Eastern red cedar

Juniperus virginiana (Family Cupressaceae)

Eastern red cedar is a small, pyramidal tree with scale-like needles

The basics

Eastern red cedar, also referred to as red cedar or red juniper, is a small, pyramidal tree that grows up to 40 feet in height. It is tolerant of a wide range of growing conditions and is found from the upper Midwest and southern Ontario, south to the Gulf states, occurring in every state east of the Mississippi River. The foliage consists of dark green, prickly, scale-like needles approximately 1/16 inch long, often with a bluish hue. In the fall it produces small, round berries ¼ inch in diameter that turn blue as they mature. The bark is reddish-brown to grey, and on mature trees it peels in long, thin shredding strips.

Did you know?

Eastern red cedar is the most broadly distributed conifer in eastern North America
A vigorous competitor, it is among the first woody plant species to colonize abandoned old fields, but it is usually displaced by hardwood species over time.
Dense stands of eastern red cedar are referred to as ‘glades.’
Despite a similar common name, the eastern red cedar (belonging to the genus "Juniperus") is quite different from the western red cedar (belonging to the genus "Thuja")
The foliage and wood of eastern red cedar is aromatic.

Eastern Red Cedar trees

The most broadly distributed conifer in eastern North America

Small, round berries turn blue as they mature

Wildlife

Eastern red cedar is an excellent wildlife tree. Birds readily eat the berries, as do rabbits, foxes, racoons, skunks, possums, and coyotes. These wildlife species are important in disseminating seed.
Winter shoots of eastern red cedar are an important food source for deer.
Eastern red cedar functions as a host plant for numerous insects and pathogens.
Among the most prominent and widespread pest is the bright orange, globular fruiting body of the cedar apple rust fungus.

Uses

In addition to its benefit as a wildlife species, eastern red cedar roots are extremely fibrous, making it valuable for stabilizing soils and preventing erosion.
Eastern red cedar timber is harvested for use as fence posts and is also valued for its fragrance and the durability, beauty and pliability of its wood.
Cedarwood oil is a natural product of eastern red cedar and is used for fragrance.

Bark is reddish-brown to grey, and on mature trees it peels in long, thin strips

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Benefits

Over a 20-year period, a healthy Eastern red cedar with a diameter of 15 inches will offset 2,114 car miles worth of CO₂, absorb enough stormwater to fill 603 bathtubs, and remove an amount of pollution from the air – in gaseous and particulate form – equivalent in weight to 78 smartphones! Learn more at: https://mytree.itreetools.org