Eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana): what the agencies record

This page reports what US federal publications say about one tree. It does not identify trees from descriptions or photos and does not say what should be done with any tree. The family overview, tree species in the agency records, explains the sources and holds the comparison table.

At a glance

Item	What the source records
Scientific name	Juniperus virginiana L., cypress family
Other names	Red juniper and savin (Silvics)
Native status, USDA PLANTS	Native in Canada and in the lower 48 states
Mature size, Silvics	Usually 12 to 15 m (40 to 50 ft) tall and 30 to 61 cm (12 to 24 in) in diameter; on good sites up to 37 m (120 ft) and 122 cm (48 in)
Green weight of the wood, NRS-38	37 lb per cubic foot, without bark

Range and sites

The Silvics of North America handbook (Agriculture Handbook 654, volume 1, 1990) calls eastern redcedar a common conifer growing on a variety of sites throughout the eastern half of the United States. The Wood Handbook adds that it grows there except in Maine, Florida, a narrow strip along the Gulf Coast and at the higher elevations of the Appalachians, with commercial production principally in the southern Appalachian and Cumberland Mountain regions. Silvics says the species grows on soils from dry rock outcrops to wet swampy land, and grows best on deep, moist, well-drained alluvial sites, where height may reach 17 to 18 m (55 to 60 ft) by age 50. On those better sites it says hardwood competition is so severe that redcedar rarely becomes dominant. It is frequently associated with glades of thin rocky soil and rock outcrops. The handbook says tree numbers and volume are increasing through most of the range, and that the species is among the best trees for protecting soils from wind erosion and ranks high in Great Plains shelterbelt plantings.

Flowers and growth

Silvics describes eastern redcedar as dioecious, with trees probably reaching sexual maturity at about 10 years. Male trees are readily told from female ones when the male cones turn a conspicuous yellowish brown over winter. Trees 20 to 30 years old are generally 5 to 8 m (18 to 26 ft) tall and 6 to 8 cm (2.3 to 3.0 in) in diameter, and the handbook says growth rates depend largely on site quality, competition and stand density, probably through competition for soil moisture.

Roots

On shallow and rocky soils, Silvics says redcedar roots are very fibrous and tend to spread widely, and that even first-year seedlings begin developing a long fibrous root system, often at the expense of top growth. If soil conditions permit, the tree develops a deep, penetrating taproot. The handbook records roots growing extensively in soils in which limestone rocks make up more than 52 percent of the soil volume.

Wood

Silvics says that although the species is generally not an important commercial one, its wood is highly valued for beauty, durability and workability, and that it provides cedarwood oil for fragrance compounds. The Wood Handbook (FPL-GTR-282, 2021) describes bright or dull red heartwood with nearly white narrow sapwood. It calls the wood moderately heavy, moderately low in strength, hard and high in shock resistance but low in stiffness, with very low shrinkage and good dimensional stability after drying. The texture is fine and uniform, and the wood commonly has numerous small knots. It says the heartwood is very resistant to decay and that the greatest quantity is used for fence posts, with lumber made into chests, wardrobes and closet lining, and other uses including flooring, novelties, pencils, scientific instruments and small boats.

Wood Handbook figure	Green	At 12% moisture content
Specific gravity (Table 5-3b)	0.44	0.47
Modulus of rupture, lbf per square inch (Table 5-3b)	7,000	8,800
Side hardness, lbf (Table 5-3b)	650	Not published
Moisture content of green wood, percent (Table 4-1)	33 heartwood, not published for sapwood	Not applicable

The green weight of the wood is in the NRS-38 table, the same figure used in the log weight calculator.

Pests and diseases the handbook names

Silvics (1990) says fire is probably the worst enemy of eastern redcedar because of its thin bark and shallow roots, and that several insects damage the tree but rarely cause serious permanent damage. It names these agents by the names it used.

Foliage feeders. Bagworms and spruce spider mites, both of which the handbook says can completely defoliate trees. The guide on bagworm gives the agencies' wording on the insect.
Bark beetles and borers. The eastern juniper bark beetle, which usually does not kill trees except when the attack is associated with root rot, another Phloeosinus bark beetle, and borers including the black-horned juniper borer, cedartree borer, cypress and cedar borer and pales weevil.
Other insects. The juniper midge, a gall insect; the arborvitae weevil and strawberry root weevil; and Fletcher scale and juniper scale.
Root rot. Heterobasidion annosum, which the handbook thinks causes the greatest damage over much of the range, especially in trees weakened by stress or insects.
Heart rots. Cubical rot fungi and the juniper pocket rot fungus, which enter through dead branch stubs and attack the heartwood.
Cedar rusts. Fungi of the genus Gymnosporangium, of which cedar apple rust is the most widely known; the handbook notes that the presence of redcedar is a problem to apple growers because it is an alternate host. One species produces witches' brooms.
Blights. Phomopsis blight and Cercospora blight, which attack seedlings; the handbook says Phomopsis blight is not a serious problem after seedlings reach age 4.
Animals and weather. Mice and rabbits on seedlings, heavy deer browsing in times of scarce food, and moderate resistance to ice damage.

The guide on reporting a pest in the United States gives the office that takes sightings of regulated pests. Who may apply pesticides is in pesticide licences by country.