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Clicking any heading in the main data area (at right) will scroll the page back to this top position. Use the following links to jump to the associated section in the main data. Blunting Effect Boring Carving Common Names Common Uses Countries of Distribution Cutting Resistance Distribution Overview Drying Defects Ease of Drying Environmental Profile Family Name Gluing Grain Heartwood Color Kiln Drying Rate Kiln Schedules Luster Mortising Moulding Movement in Service Nailing Natural Durability Numerical Data Odor Planing Polishing Product Sources References Regions of Distribution Resistance to Impregnation Response to Hand Tools Routing & Recessing Sapwood Color Scientific Name Silica Content Staining Texture Toxicity Trade Name Tree Size Turning Veneering Qualities Scientific Name Juniperus virginiana Trade Name Eastern redcedar Family Name Coniferae Common Names Eastern redcedar, Juniper, Red juniper, Redcedar, Savin, Virginia pencil cedar Regions of Distribution North America Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP] Canada, United States Common Uses Bedroom suites, Building materials, Chests, Fine furniture, Foundation posts, Furniture , Interior construction, Interior trim, Millwork, Moldings, Novelties, Pencil, Posts, Stakes, Trimming, Wainscotting, Wardrobes, Woodenware Environmental Profile Rare Widespread Rank of relative endangerment based on number of occurences globally. May be rare in some parts of its range Globally secure Data source is Nature Conservancy Abundant Distribution Overview Eastern redcedar is the most widely distributed conifer of the East and grows in all states east of the Great Plains. Its range extends from southwestern Maine to southern Minnesota and the Dakotas, southward to western Nebraska and central Texas, and eastward to northern Florida and Georgia. Eastern redcedar has expanded into the Great Plains through the regeneration of planted trees. Its range was much more extensive during pre-Pleistocene and pre-Pliocene times. Relict stands in refugia from earlier climatic regimes persist in parts of western Kansas and the Texas Panhandle. Eastern redcedar is cultivated in Hawaii. Although said to "prefer" calcareous soils, it thrives on dry hillsides and in swampy land. Heartwood Color Brown Red Yellow Black Purple Orange Turn reddish brown upon exposure Purple Pink to rose red, with yellow or orange and purple streaks and patches Light red Streaks of included lighter colored sapwood. The heartwood often contains many small knots, which are reported to impart a pleasant rustic look to furniture manufactured from Eastern red cedar Sapwood Color White Yellow Pink Brown Green/Grey Very fine Distinct (figure) The narrow sapwood is nearly white or light cream in color Grain Figure Even Distinct (figure) Even Distinct and fine figure Texture Coarse Medium Even or uniform Uniform Fine Luster Low Natural Durability Susceptible to insect attack Moderately durable Non-resistant to powder post beetles Non-durable Non-resistant to termites Perishable Non-resistant to marine borers Heartwood has very high natural resistance to decay Eastern red cedar has a thin bark, which makes the tree rather vulnerable to fire. Trees growing in apple-orchards are usually removed because of the cedar-apple rust disease which tends to infect apple trees from the cedars. Large number of Eastern redcedar trees are reported to have been removed in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia because of this Odor Characteristic mild, delicate, and agreeable, pencil-cedar odor and taste Silica Content High Toxicity Some toxic effects Kiln Schedules 5 - A4 (4/4); T5 - A3 (8/4) U Drying Defects Splitting Distortion Checking Checks around knots and excessive loss of aromatic oils are the most common drying defects in this species. These types of defects are believed to be caused by excessively high drying temperatures. Warping is slight Ease of Drying Slowly Moderately Difficult to Difficult Fairly easy Kiln Drying Rate Naturally dries slowly Tree Size Trunk diameter is 100-150 cm Sapwood width is 5-10 cm Bole length is 20-30 m Tree height is 60-70 m Tree height is 50-60 m Sapwood width is 10-15 cm Trunk diameter is 150-200 cm Bole length is 10-20 m Tree height is greater than 70 m Trunk diameter is 200-250 cm Develops a trunk that is often angled. Diameter reported above buttresses Product Sources Large Eastern red cedar trees for timber are rather scarce since the trees have been subjected to widespread destructive cutting in the past, and also grows slowly. Available trees are reported to often produce timber that are small in dimension and are also full of small knots. For small projects such as craftwork, Eastern red cedar is available in adequate supplies at moderate prices. Blunting Effect Moderate High to severe Boring Fairly difficult to very difficult Fairly easy to very easy Fair to good results Carving Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Cutting Resistance Easy to saw Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult to saw Gluing Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Mortising Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Moulding Very Good to Excellent Results Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Fair to Good Results Movement in Service Eastern red cedar is stable after drying to the appropriate moisture content, and undergoes only minimal dimensional changes in response to fluctuations in atmospheric conditions Nailing Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Fairly Easy to Very Easy Very Good to Excellent Results Fair to Good Results Planing Fairly Easy to Very Easy Fair to Good Results Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Very Good to Excellent Results Eastern red cedar responds readily to all types of tools in most machining operations. It works easily to yield clean, smooth surfaces Resistance to Impregnation Resistant heartwood Permeable sapwood Permeable heartwood Resistant sapwood Response to Hand Tools Fairly Difficult to Difficult to Work Easy to Work Routing & Recessing Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Turning Fairly Easy to Very Easy Fair to Good Results Poor to Very Poor Results Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Veneering Qualities Suitable for peeling Suitable for slicing Veneers moderately easy Veneers easily Polishing Fair to Good Results Very Good to Excellent Results Surface Preparation High polish Staining Fair to Good Results Surface Preparation Numerical Data Item Green Dry English Bending Strength 6860 8624 psi Crushing Strength 686 902 psi Density 32 lbs/ft3 Hardness 882 lbs Impact Strength 34 22 inches Maximum Crushing Strength 3499 5900 psi Shearing Strength 990 psi Stiffness 637 862 1000 psi Work to Maximum Load 8 15 inch-lbs/in3 Specific Gravity 0.4 0.43 Weight 34 31 lbs/ft3 Radial Shrinkage 3 % Tangential Shrinkage 5 % Volumetric Shrinkage 8 % Item Green Dry Metric Bending Strength 482 606 kg/cm2 Crushing Strength 48 63 kg/cm2 Density 512 kg/m3 Hardness 400 kg Impact Strength 86 55 cm Maximum Crushing Strength 246 414 kg/cm2 Shearing Strength 69 kg/cm2 Stiffness 44 60 1000 kg/cm2 Work to Maximum Load 0.56 1.05 cm-kg/cm3 Specific Gravity 0.4 0.43 Weight 544 496 kg/m3 Radial Shrinkage 3 % Tangential Shrinkage 5 % References Boone, R.S., C.J. Kozlik, P.J. Bois, E.M. Wengert. 1988. Dry Kiln Schedules for Commercial Hardwoods - Temperate and Tropical. USDA, Forest Service, General Technical Report FPL-GTR-57, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin. Kline, M. 1982. Juniperus virginiana - Eastern redcedar. In A Guide to Useful Woods of the World. Flynn Jr., J.H., Editor. King Philip Publishing Co., Portland, Maine. Page 197-198. Little, E.L. 1980. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees - Eastern Region. Published by Arthur A. Knopf, New York. Panshin, A.J. and C. deZeeuw. Textbook of Wood Technology. McGraw-Hill Series in Forest Resources. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York. USDA. 1987. Wood Handbook : Wood as an Engineering Material. United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Agriculture Handbook No. 72. Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin. USDA. 1988. Dry Kiln Operators Manual, Preliminary Copy. Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin.