North American eastern white cedars grow both on cliff faces and in forests  Cedars growing on exposed cliff faces receive very few nutrients, and rarely grow bigger than one-tenth the height of cedars growing in forests, where they benefit from moisture and good soil
Yet few eastern white cedars found in forests are as old as four hundred years, while many on cliff faces are more than five hundred years old
In areas where eastern white cedars grow, forest fires are relatively frequent, but fires cannot reach cliff faces.