Juniper (Eastern Red Cedar)

Description:

Eastern redcedar is not a cedar, as the name implies, but a juniper. This cold-hardy, adaptable tree will never win a beauty prize but will prove its worth in soils that are dry, compacted, or alkaline. What’s more, our feathered friends give it a top rating in late summer and fall when the blue, berry-like fruits ripen. Hardiness zones 2-9.

Eastern Red Cedar is a pioneer species, meaning that it is one of the first trees to repopulate disturbed sites. It is unusually long lived among pioneer species, with the potential to live over 900 years. It is commonly found in prairies or oak barrens, old pastures, or limestone hills, often along highways and near recent construction sites.

The fragrant, finely grained, soft, brittle, very light, pinkish to brownish red heartwood is very durable, even in contact with soil. Because of its resistance to decay, the wood is often used for fence posts. Moths avoid the aromatic wood, and therefore it is in demand as lining for clothes chests and closets, which are often denominated “cedar closets” and “cedar chests. Native American tribes have historically used poles of juniper wood to demarcate agreed tribal hunting territories.