Ilkley's Spiritual Side ALC Bonus - Red Giant
The cache, a screw-capped, camo-taped, plastic tube, is hidden in a distinctive, beautiful and exotic tree - one of several on a green oasis adjacent to some fine old stone-built terraced houses on the eastern side of the town centre. You may be lucky to find kerb-side parking near GZ.
Using the values obtained from completing each stage of the ALC, the cache can be found at:
N 53 55.DAB W 1 49.(C-4)A(E-1)
The giant | western (or Pacific) redcedar or shinglewood (Thuja plicata) is a species of evergreen coniferous tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae native to western North America. It is thus not a true cedar of the genus Cedrus.
It is thought to have been introduced to UK by the Victorians as part of the popularity for exotic trophy trees. It is now naturalised and used throughout the country for hedging and timber.
It is a very large tree, growing up to 65m high and 7m trunk diameter. Those growing in the open may have a crown that reaches the ground, but those densely spaced together will only have a crown at the top, where light can reach the leaves. It is likely that the trees at the cache location would have had the former but have been trimmed over the years around the base to limit their 'footprint'.
It is very long-lived with some 1,000 years old - the oldest verified being 1,460 years.
The species name plicata derives from the Latin word plicāre and means folded in plaits' or 'braided' - a reference to the pattern of its small leaves. The tree is sometimes called an arborvitae (Latin for 'tree of life') because its evergreen foliage seems to be maintained without any obvious buds.
The largest living specimen is the Cheewhat Giant, in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve on Vancouver Island, at 449m3. The tallest known individual is the Willaby Creek Tree south of Lake Quinault at 59m.
It is narrowly pyramidal in shape with a broad trunk and dense fern-like foliage, and ridged, reddish-brown bark. When crushed, the foliage has a sweet smell of pear drops or pineapple. It is monoecious - both male and female flowers grow on the same tree. Its dense foliage attracts many birds & insects which find shelter in its fissured bark. It tolerates deep shade well.
Its soft red-brown timber with a tight, straight grain and few knots is valued for distinct appearance, aroma, and high natural resistance to decay. It is widely used for outdoor construction as posts, decking, shingles, and siding (external building cladding). See Gallery Photos.
It is commonly used for the framing and 
longwood in lightweight sail boats and kayaks (see short video here). In larger boats it is often used in sandwich construction between two layers of epoxy resin and/or fibreglass or similar products.
It is about 30% lighter than common boat building woods, such as mahogany. For its weight it is quite strong but can be brittle. It glues well with epoxy resin or resorcinol adhesive.
Its light weight, strength, and dark, warm sound make it a popular choice for guitar soundboards. It is also widely used throughout Europe and America for making beehive frames.
It is an important tree in native American culture and the tree emblem for British Columbia where its strength is legendary and celebrated - tales say that someone can receive this even standing with their back to the tree. Presumably hugging it would be even more effective!
It has an extensive history of use by Native Americans of coastal Oregon to SE Alaska. Some NW coast tribes refer to themselves as 'people of the redcedar' because of their extensive dependence on the tree for basic materials. The wood has been used for constructing housing and totem poles, and crafted into many objects, including masks, utensils, boxes, boards, instruments, canoes, vessels, houses, and ceremonial objects. It is also associated with a long tradition of curing and cooking fish over the open fire. Roots and bark are used for baskets, bowls, ropes, clothing, blankets, and rings. See Gallery photos.
The inner bark is edible - it can be dried, ground into a powder and then used as a thickening in soups and stews or mixed with cereals when making bread.
Like its relative Thuja occidentalis and many other conifers, it is grown as an ornamental tree, and for 
screens and hedges, throughout the world in gardens and parks. A wide variety of forms, sizes, and colours is available.
The tree is highly allergenic so take care with foliage is you suffer from asthma or skin allergies.
See here for more info on this impressive tree.