VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Juniperus virginiana | Eastern Redcedar 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
The wood of eastern redcedar is attractive, durable, fine textured, and
easily worked [54,88].  It is commonly used to make fenceposts, poles,
and interior paneling [46,61].  The fragrant, richly colored,
purplish-red wood is well suited for furniture, woodenware, pencils,
shavings, and various novelty products [17,61,88].  The wood is
purported to repel moths and is used to make cedar chests and closet or
cupboard liners [88].

Eastern redcedar is not generally considered an important commercial
timber species [54].  However, markets have been expanding in recent
years, and some logs are now exported to Japan and Korea [43].  Eastern
redcedar makes good kindling but has only fair value as firewood [16].
It is occasionally used as fuel or made into charcoal [46].


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Eastern redcedar provides important food and cover for many wildlife
species.  Overall value to songbirds is described as good, whereas food
and cover value for upland game birds and game mammals is fair [16].

Browse:  Eastern redcedar is browsed by deer to some extent but is not a
preferred food.  The foliage can be an important emergency food source
for deer during times of stress.  Use may be heavy during extreme food
shortages [54].  In a Connecticut nursery, deer browsed approximately
21.7 percent of all eastern redcedars [20].  Mice and rabbits
occasionally feed on seedlings [54].  Cattle do not browse eastern
redcedar [88].

Fruit:  Many species of birds and mammals feed on the highly palatable
berrylike cones while they are still on the trees and after the fruit
has fallen to the ground [11].  Large numbers of frugivorous birds
congregate in eastern redcedar thickets during the winter [81].  Cedar
glades serve as excellent winter habitat for the American robin [91].
In many areas, this fruit is most valuable during the fall and winter.
However, some birds, such as the American robin, continue to feed on the
fruit until as late as June 21 [70].

The following is a partial list of birds and mammals that eat the fruit
of eastern redcedar:  cedar waxwing, northern bobwhite, ring-necked
pheasant, ruffed grouse, sharp-tailed grouse, wild turkey, American
robin, starling, mourning dove, northern mockingbird, willow flycatcher,
purple finch, common crow, northern flicker, myrtle warbler, downy
woodpecker, evening grosbeak, pine grosbeak, hermit thrush, fox sparrow,
yellow-bellied sapsucker, eastern bluebird, kingbird, rabbits, foxes,
skunks, opossum, and coyote [6,11,54,59,70,87].


PALATABILITY : 
Eastern redcedar browse is evidently somewhat palatable to deer in
certain locations but is generally not preferred.  Conifers such as
eastern redcedar contain terpenes, resins, and volatile oils which
decrease palatability to browsers [8].  Palatability may vary with the
individual tree [72].


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
Browse:  Ovulate individuals reportedly have higher concentrations of
potassium and calcium than do staminate individuals [88].

Fruit:  The fruit of eastern redcedar is relatively high in crude fat,
moderate in calcium, and very high in total carbohydrates [54].  Fruit
contains an estimated 106.75 J of energy per fruit and 229.74 J seed
energy per fruit [81].  Nutrient content is as follows [70,81]:

      protein                 4 to 6 percent
      sugar                   10 to 30 percent
      starch and cellulose    12 to 20 percent
      water per fruit         .0140 g


COVER VALUE : 
Eastern redcedar provides good cover for a wide variety of birds and
mammals [37,54].  It offers good nesting sites and year-round roosts for
many species of birds [54].  The American robin, chipping sparrow, song
sparrow, and northern mockingbird nest in eastern redcedar [59].  In
Kentucky and presumably elsewhere, eastern redcedars are preferred
roosting sites for the eastern screech owl [9].  The myrtle warbler,
slate-colored junco, and many species of sparrows also roost in the
dense foliage [59].  In many parts of the Great Plains, the dense cover
of eastern redcedar windbreaks is particularly important for the
ring-necked pheasant [79].  Thickets offer good escape cover for deer
[54].


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Eastern redcedar is well suited to a variety of rehabilitation projects.
Its fibrous root system can help prevent soil erosion, and it is capable
of growing on many harsh droughty sites [54].  It is of particular value
in protecting fragile, exposed watersheds [91].  Eastern redcedar has
been successfully planted onto strip-mine spoils in Kansas, Missouri,
Oklahoma, Ohio, and elsewhere [17,55,89].  Particularly good growth and
survival (85 percent) have been reported on calcareous coal mine spoils
[55].  Naturally established eastern redcedar grows as a codominant on
certain abandoned lead pit mines of southwestern Wisconsin, suggesting
that the species has potential for reclamation of mine wastes with high
soil levels of lead and zinc [12].  Eastern redcedar has been
successfully transplanted onto borrow pits [19]; plants which developed
from natural seed sources dominated a 47-year-old gravel pit [63].

Eastern redcedar can be readily propagated from seed.  Cleaned seed
averages approximately 43,600 per pound (96,120/kg) [46] and can be sown
directly by hand or machine [54].  Stratified seed can be sown in
spring, or untreated seed can be sown in the fall and then mulched [54].
Redcedar reportedly transplants readily [37] and can also be propagated
by grafting, layering, and from cuttings [54].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Eastern redcedar is a valuable ornamental [22] and has been cultivated
since 1664 [46].  It is widely used in landscaping [88] and makes
particularly attractive hedges and screens [67].  Many cultivars are now
available, including green-leaved, glaucous-leaved, and
variegated-leaved trees, and many types of shrubs [88].  Heat- and
drought-tolerant cultivars such as 'Skyrocket' have also been developed
[47].  Although eastern redcedar is well suited to urban plantings, it
can become weedy and spread to adjacent agricultural land in some parts
of Virginia and the East [42].

Eastern redcedar is preferred for shelterbelt or windbreak plantings in
many parts of the Great Plains [54,79].  It provides protection from
wind and serves as a living snow fence [79].  In some areas,
particularly in the South, eastern redcedar is used for Christmas trees
[54,88].

The fruits and foliage of many junipers contain aromatic oils which are
used in medicine and in the manufacture of alcohol [46].  Eastern
redcedar is a source of "cedarwood oil" which is used in a variety of
fragrance compounds [54].  These compounds are used in making soaps,
inhalants, liniments, insecticides, polishes, perfumes, and cosmetics
[7,88].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Forage production:  In many areas, eastern redcedar has been encroaching
into rangeland and lowering forage production [95].  In Oklahoma, this
encroachment is described as an "acute problem" affecting at least 3.7
million acres (1.5 million ha) of rangeland [27].  Consequently,
management efforts in many parts of eastern redcedar's range,
particularly at the eastern margin of the Great Plains, have focused on
developing ways of eliminating or reducing this woody invader.
Elsewhere, researchers are focusing on means of developing this species
for its wood product value.

Silviculture:  On some harsh sites with shallow soil, eastern redcedar
may be the only valuable timber tree present and is favored in timber
management [88].  This species grows slowly and requires long rotations
to produce sawlogs [54].  Approximately 40 to 60 years are required for
sawtimber, and 20 to 30 years for posts.  However, many uses of eastern
redcedar do not require large logs and it may be possible to shorten
rotations or conduct intermediate harvesting [54].

Shelterbelt plantings:  Eastern redcedar is tolerant of temperature
extremes and harsh conditions and is well suited for use in shelterbelt
plantings [54].  In many portions of the Great Plains, shelterbelts are
now declining [98], but decadent stands can be rejuvenated by
underplanting eastern redcedar [33].

Grazing:  Eastern redcedar commonly invades grazed hill prairie [64].
Although livestock may trample plants and damage roots [54], eastern
redcedar generally increases in response to overgrazing [88].
Overgrazing aids the spread of eastern redcedar by reducing fuels and
thus contributing to reduced fire intensity [41].  In some areas, unique
remnant hill prairies are threatened by increases in eastern redcedar
[11].

Chemical control:  Eastern redcedar is resistant to herbicides
[83,85,102].  Herbicides such as picloram have been used but are
relatively ineffective on trees over 15 feet (4.5 m) tall or where
excessive litter interferes with absorption [95].  Response to various
chemicals has been examined in detail [27,83,85,95,102].

Mechanical treatment:  Mechanical treatments can be used to reduce
eastern redcedar.  However, these methods are generally uneconomical and
unsuited for areas with thin, fragile soil or rough terrain [95].

Damage:  Eastern redcedar is tolerant of drought, although
drought-caused mortality can occur [2,54].  It is moderately resistant
to ice damage [54] but can be killed by excessive soil moisture [15].

Insects and disease:  Eastern redcedar is susceptible to several
diseases and insect infestations [54,76].  It serves as an alternate
host for cedar-apple rust which can create problems for apple growers
[54].  Susceptibility to various diseases varies according to individual
genetic make-up [88].

Environmental considerations:  Eastern redcedar is resistant to air
pollution and can survive on sites which are too harsh for many other
conifers [88].

Related categories for Species: Juniperus virginiana | Eastern Redcedar