A Cedar Is Life explores how one critical species, the cedar tree, is central to the cultural life of West Coast First Nations. The film follows the journey of Archeological Consultant and Cultural Worker Harold C. Joe as he discovers more about the cedar. The documentary weaves together interviews with elders, mask carvers, medicinal harvesters, canoe makers, totem carvers, cedar bark weavers, those working with traditional food and cooking, and other hands-on practitioners all along the West Coast (from Cowichan to Haida Gwaii) who speak to their craft, and how all parts of the tree were - and still are - important to make use of.