree column. Inspired by our house beer, Kulshan Brewing Tree-dimensional IPA, Peaks & Pints branches out for a weekly look at terrific trees of Tacoma, in conjunction with our friends at Tacoma Tree Foundation.

“Cedar of Lebanon is quite literally an epic tree with its prominent place in the Epic of Gilgamesh,” continues Low. “These trees were found throughout the mountainsides in Lebanon and were prized for their wood, which was foundational in the development of the Phoenician Empire. We get to enjoy this spectacular tree every time we walk, bike, or drive down North 21^st. Under closer examination, we can discover that this tree is part of a much bigger story.”

The cedars, some up to 3,000 years old and almost all of which are now protected, need a minimum amount of snow and rain for natural regeneration. But global warming has meant Lebanon’s cedars being subjected to shorter winters and less snow, and the Lebanese government estimates that snow cover could be cut by 40 percent by 2040. Thankfully, rain isn’t an issue in North end Tacoma — for now.

Check out this epic tree, and then head for a growler fill of Tree-dimensional IPA (6.8%) at Peaks & Pints. Kulshan Brewing collaborated with the Tacoma craft beer lodge on their house beer. Paying homage to the outdoor enthusiasts who join Peaks daily in Tacoma’s Proctor District, Tree-dimensional IPA is the perfect beer to toast the powder, currents or trails, as well as reveal the sprains. Tree-dimensional IPA, or Tree-D, continues Peaks & Pints’ love affair with old school piney IPAs, this time brewed with Simcoe, Idaho 7, CTZ, Centennial, and whole leaf Cascade in the hop back for all the pine, a little citrus, with a creamy mouthfeel and bitter finish.

Tacoma Tree Foundation is dedicated to educating, empowering, and supporting community members in neighborhood-based greening. In other words, the Tacoma organization strives for a greener, healthier, more connected Tacoma — which plants well with Peaks and Pints. We will host TTF fundraisers during Tree-dimensional IPA’s reign as our house beer, which pours through October 2020.

LINK: Kulshan brews Peaks and Pints Tree-dimensional IPA

LINK: Tree-dimensional Tacoma: Sugar Maple

LINK: Tree-dimensional Tacoma: Tulip Poplar

LINK: Tree-dimensional Tacoma: Giant Sequoia

LINK: Tree-dimensional Tacoma: Pin Oak

LINK: Tree-dimensional Tacoma: Douglas Fir

LINK: Tree-dimensional Tacoma: Incense Cedar

LINK: Tree-dimensional Tacoma: Plume Sawara Cypress

LINK: Tree-dimensional Tacoma: Western Red Cedar

LINK: Tree-dimensional Tacoma: Ponderosa lemon hybrid

LINK: Tree-dimensional Tacoma: London planetrees

LINK: Tree-dimensional Tacoma: “Vanderwolf’s Pyramid” limber pine