Is Eastern Red Cedar a beneficial native, a problematic invasive, or a useful resource?

Is Eastern Red Cedar a beneficial native species, and invasive nuisance, or an economic resource? This tree has become far more abundant across the central and eastern US due to changes in modern human landscape management, and now presents challenges and opportunities to private and public land managers. Should you leave it in place, get rid of it, or manage it for lumber, mulch, fenceposts, and more? We explore three views of cedars and how context can affect perspectives regarding these trees.

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Prepping cedar branches for a home wood chipper: Make your own cedar mulch, Part 1: Pr...
Tips for using a home wood chipper: Make your own cedar mulch, Part 2: Ti...

Resources:
Eastern Red Cedar (iNaturalist): https://www.inaturalist.org/observati...
Eastern Red Cedar (Missouri Department of Conservation: https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/fi...
Cedar apple rust  (Missouri Department of Conservation): https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/fi...
Hawthorn (Missouri Department of Conservation): https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/fi...

Ozark Outsider theme: sample from Rubythroat Reel (written and performed by Eric Reuter on hammered dulcimer)