On the one hand, oriental red cedar is a native tree with many positive qualities that make it a desirable woody plant in the modern landscape. Although this variety has good resistance to the causative agent of apple cedar rust, it is best not to plant it near apple trees.
Cedar trees can live for as long as 800 years, but they rarely do. It is more common for cedar trees to live for around 150 years. They become reproductively mature and cone-bearing after about 15 years of life and become most prolific after 80 years. Cedar tree longevity varies by species.
As mentioned earlier, it is an alternative host for cedar apple rust, a fungal disease that causes severe damage to leaves and fruit spots on apple trees. Another problem with oriental red cedar is its role as an alternative host for cedar-apple rust, a Gymnosporangium pathogen that is detrimental to pome fruits such as apple, pear and quince.
The Classifications of Cedar Trees
Cedars belong to the genus Cedrus and the pine family, or Pinaceae. Cedars are evergreen trees that can be recognized by their needles, cones, and bark. These are the only true cedars, but many other trees are commonly known as cedars, such as Atlantic white cedar, northern white cedar, eastern red cedar, and western red cedar.
The name cedar is used to refer to several types of erect evergreen trees. These trees have similar forms and uses, but they grow under different conditions and they do not belong to the same family.
The Growth Potential of Cedar Trees
Native trees can grow to over 200 feet, although most cultivated trees remain 60 to 80 feet tall and 8 to 12 feet wide. Under certain growing conditions, eastern red cedar will never grow taller than a small, bushy evergreen tree.
Western red cedar is a long-lived slow growing tree that can reach a height of 200 feet by 20 feet wide. Eastern red cedar is one of the most adaptable cedars, growing in USDA plant hardiness zones 2 through 9. Eastern red cedar is a small to medium-sized fragrant evergreen tree with a dense pyramidal (sometimes cylindrical) crown. You can identify oriental red cedars with bright green needle-like immature pointed leaves that become scaly as the tree matures.
Red cedar exhibits a variety of phenotypic characteristics, such as tree shape, leaf color, and crown shape. Both western red cedar and eastern white cypress are hardy trees that can adapt to a variety of growing conditions. Western red cedar trees begin to produce cones when they are 10 to 20 years old. Optimal bud production begins when the tree is 70-80 years old and can last for centuries—a species can live for nearly 1,500 years.
Ideal Growing Conditions for Cedar Trees
Like most plants, red cedar grows best in well-drained soil at least 24 inches deep, but can thrive in a variety of soil types (from fertile to dry rocky outcrops) and moist conditions (from very dry and moist to well-drained) ) in deep, moist, well-drained alluvial soils with a pH of 4.7 to 7.8 and in full sun to partial shade, although it tolerates almost any growing condition Best performer.
It is able to withstand adverse growing conditions that many other tree species cannot. It thrives in scorching summer heat (similar to conditions in its hometown) and tolerates temperatures as low as -15 degrees Fahrenheit in winter.
Water the Lebanese cedar at least once a week to make sure the soil doesn’t dry out, especially during the first few years of life. If your Lebanese cedar rots or falls accidentally, be sure to plant the tree away from your home or other large structures that could be damaged by the fallen tree. Avoid planting eastern red cedar near apple trees and treat fragile apple trees with fungicides in the spring. Any pruning should be done in the fall and only on trees that are mature after the first few years of life.
But these trees will need a little help to reach their maximum age. That’s why it’s so important to plant as many of these beautiful trees as possible so we can regenerate our county red cedar forests one tree at a time. Pine elms can live for many years if given proper care and support. It’s not just that the tree is huge, but that its lifespan will far exceed that of its original owner, so the point that its longevity can withstand is critical.
Why Cedar Trees Are Desired
If you want a strong and durable wood, cedar is the way to go. Cedar is native to the Himalayas and Mediterranean countries, but can be found in many temperate climates around the world. Cedar is an evergreen tree (meaning it has leaves all year round) with a distinctive spicy aroma. The Lebanese cedar (Cedrus libani) is an evergreen, beautiful wood that has been used to make high-quality wood for thousands of years.
Lebanese cedars usually have only one trunk with many branches growing in a horizontal spiral. Lebanese cedars are one of the most iconic types of true cedars because their branches grow horizontally. Native to Lebanon and the Middle East, these evergreen conifers are huge trees that can reach 40 meters in height. Deodar cedars are large, fast-growing evergreen conifers with a distinct conical shape.
This growth feature makes this type of cedar a very decorative and attractive tree. Growing in the evergreen forests of the Himalayas, deodar cedar trees can reach 48 m in height. Cedar trees need a lot of space to grow properly, so they should be at least 5 feet away from other trees. In forests and woodlands, cedars can serve as fuel for ladders, allowing fires to climb into the canopy of taller trees.
The Burning of Cedar Trees
When burning, red cedar releases thousands of embers (embers) into the wind, increasing the likelihood of a site fire and the overall rate of fire spread. Red cedar is an evergreen that can grow year-round when temperatures are above 40 degrees Fahrenheit. It is shade tolerant and can photosynthesize in winter when the hardwood is leafless, making it a strong contender for woodlands and woodlands.
Although eastern red cedar is considered to have a moderate lifespan, a 795-year-old tree has been recorded in Missouri, and according to the West Virginia tree ring chronology records, red cedar can live more than 850 years.
Old cedar trees don’t necessarily look bigger after a certain point, but if you cut down one of them, you’ll see that it’s quite old because of the density and darkness of the heartwood inside the tree. Dying cedars are often stripped of their lush green leaves during the growing season. You can tell the difference in their leaves because cypress leaves are soft, feathery, not needle-like.
Another distinguishing feature of true cedars is their large barrel-shaped cones that grow directly on the branches rather than hanging down. The barrel-shaped cones grow to 13 cm long, while the bark of deodar cedar is grey and scaly. I quickly looked it up and found that the deodar tree is actually a real cedar (Cedrus genus), but it looks beautiful.
Beautiful photos and interesting use of this beautiful long-lived tree. I enjoyed learning about how indigenous people use trees, oil, and wood products. We also have various types of cedar that grows wild in Texas.