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My Money Tree

Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) My money Tree or An

evergreen tree in the Cypress Family (Cupressaceae)

My first real adventure with Eastern Red Cedar happened on the

farm I grew up on. It was located south of Lambertville N.J. on

the Delaware River. Our farm was located on a mountainside and

it had been clear cut more than 75 years before. Cedars were

like pioneer invaders, Cedars would take over in areas were

there were clear-cuts, abandoned fields, places where topsoil

had been scraped off and generally were other plants had a tough

time becoming established.It didn't mind clay or rocks and here

the Cedars found a home. Over the years, other trees took hold

and the cedars continued to grow. After many years, the oaks

nearby began to tower over the Cedars and the Cedars began to

decline. One Cedar caught my eye one day while hunting. I had

heard that Cedars were valuable for wood to make cedar chests,

closet linings, cedar shaveings, and fence posts. I knew the

lumber was selling for a over a dollar a board foot. Forty years

ago that was a lot of money to a farm boy and I couldn't let

that get away. I figured that this tree had to be 25 feet up

without a branch, and was almost 3 feet at the base. Now you can

do the math, this was something I had to do. I went to the barn

and got the chain saw and went up to the cedar and began to cut

it down. It didn't take long and I realized that it was hollow.

So I figured I would continue. Maybe the tree would be solid up

a few feet and my money tree would be. With a big crash the

giant was slayed. I proceed to cut up the top of the tree and to

my suprise it was a bee tree. A colony of honey bees had made

its home inside this tree. So now I began plan B. I decided to

join the 4-H and this colony of bees became my first beehive. So

now whenever I see a large Cedar Tree I think of my money tree.

Cedars serve as wind breaks, and are good trees to help with

erosion control. Red Cedars are really in the Juniper Family and

are related to Arborvitae and False Cypress, and are

representative of the many landscape Junipers. Most full grown

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Cedars you find will be from 30-35 feet tall and with diameter

of 15 feet. The best examples of full grown cedars are usually

found in cemeteries. Here they are in the open and the grounds

are maintained around them, they grow to exhibit their full form

and devolpment. Red Cedars are a rugged plant. Cedars can

tolerate fertile, sterile, rocky, sandy, clay, dry, or moist but

well drained places. This plant likes to be neglected and will

grow under harsh conditions including smog, reflected light and

intense heat in urban locations. The only pests that I really

worry about are bag worms. There are some mites, midges and

bettles that can be problematic. Rusts, make the tree unsightly

don't harm this tree but can effect other plants such as pines

and apple trees. If you are looking for a hardy, native

evergreen, for a constrution or landscape site that needs little

care, this is your tree. You can visit Bill's web site at

http://www.seedlingsrus.com

About the author:

Investor/Farmer tells the tale of his Money Tree