Cedar removal

What cedar does to your ground

A mature eastern red cedar uses a serious amount of water — enough that a thick stand measurably dries out the ground around it. The dense shade kills the grass underneath, and the needle litter changes the soil so that even after you cut it, other things are slow to come back.

It also burns hot and fast, which is a real problem if it is standing close to a house or outbuildings.

Cedar has no standing value here

Unlike your oak and hickory, cedar in this country is not worth leaving for timber. There is no reason to keep a thick stand of it on ground you want to use. Mulching turns it into chip on the spot rather than leaving you a pile of it to deal with.

Glades come back

On the thin rocky ground where limestone is close to the surface, taking cedar off brings back native grasses and wildflowers that have been sitting in the seed bank waiting for light. It is some of the most rewarding clearing there is.

Catch it early if you can

Small cedar clears far faster than big cedar. If you have scattered young cedar coming into a field, that is a cheap job now and an expensive one in ten years.