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Eastern Red Cedar in reedgrass field

16 years ago

There is a 1 acre grass field next to my woods. It is wet for a month or two in the spring, and the soil has a lot of clay in it. I want to do a sporadic planting of evergreens for deer bedding and winter wildlife shelter. Would it make sense to plant eastern red cedar?

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Comments (8)

alabamatreehugger 8b SW Alabama
16 years ago
They certainly perform well here in the south, almost too well. The only problem you may have with them is if you have apples or hawthorns nearby, the cedars (junipers) may increase the risk of rust in the area.
ladyslppr
16 years ago
Red Cedar is pretty adaptable, so it should do well in your field, I think. Deer will eat Red Cedar, and sometimes around here (PA) you'll see Red Cedars that are heavily damaged from deer.
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Why not try moving one of them....see what labor you have to put out to get it done. The cedars have shallow rooting so there will be not much digging if your soil allows a decent sized root ball to be taken with each plant. As you dig, you might take notice if any roots are damaged and how much. From this, you might decide to cut back the plant so that what's above is not so much influenced by what roots are below. In other words, try to match what root loss you have with some green above reduced as well. Do water them well so that they go into winter with their roots well moisturized. As long as the soil will accept water, then keep watering. Cedars, once established, do grow well when given sufficient moisture. You might too decide to stagger the planting inside your line so that each plant fills in beside its neighbor.
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adding topsoil and compost because have erosion issue. hoping once i plant it will help with this issue as well. I could just leave as is, but the truck will just dump it right where i need it, don't need to haul it at all! American holly is definitely one i will add too. I saw some large ERC Emerald Sentinel and they have an amazing fragrance as well. I do worry cultivars are not as good for wildlife as the straight species, but berries look the same. I will probably mix both to be safe. Loving the winterberry idea as well. BTW, is it true that Norway spruce is considered "invasive", as in it is replacing too many native species in Zone 7? Don't know if what I find in the literature sometimes is true or not... I will post pictures once I get started. Lots of great advice here,thanks!!
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eric_in_tn
16 years ago
They are excellent as windbreaks & shelter, and have limited food value for wildlife. You may not need to plant any though as they are one of the first trees to spring up in abandoned fields. If there are any others nearby some will certain start growing in the field with no outside help. Birds eat the berries and excrete the seeds.
Nitesteamer
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you all for the input. A little bit a of background probably won't hurt. My property is mostly deciduous woods, with 3 small fields, and a small wetland. There are 4 or 5 isolated cedars that I know of.
There are also many (what I believe to be) Hawthorns scattered around. I understand the wildlife value of the hawthorns.
My purpose is to enhance the wildlife habitat of my property. I was almost set on planting red cedar, but now have doubts.
1. How big of a problem is cedar rust to hawthorns?
2. Is there an alternative evergreen that is dense, not huge, and will do well in a seasonally wet clay soil area?
3. Is it likely that the existing cedars are a threat to the hawthorns?
  Greg
rbrady
16 years ago
Have you thought about Northern White Cedar? You might also want to think about Balsam Fir or White Spruce. I think all would be good candidates along with the Red Cedars. A larger variety would be better for the wildlife.
Nitesteamer
Original Author
16 years ago
Good idea.
alabamatreehugger 8b SW Alabama
16 years ago
Nitesteamer, it really depends on if the fungus is present in your area. Google images of "cedar apple rust" and you will see what the fruiting structures look like on red cedar. Keep an eye out for them come spring time. If you see them, it would be best to limit your amount of red cedar.
joepyeweed
16 years ago
I wouldn't plant cedar if I were trying to increase the wildlife value of the property.

If your property is mostly deciduous woods, then I would focus on maintaining the field as grassland, rather than trying to plant it in trees. A combination habitat of grassland and woods is great for wildlife habitat.

Sometimes we overlook the value of grasslands when thinking about habitat.

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