Geographical Distribution
Eastern Red Cedar, also commonly known and sold as Aromatic Cedar, is known to botanists and other scientists as Juniperus virginiana.
Before we explore the specific geographic locations in which J. virginiana is a native tree, we need to further clarify the term “cedar” which is commonly used and frequently misunderstood, if not outright abused given how many different species, and even different genus of trees are lumped into this generic descriptor. While some of the geographic ranges of these different trees may overlap, many do not, and this has led to people in different regions using the generic term “cedar” to describe trees that are familiar in their area but which are quite distinct from other trees around the globe described or name in the same way.
Eastern Red Cedar – Top
The following is a list of at least some of the more commonly encountered woods that are also referred to as some form of cedar:
- Calocedrus decurrens (California primarily)
- Cedrela odorata (Central and South America, Caribbean)
- Cedrus libani (Mediterranean mountains of Europe, Asia, and Africa)
- Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (Pacific NW region North America)
- Chamaecyparis thyoides (Coastal regions of eastern United States)
- Cupressus nootkatensis (Coastal regions of NW North America
- Juniperus silicicola (Southeastern United States)
- Thuja plicata (Pacific NW region North America)
- Thuja occidentalis (Northeastern North America)
- Toona ciliata (Southern Asia and Australia)
One of the first things you might notice is that only one of the above listed trees is even in the same genus as the wood known as “cedar” that we are discussing today. And that wood, Juniperus silicicola, is restricted to a very narrow band of coastal southeastern United States and Florida. Some authorities consider it nothing more than a subspecies of J. virginiana.
The actual identification of the wood you purchase as “cedar” will depend heavily on where you purchase it and further identification may not always be provided. That said, the “cedar” we are interested in for today’s purposes is J. virginiana.
J. virginiana is native to every State east of the 100th meridian. This most easily visualized as all states east from, and including, the Great Plains states of the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, although the occurrence in North Dakota is limited. The species extends northward into southern Ontario and the southern tip of Quebec.
J. virginiana, therefore, is native to a very large area of the United States and its population is increasing with time and it is capable of growth across a wide range of soils and climatic conditions.
For the sake of simplicity, I will refer to J. virginiana.
General Characteristics
As the name implies, the heartwood of the Eastern Red Cedar is almost always a reddish to violet brown color. In sharp contrast, the sapwood is a pale yellow color. Unusually, sapwood can occur anywhere throughout the heartwood and when it does it creates distinctive streaks and stripes in the wood, which some users find appealing while others would reject the heartwood as imperfect.
Eastern Red Cedar has a very straight grain which is almost invisible to the naked eye. However, knots are almost always present as are frequent bark inclusions, making it next to impossible to obtain truly clear board lumber pieces of Eastern Red Cedar.
The texture of Eastern Red Cedar is very fine and even.
One of the greatly appealing characteristics of Eastern Red Cedar, in addition to its color and distinctive scent, is its excellent resistance to rot and insect attack. Eastern Red Cedar is in fact so resistant to rot that it is frequently used as a fence post in direct contact with the ground without requiring any pre-treatment of the wood to prevent insect attack or rot.
Working Characteristics
In general, Eastern Red Cedar is considered to be an easy wood to work with. However, that said, knots and other irregularities in the wood, especially bark inclusions, can complicate the wood working process. These knots and inclusions are almost impossible to avoid as it is very rare to find a truly clear piece of lumber from this species.