Septembers's Tree of the Month is the Southern Red Cedar, Juniperus virginiana, native evergreen seen across Jacksonville and offered as one of the trees for our 630-CITY Tree Planting Program. The red cedar is part of the cypress family and this specimen is native to Florida and the southeastern coastal ranges of North America. They can be seen pretty commonly across Jacksonville, just keep your eyes open to the color and specific bark. It keeps its small scale-like leaves year round offering a lush, green, dense canopy. It is sometimes used as screen or wind break because of the shape and form they can obtain, easily growing wider than tall if given the space. The wood is also very fragrant, giving off a strong cedar smell for the holidays and being an natural insect repellent. This native tree offers some wildlife habitat and food but be sure not to plant if you have apple or pear trees in your landscape as these are host plants to cedar-apple rust, a native fungal disease that can affect your fruit. Because of their hardiness and attractive form these can be nice landscape trees if you have the space and right soil conditions.