Juniperus virginiana is a dense slow-growing coniferous evergreen tree with a conical or subcylindrical shaped crown[8] that may never become more than a bush on poor soil, but is ordinarily from 5–20 metres (16–66 feet) tall, with a short trunk 30–100 centimetres (12–39 inches) in diameter, rarely to 27 m (89 ft) in height and 170 cm (67 in) in diameter.

There are two varieties,[2] which intergrade where they meet:[5][6][7] Eastern Red Cedar is a pioneer species, meaning that it is one of the first trees to repopulate disturbed sites.

It is commonly found in prairies or oak barrens, old pastures, or limestone hills, often along highways and near recent construction sites.

The tree is extremely tolerant of drought due to its extensive, fibrous root system and reduced leaf area.

However, Eastern Red Cedar is almost never dominant on such rich mesic sites due to intense competition with faster growing, more shade tolerant hardwood trees.

[16] The trees also burn very readily, and dense populations were blamed for the rapid spread of wildfires in drought stricken Oklahoma and Texas in 2005 and 2006.

[17] On the Great Plains, expanding red cedar populations are altering the plains ecosystem: a majority of the region's bird species are not present in areas where the tree's land cover exceeds 10 percent, and most small mammal species are not present where land cover exceeds 30 percent.

[20] However, studies have found that Juniperus virginiana forests that replace grasslands have a statistically insignificant decrease[21] to a significant increase[19] in levels of soil nitrogen.

[23] The fragrant, finely grained, soft, brittle, very light, pinkish to brownish red heartwood is very durable, even in contact with soil.

[29] Native American tribes have historically used poles of juniper wood to demarcate agreed tribal hunting territories.

French traders named Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which denotes "red stick," from the reddish color of these poles.

[citation needed] The Cahokia Woodhenge series of timber circles that the pre-Columbian Mississippian culture in western Illinois erected were constructed of massive logs of eastern juniper.

[31] During the Dust Bowl drought of the 1930s, the Prairie States Forest Project encouraged farmers to plant shelterbelts, i.e. wind breaks, of eastern juniper throughout the Great Plains of the US.

Competition between individual trees is minimal, and therefore they can be closely planted in rows, in which situation they still grow to full height, creating a solid windbreak in a short time.

The tree's extensive root system allows it to survive drought, and helps to retain surrounding topsoil during dry, windy conditions.