eastern red cedar (juniperous virginia) for mulch?

I know that ERC is not a real cedar but a juniper, so when i read about cedar mulch I have to wonder do they wrongly mean eastern red cedar?   I am asking because in woodworking we sometimes plane and join ERC so we have wood chips.   I would love to use these as mulch.  My first concern is that wood chips rob nitrogen,   Is there anything else I should be concerned about?
Thanks
Granny DP
DPFroumDog

Howdy,
I'm not an "expert" but my understanding of junipers and cedars is, they are trees split into posts for fencing, because they are rot resistant.  Mulch from chips/sawdust take a ling time to break down. As a landscaper. we used cedar mulch in flower beds etc, where we wanted to keep weed growth down. Here at home, I p-- on certain wood chip piles to get them to begin breaking down, and they will eventually make into my oregon compacted red dirt/clay type soil.

I don't foresee an issue using the shavings for mulch though they might not break down as quick, which may or may not be a good thing.  

I have an eastern red cedar with cedar apple rust and was wondering if chipping the branches for mulch would in-turn spread the rust?  I'd love to use it as mulch but planning to add apple trees in the near future.

Wondering the same because I just got a massive chip drop and it looks to be around 90% eastern red cedar. Smells fantastic but I'm a little concerned about adding it to the food forest.

Hi.  Eastern red cedar is fine to use as a mulch.  It is not a cedar and does not contain the tannins cedar does, which some plants (e.g., blueberries) don't like.  However, it will, over a long period of time, make the soil a bit more acidic, so if you are struggling with trying the make the soil under a particular plant more alkaline, you might want to use something else as a mulch.
Also, using wood chips, even fresh wood chips, as mulch does not rob the soil of nitrogen as long as you are using the  mulch on top of the soil and not mixing it in.  It does make nitrogen on the very top layer of the soil unavailable but that also helps inhibit weed germination, so that's a good thing. And, over time, as it degrades, it will add nutrients and moisture retaining organic material to the soil and make the soil a better environment for the microbes you need for healthy soil.