eastern red cedar (TVA, White's Creek Small Wild Area, Plants)

eastern red cedar

Juniperus virginiana

Summary ³

Juniperus virginiana (Eastern Red-cedar,Red Cedar, Eastern Juniper, Red Juniper, Pencil Cedar) is a species of juniper native to eastern North America from southeastern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico and east of the Great Plains. Further west it is replaced by the related Juniperus scopulorum (Rocky Mountain Juniper) and to the southwest by Juniperus ashei (Ashe Juniper).

Associated forest cover ⁴

Pure stands of eastern redcedar are scattered throughout the primary range of the species. Most of these stands are on abandoned farm lands or drier upland sites. The forest cover type Eastern Redcedar (Society of American Foresters Type 46) is widespread and therefore has many associates (10).

Variants of the type are eastern redcedar-pine, eastern redcedar-hardwood, and eastern redcedar-pine-hardwood. The eastern redcedar-pine variant is composed of eastern redcedar and either shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata) or Virginia pine (P. virginiana) and is found throughout the southern half of its range. The eastern redcedar-hardwood variant is found throughout the central part of its range and includes a mixture of red (Quercus rubra) and white (Q. alba) oaks, hickories (Carya spp.), black walnut (Juglans nigra), and other hardwoods. The third variant, eastern redcedar-pine-hardwood, includes all of the above species associations (15). Eastern redcedar appears as a minor component of several other forest cover types.

Eastern redcedar is among the first to invade abandoned fields and areas cleared for pasture (25). On deeper soils, persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) and sassafras (Sassafras albidum) are associated invaders and may crowd it out. In cedar glades, the species is commonly associated with blackjack oak (Quercus marilandica), winged elm (Ulmus alata), fragrant sumac (Rhus aromatica), Carolina buckthorn (Rhamnus caroliniana), rusty blackhaw (Viburnum rufidulum), and Alabama supplejack (Berchemia scandens). Little bluestem (Andropogon scoparius), big bluestem (A. gerardi), yellow Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), dropseed (Sporobolus spp.), and numerous composites and legumes are common herbaceous plants.

Broad scale impacts of fire ⁵

More info for the terms: prescribed fire, tree

Eastern redcedar seedlings and saplings are very susceptible to fire; they may be eliminated from a site following winter or spring prescribed burning [5,6]. Eastern redcedar mortality decreases as tree size increases, due to relatively thicker bark, sparse fine fuels beneath the canopy, and greater vertical distance of the upper foliage from lethal temperatures [25,37,57,93,94,95]. In a Nebraska prescribed fire study, eastern redcedar height-class mortality means were [94]:

Height-class Mortality <3.3 feet (1 m) 88% 3.3 to 6.6 feet (1-2 m) 60% 6.6 to 9.9 feet (2-3 m) 35% >9.9 feet (3 m) 10%

In Leavenworth Barrens Nature Preserve, Indiana, low-severity spring prescribed burns, exhibiting irregular burn patterns, were only effective in killing small diameter eastern redcedar (1.5 inches (4 cm) basal diameter), while larger trees were unaffected [1]. A study of prescribed fire in a Missouri eastern redcedar glade found that spring burning killed all trees up to 1.5 feet (0.5 m) tall but only 7% of the trees taller than 6.5 feet (2 m) [85].

Habitat characteristics ⁶

More info for the terms: competition, hardwood, marsh, presence, shrub

Elevation and aspect: Eastern redcedar occurs from sea level to 5,000 feet (1,524 m) in elevation [29,111]. Although the most desirable elevation is not clearly delineated, eastern redcedar is found most often growing between 100 and 3,500 feet (30-1,070 m). It is notably absent below the 100 foot elevation zone in the southern and eastern parts of its range [79].

Aspect influences the character of eastern redcedar stands. On north and east slopes, there may be fewer eastern redcedar trees because of hardwood competition. However, the eastern redcedar that does occur on north and east slopes may be taller than the trees found on south and west slopes [46]. Eastern redcedar is generally more prevalent on south and south-west facing slopes [111]. In the western part of its range, however, eastern redcedar may more likely be found on north-facing slopes and along streambanks where there is some protection from high temperatures and drought [79]. On exposed areas in the far northern portion of its range, eastern redcedar's growth habit may be reduced to a low shrub [68].

Climate: Widespread distribution of eastern redcedar attests to its ability to grow under a range of climatic conditions. Precipitation averages 15 inches (380 mm) in the northwestern part of its range and 60 inches (1,520 mm) in the southeastern parts of its range [29,79,82,110]. Average annual maximum temperature ranges from 90 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit (32-46 oC) and average minimum temperature ranges from -45 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit (-43 to -7 oC). The growing season varies from about 120 to 250 days [79,82].

Soils and topography: Throughout its range, eastern redcedar grows under diverse site conditions: in deep and shallow soils, on ridgetops, and in valleys [46,47,64,79,114]. Eastern redcedar grows in such varied habitats as thin, rocky soils and dry outcrops to finer textured, saturated soils of swamps [18,63,64,79,82,110,132], though it is not tolerant of flooding [63]. Eastern redcedar is common on shallow soils (6 to 8 inches (15-20 cm) thick) on limestone or sandstone bedrock [29,31,47,68]. Where soil averages less than 12 inches (30 cm) deep, eastern redcedar seldom grows taller than 20 to 30 feet (6-9 m). Where soil depth is 12 to 24 inches (30-60 cm), it reaches 35 feet (10.7 m) in approximately 50 years [8]. Optimal site conditions for eastern redcedar are deep (>24 inches), moist, well-drained alluvial soils, where it may reach heights of 55 to 60 feet (16.7-18.3 m) after 50 years [46,79,82].

Eastern redcedar grows on alkaline or acidic soils where soil pH ranges from 4.7 to 7.8 [8,46,79,110]. High soil acidity does not deter eastern redcedar establishment [46,124], though it may slow growth [84]. Combinations of low phosphorus, high calcium and pH>7 in particular may favor eastern redcedar [24]. However, Lawson [79] reports that although eastern redcedar will grow on slightly alkaline soils, it is not particularly tolerant of higher pH levels. Eastern redcedar's occurrence on neutral to alkaline soils may be a result (rather than a cause) of the tree's presence [46]. Soils in eastern redcedar stands tend to become neutral or slightly alkaline because the high calcium content of the tree's foliage can change the pH of the surface soil in a relatively short time [29,46,79].

Eastern redcedar (primarily J.v. var. virginiana) is commonly found on rough upland topography, including moderate to steep slopes and eroded limestone slopes and knobs [3,8,11,13,24,111,111,124]. It frequently forms dense stands on exposed bluffs and ridges [18]. Southern redcedar occurs predominantly on coastal dunes, swales, shell mounds, brackish flats, and floodplains [3,36].

Tolerances: Southern redcedar is saline tolerant, growing on brackish marsh sites in southeastern U.S. [49], barrier island swales subject to saltwater flooding [122,136], and on coastal dunes subject to salt spray [64,69].

Eastern redcedar grows where water is near the surface or where soil moisture fluctuates from near saturation in winter to extreme dryness in summer [29]. It has high drought tolerance [29,63,92,132], enhanced by the presence of rapidly produced taproots as well as an extensive fibrous root system [29]. The relative drought tolerance of eastern redcedar compared with some herbaceous species (e.g. big bluestem) may contribute to its successful invasion of tallgrass prairie in the absence of fire [9].

Eastern redcedar is frost hardy [63,79,132], though newly established seedlings are subject to frost heaving and foliage may occasionally be damaged by winter injury [79].

Eastern redcedar is moderately shade intolerant/sun-adapted [18,79,92], though seedlings may survive for several years under a sparse canopy [13,79,119,132].

Other uses and values ⁷

The aromatic oils found in eastern redcedar heartwood repel clothing moths and are widely used in perfumes [4,14,63,79,79]. Aromatic oils are toxic to some ant species (Argentine ant and odorous house ant), and eastern redcedar mulch is effective in discouraging ant colonization [87]. Eastern redcedar oils are also effective in repelling Formosan subterranean termites [142]. Heartwood extractives may inhibit growth of fungi and bacteria [83]. Eastern redcedar heartwood has approximately 10 times the oil extractives of sapwood [137]. Due to a higher proportion of heartwood to sapwood in closed-canopy stands of eastern redcedar, trees grown under closed stand conditions may contain 4 to 5 times as much oil in the bolewood as open-grown trees of the same diameter [137].

Eastern redcedar is commonly planted in shelterbelts, windbreaks, and snow fences [17,46,52,63,79,81,117]. It also used for Christmas trees [17,46,79] and ornamental plantings [52,63].

Wood Products: Eastern redcedar heartwood is resistant to attack by termites and has greater commercial value than sapwood [4]. The principal product of eastern redcedar is fenceposts [8,110,117], though it is also used for lumber [17], poles, boats, paneling, closets, chests, and pencils [63,117]. The aromatic heartwood is commonly used for chests or closet lining [68,110]. On most sites, eastern redcedar grows slowly, and long rotations are required to produce conventional sawlogs. However, because the wood is used for small items and there is wide latitude in acceptable defects, shortening of rotations and intermediate harvesting of merchantable wood are possible. About 20 to 30 years are required for posts and 40 to 60 years for sawtimber [79].

Sources and Credits

(c) Alex Melman, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/25852386@N07/2954346425
(c) Robin, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/familydigs/8360779905/
Adapted by Jonathan (JC) Carpenter from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniperus_virginiana
(c) Unknown, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/22777153
Public Domain, http://eol.org/data_objects/24636698
Public Domain, http://eol.org/data_objects/24636692
Public Domain, http://eol.org/data_objects/24636702

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