Cedar Mulch Pros and Cons: What Studies Show vs Cypress, Pine and Hardwood

Key takeaways

• In a 2-year Oklahoma State trial, eastern redcedar mulch lost about 10.5 percent of its dry weight, against about 5 percent for cypress and pine bark nuggets and about 22 percent for pine (Maggard et al., HortTechnology 22(3), 2012).
• Termites ate every commercial wood mulch in a University of Missouri test, including cedar; cedar was only the least preferred when they had a choice (Pinzon et al., J. Environ. Hort. 24(1), 2006).
• Shredded western red cedar had the fastest fire spread of 8 mulches burned in Nevada, 47.9 ft a minute, and the study says to keep it more than 30 ft from a house (University of Nevada Extension SP-11-04).
• Federal law exempts plain cedar chips from pesticide registration only if any bug claim leaves out ticks (40 CFR 152.25(e)).
• Bulk cedar runs $45 a yard in central Texas and $85.79 to $99.95 for western red cedar in Minnesota, against a $40 national median for undyed hardwood (GIR price survey, Oct. 18, 2026).

What is cedar mulch made of?

Cedar mulch is shredded or chipped wood and bark from trees sold as cedar, and none are true cedars (Cedrus). In the Northwest and upper Midwest it is usually western red cedar (Thuja plicata); in Texas and Oklahoma it is eastern redcedar or Ashe juniper (Juniperus). The species matters because most cedar research tested only one of them.

The long, stringy grade sold as gorilla hair is western red cedar bark: the University of Nevada fire study describes its sample, Mountain Magic Gorilla Hair, as machine-shredded western red cedar (SP-11-04). Oklahoma State tested eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) bark and wood, and the Missouri termite study bought a Juniperus mulch (Maggard et al., 2012; Pinzon et al., 2006).

Sold as	Species	Where it is the local cedar	Heartwood decay class (USDA Wood Handbook)	Studied as mulch in
Western red cedar, gorilla hair, cedar bark	Thuja plicata	Pacific Northwest; shipped to the Midwest and Rockies	Resistant	Univ. of Nevada fire study (2011)
Eastern redcedar, aromatic cedar	Juniperus virginiana	Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, the East	Resistant	Oklahoma State trials (2012)
Texas cedar, Hill Country cedar	Juniperus ashei (Ashe juniper)	Central Texas	Resistant (junipers)	Texas mosquito trial (Keck et al., 2014)
Southern redcedar	Juniperus silicicola	Florida and the Gulf coast	Resistant (junipers)	Univ. of Florida container trial (2008)
Cypress (for comparison)	Taxodium distichum	Florida, Louisiana	Resistant old growth; moderately resistant young growth	UF/IFAS trials (1999); Oklahoma State (2012)

What are the pros and cons of cedar mulch?

The pros of cedar mulch are real but shared with other wood mulches: in a 2-year Oklahoma State trial, all 7 wood mulches kept soil moister than bare ground and cut weeds about equally. The cons are price where cedar is shipped in, up to $99.95 a yard, fast fire spread when shredded, and pest claims the research only partly supports.

Common claim	What the research measured	Verdict	Source
Cedar lasts longer than other mulches	Redcedar lost about 10.5% dry weight in 2 years; cypress and pine bark nuggets about 5%, pine about 22%, red-dyed about 23%	Partly true: beats pine and dyed mulch, not cypress or pine bark	Maggard et al., 2012, Fig. 9
Cedar keeps soil moist and cool	All 7 mulches kept more soil moisture than bare plots in dry spells; soil temperatures did not differ among mulch types	True, and equally true of other wood mulches	Maggard et al., 2012
Cedar suppresses weeds	Mulches cut weed emergence 79% on average; redcedar leachate alone cut it 23%; the effect was mostly physical	True, mostly through cover, not chemistry	Maggard et al., J. Environ. Hort. 30(3), 2012
Cedar repels insects	Two ant species avoided cedar mulch as a nest in the lab; Ashe juniper mulch did not change mosquito counts	Species-specific and unproven outdoors	Meissner and Silverman, 2001; Keck et al., 2014
Cedar does not attract termites	Termites ate cedar in no-choice tests and survived 73% to 100% on every mulch; cedar was least preferred in choice tests	Termites eat it; it is just their last pick	Pinzon et al., 2006
Cedar is allelopathic and stunts plants	Thuja compounds have no demonstrated negative effect on plants; all fresh mulches slowed lettuce seed germination	Myth for established plants; true of fresh mulch on seed	Chalker-Scott, 2007; Duryea et al., 1999
Cedar acidifies soil	Redcedar mulch tested pH 5.6 against a soil pH of 6.4; woody mulch acidification is unlikely in real soils	Small, local effect at most	Maggard et al., 2012; Chalker-Scott, 2007
Cedar is a fire risk	Shredded western red cedar spread fire at 47.9 ft a minute, the fastest of 8 mulches	True for the shredded grade	Quarles and Smith, SP-11-04

How long does cedar mulch last compared with cypress, pine bark and hardwood?

Cedar mulch outlasts pine and dyed hardwood mulch but not cypress or pine bark nuggets, based on the only side-by-side trial that included redcedar. Over 2 years in Stillwater, Oklahoma, redcedar lost about 10.5 percent of its dry weight; cypress and pine bark nuggets lost about 5 percent each (Maggard et al., 2012).

1. Cypress5
2. Pine bark nuggets5
3. Eastern redcedar10.50
4. Grand eucalyptus13.50
5. Hardwood15.50
6. Pine21.50
7. Red-dyed23

Source: Maggard et al., HortTechnology 22(3):353, Fig. 9 (2012) Values read from the published bar chart to the nearest half point; cypress and pine bark nuggets decomposed significantly slower than pine, red-dyed, hardwood and eucalyptus.

Show the numbers

	Dry weight lost in 2 years
Cypress	5
Pine bark nuggets	5
Eastern redcedar	10.50
Grand eucalyptus	13.50
Hardwood	15.50
Pine	21.50
Red-dyed	23

Mulch	Dry weight lost in 2 years (approx.)	Statistical group	What the wood is
Cypress	5%	C (slowest)	Bark and wood of Taxodium distichum
Pine bark nuggets	5%	C (slowest)	Southern yellow pine bark
Eastern redcedar	10.5%	BC	Juniperus virginiana bark and wood
Grand eucalyptus	13.5%	B	Eucalyptus grandis bark and wood
Hardwood	15.5%	BA	Maple and oak
Pine (bark and wood)	21.5%	A (fastest)	Southern yellow pine
Red-dyed	23%	A (fastest)	Maple and poplar

Two Florida trials explain why decay is not the same as depth. In the University of Florida study, cypress and pine bark lost only 3 to 7 percent of their weight in a year, yet a 3.5 inch (9 cm) layer settled to about 6 cm (2.4 inches) after 2 years (Duryea, English and Hermansen, 1999; UF/IFAS FR052). Plan on topping up any bark mulch by roughly an inch every 2 years, cedar included; no trial has measured cedar settling directly.

The heartwood argument for cedar is sound but incomplete. The USDA Wood Handbook rates western redcedar, eastern redcedar and the junipers as decay resistant, in the same class as old-growth baldcypress, while young-growth baldcypress is only moderately resistant (Table 14-1, 2021). Bagged mulch mixes bark and sapwood, and the same handbook says untreated sapwood of essentially all species has low decay resistance.

Does cedar mulch repel bugs?

Cedar mulch repels a few insect species under lab conditions, mostly while it is fresh, and no field study shows it keeping pests out of a yard. Argentine ants and odorous house ants avoided aromatic cedar mulch as a nest site in North Carolina State lab tests, but mosquito counts in Texas did not change with Ashe juniper mulch (Meissner and Silverman, 2001; Keck et al., 2014).

Pest	Study and setting	Result	Holds up as the mulch ages?
Argentine ant	Meissner and Silverman, J. Econ. Entomol. 94(6), 2001, lab	Avoided cedar mulch as nesting substrate; all ants died when confined with it	Yes: mortality complete with mulch aged up to 140 days
Odorous house ant	Same study, lab	Avoided cedar mulch; killed by fresh mulch	No: mortality fell significantly as mulch aged
Ants beside buildings	Meissner and Silverman, J. Econ. Entomol. 96(3), 2003, field	Nest counts did not differ between aromatic cedar and cypress mulch	Not tested
Mosquitoes	Keck et al., Southwestern Entomologist 39(3), 2014, field, Texas	4.8 vs 4.9 mosquitoes a night; fresh Ashe juniper mulch had no effect	Not applicable
Red imported fire ant	Chalker-Scott, 2007, review of lab work	Cedar shavings repelled fire ants in the lab	Not tested
Clothes moths	University of Kentucky Entfact ef609, extension guidance	Cedar chests seldom deter moths; the seal cannot hold repellent oil levels	Not applicable

The law draws the same line. Under 40 CFR 152.25(e), natural cedar chips, shavings and blocks are exempt from federal pesticide registration only when they are pure, untreated cedar and any label claim is limited to repelling arthropods other than ticks. A colorant-coated cedar mulch sold with bug claims, or any product claiming to repel ticks, falls outside that exemption.

Cedarwood oil itself is a registered repellent: EPA’s 1993 fact sheet says it repels insects by a non-toxic mode of action, and EPA’s 2022 interim review notes its volatile nature means rapid dissipation (EPA RED Facts, 1993; EPA interim decision, 2022). That volatility is why any repellent effect should be strongest in fresh mulch.

Does cedar mulch attract termites?

Cedar mulch does not draw termites in, but it does not stop them either. In University of Missouri tests, eastern subterranean termites ate cedar when it was the only food, survived 73 to 100 percent on every mulch tested, and picked cedar last when given a choice of 7 mulches aged 0, 6 or 12 months (Pinzon, Houseman and Starbuck, 2006).

The authors’ summary is blunt: all commercially available wood mulches were equally palatable, and aged mulch was more palatable than fresh. LSU AgCenter entomologist Dennis Ring adds that the natural chemicals in cypress, redwood and cedar break down or leach out, leaving food the termites will eat (LSU AgCenter). What matters near a house is depth and spacing, not species.

1. Keep mulch within 12 inches of the foundation thinner than 2 inches so the soil there can dry (UF/IFAS IN651).
2. Leave 6 inches of slab or foundation showing so mud tubes can be seen during inspections (LSU AgCenter).
3. Do not dig into or pile mulch over the termiticide-treated strip, which LSU describes as 4 inches wide and 6 inches deep beside the slab (LSU AgCenter).
4. Avoid watering next to foundation walls; wet soil there undoes the drying the thin layer is meant to allow (UF/IFAS IN651).
5. Where termite pressure is high, leave a narrow strip of bare soil against the foundation, as Washington State University advises for all wood chips (WSU FS160E).

Can cedar mulch hurt plants or acidify the soil?

Cedar mulch does not harm established shrubs or trees, and its effect on soil pH is small. Chalker-Scott’s review found Thuja compounds have no demonstrated negative effect on plant materials, and Oklahoma State saw redcedar perform like the other wood mulches for trees and annuals over 2 years (Chalker-Scott, J. Environ. Hort. 25(4), 2007; Maggard et al., 2012).

Measure	Eastern redcedar	Cypress	Pine bark / pine	Hardwood	Source
pH of the mulch itself	5.6	6.0	4.5	7.9	Maggard et al., 2012
Soil pH change under mulch, Oklahoma (start 6.45)	Fell	Fell	Fell	Rose in year 1	Maggard et al., 2012
Soil pH after 1 year, Florida (start 5.0)	Not tested	4.6	4.6 (pine bark)	4.7 (utility prunings)	Duryea et al., 1999
Weed emergence cut by mulch leachate alone	23%	Not reported separately	Not reported separately	Not reported separately	Maggard et al., 2012 (JEH)
Lettuce germination slowed by fresh extract	Not tested	Yes	Yes (pine bark)	Yes (utility prunings)	Duryea et al., 1999

The seed-bed caution is real for every fresh wood mulch, not just cedar. In the Florida trial all 6 fresh mulches slowed lettuce germination, and by 9 months only pine straw and utility mulch still did (Duryea et al., 1999). Chalker-Scott also notes a thin nitrogen-poor zone at the mulch and soil interface, so she advises against high carbon mulches in annual and vegetable beds; under trees and shrubs, neither nitrogen loss nor growth suppression occurs. If a bed’s pH worries you, a lab soil test measures it directly instead of guessing from the mulch.

Is cedar mulch a fire risk near the house?

Shredded cedar is one of the most flammable mulches tested. In a University of Nevada burn of 8 mulches after 79 days outdoors, at about 100 °F and 13 percent humidity with 10 to 15 mph fans, shredded western red cedar spread fire at 47.9 ft a minute and threw embers that lit neighboring plots (Quarles and Smith, SP-11-04).

Mulch (2 to 3 inch layer)	Fire result	Where the study allows it
Shredded western red cedar	Fastest spread, 47.9 ft/min; flames averaged 11.4 inches; about 380 °F 4 inches above the bed; embers ignited adjacent plots	More than 30 ft from the house
Shredded rubber	Hottest, over 630 °F; flames averaged over 3 ft	More than 30 ft from the house
Pine needles	Second most hazardous overall	More than 30 ft from the house
Medium pine bark nuggets	Moderate flame height and temperature; low spread rate	5 to 30 ft, broken up by gravel, concrete or lawn
Composted wood chips	Mostly smoldered; slowest spread, under 0.3 ft/min	5 to 30 ft; still combustible
Any mulch tested	All 8 were combustible	Not within 5 ft: use rock, gravel, concrete or pavers

Cypress fared better in an Ohio test of 13 mulches: lit cigarettes ignited shredded cypress bark 2 times in 8 tries and shredded hardwood bark never, while a propane torch rated cypress 4.00 and hardwood 4.13 on a 7-point scale (Steward, Sydnor and Bishop, J. Arboric. 29(6), 2003). That study did not include cedar, so the two results cannot be ranked against each other. Rubber mulch burned hottest in both studies; its other trade-offs are in our guide to rubber mulch pros and cons.

Cedar vs cypress mulch: which is better?

Cypress mulch decomposed about half as fast as redcedar in the Oklahoma trial and costs a few dollars less per yard, so on performance alone it edges cedar. The case against cypress is its source: the Oklahoma State authors flag the harvesting of trees from intact, functioning ecosystems for mulch, naming cypress wetlands (Maggard et al., 2012).

Factor	Cedar	Cypress	Source
Dry weight lost in 2 years	About 10.5% (eastern redcedar)	About 5%	Maggard et al., 2012
Mulch pH	5.6	6.0	Maggard et al., 2012
Heartwood decay class	Resistant	Resistant old growth; moderately resistant young growth	USDA Wood Handbook, Table 14-1
Termites	Eaten in no-choice tests; least preferred in choice tests	Heartwood under 3% eaten; mulch eaten, and more so after 12 months	Pinzon et al., 2006; Duryea et al., 1999
Fire	Shredded western red cedar: fastest spread of 8 mulches	Shredded cypress: lit by 2 of 8 cigarettes; torch rating 4.00 of 7	SP-11-04; Steward et al., 2003
Median bulk price, Oct. 2026	$50 a cu yd (15 yards)	$46.50 a cu yd (4 yards)	GIR mulch price survey
Where it comes from	Eastern redcedar encroaches on fields and grasslands, so cutting it is often control work	Baldcypress from coastal wetland forests such as Louisiana’s	Schnelle, HortTechnology 33(6), 2023; Louisiana Science Working Group, 2005

Regeneration is the specific worry. Louisiana’s Governor’s Science Working Group reported that natural regeneration of baldcypress was poor to non-existent in south Louisiana swamps logged in the 1980s, named the new market for cypress mulch among the signs of renewed harvesting, and recommended delaying harvest on sites that will not regrow (Conner, Chambers et al., 2005). Ask the seller whether bagged cypress is mill residue or whole-tree chips.

How much does cedar mulch cost?

Bulk cedar mulch had a median posted pickup price of $50 a cubic yard at 15 supply yards checked Oct. 18, 2026, with the middle half at $47 to $80. That is $3.50 a yard more than cypress and $10 more than undyed hardwood at the median; the gap widens to $40 or more where western red cedar is trucked in (GIR mulch cost survey).

1. Undyed hardwood40
2. Dyed42.50
3. Cypress46.50
4. Pine bark47.50
5. Cedar50
6. Fir or hemlock bark56.25

Source: GIR mulch cost survey, 32 sellers in 22 states, checked Oct. 18, 2026 One figure per seller; before delivery and sales tax. Sample sizes: hardwood 23, dyed 24, cypress 4, pine bark 6, cedar 15, fir or hemlock 9.

Show the numbers

	Median pickup price
Undyed hardwood	40
Dyed	42.50
Cypress	46.50
Pine bark	47.50
Cedar	50
Fir or hemlock bark	56.25

Mulch type	Median per cu yd	Middle half	Yards sampled
Cedar (shredded, chips, gorilla hair)	$50	$47 to $80	15
Fir, hemlock or redwood bark	$56.25	$47 to $69	9
Pine bark, fines or nuggets	$47.50	$43 to $55	6
Cypress or cypress blend	$46.50	$42 to $49	4
Dyed black, brown or red	$42.50	$40 to $49	24
Natural (undyed) shredded hardwood	$40	$31 to $45	23

Cedar prices split by species and freight. Native Texas cedar sells for $45 to $49.99 a yard, about what local hardwood costs there, while western red cedar at yards in Minnesota and Colorado runs $85.79 to $99.95. The 15 cedar listings below are the full sample.

Swipe the table sideways to see every column.

Supply yard	Location	Product as listed	Price per cu yd
Southridge Farm & Nursery	Walpole, MA	Natural Cedar Mulch	$42.00
Cheaper Than Dirt Landscape Supply	Belton, TX	Cedar mulch	$45.00
Farr’s Landscape Supply	Nolanville, TX	Double Grind Cedar	$45.00
Suburban Landscape Supply	Walled Lake, MI	Cedar Mulch	$46.50
McCarty Mulch & Stone	Indianapolis, IN	Cedar Mulch	$48.00
Portland Rock & Landscape Supply	Portland/Gresham, OR	Bark – Cedar Chips	$48.00
Texas Garden Materials	Houston, TX	Cedar Mulch	$49.99
Peach Country Tractor	Mullica Hill, NJ	Cedar Mulch, All Natural Cedar Chips	$50.00
Mulch Center	Deerfield, IL	Cedar Grind	$57.00
Sky Nursery	Shoreline, WA	Cedar Play Chips	$68.00
Kirk Allen Landscape Supply	Stanhope, NJ	Cedar Mulch	$75.00
KDCO	Medina, MN	Western Red Cedar Mulch	$85.79
Direct Landscape Supply	Denver area, CO	Western Red Cedar Mulch	$90.00
Bedrock Landscaping Material	Denver area, CO	Cascade Cedar Mulch (Gorilla Hair)	$95.00
Plaisted Companies	Elk River, MN	Western Red Cedar Mulch	$99.95

What does a 200 sq ft bed cost in cedar?

A 200 sq ft bed at 3 inches needs 1.85 cubic yards (200 × 3 ÷ 324), about 25 two-cubic-foot bags. At the survey medians that is $92.59 in bulk cedar, $86.11 in cypress and $74.07 in undyed hardwood, before delivery; bagged cedar costs more per yard than bulk at every seller in the survey.

Material	Price used	Cost for 1.85 cu yd	Source of price
Texas native cedar, bulk	$45 a cu yd	$83.33	Farr’s and Cheaper Than Dirt, Oct. 2026
Cedar, bulk, survey median	$50 a cu yd	$92.59	GIR survey median
Western red cedar, bulk, Minnesota	$99.95 a cu yd	$185.09	Plaisted Companies, Oct. 2026
Cedar, 2 cu ft bags	$4.95 a bag × 25 bags	$123.75	Bzak Landscaping, Cincinnati
Cypress, bulk, survey median	$46.50 a cu yd	$86.11	GIR survey median
Undyed hardwood, bulk, survey median	$40 a cu yd	$74.07	GIR survey median
Top-up every 2 years, 1 inch of cedar	$50 a cu yd × 0.62 cu yd	$30.86	Assumes cedar settles like bark in UF/IFAS FR052

Bed area (sq ft)Mulch type (middle-half bulk price per cubic yard, Oct. 2026)Cedar, $47 to $80 a cu ydCypress or cypress blend, $42 to $49 a cu ydPine bark, $43 to $55 a cu ydNatural shredded hardwood, $31 to $45 a cu ydBagged cedar, 2 cu ft at $4.95 to $9.99 a bagDepth3 inches (new bed)2 inches1 inch (top-up)4 inches (coarse bark only)

Cubic yards

1.85

2 cu ft bags

25

Estimated material cost, before delivery and tax$85 to $150

Cubic yards = area x depth in inches / 324. Prices are posted supply-yard pickup prices checked Oct. 18, 2026 (GIR mulch cost survey); bag prices from Bzak (Cincinnati) and Sky Nursery (Shoreline, Wash.).

The calculator converts bed area and depth into cubic yards, 2 cu ft bags and a material cost range for each mulch type. For depth rules by mulch texture and around trees, use our mulch quantity guide; for the weight of a yard before you load a trailer, see how much mulch weighs. Mulch is one line in our full landscaping cost breakdown, and more bed and tree guides sit in the Turf and Trees hub.

Is cedar mulch safe for dogs?

No veterinary authority we found lists cedar or juniper mulch as toxic to dogs; the ASPCA toxic plant list has no Thuja or Juniperus entry as of October 2026. The documented risks are cocoa mulch, which contains theobromine, and swallowing large amounts of any mulch, which can cause bowel impaction (Merck Veterinary Manual; UW School of Veterinary Medicine).

Cocoa hull mulch carries about 9 mg of methylxanthines per gram, and the Merck Veterinary Manual lists mild signs from 20 mg per kg of body weight, so a 20 lb dog shows signs after roughly 20 g, under an ounce. For a dog that chews wood, the University of Wisconsin veterinarians’ warning applies to cedar too: large ingestions of any mulch can need surgery.

When should you use cedar mulch, and when should you skip it?

Use cedar where it costs under about $60 a yard, more than 30 ft from the house in fire country, and around established plants. Skip it if you are paying a freight premium for bug or termite control, because the studies above do not support either. Each row below turns one finding into a rule with its threshold.

If your situation is	Do this	Why (source)
Bed within 5 ft of the house in a wildfire area	Use rock, gravel, pavers or irrigated lawn, not cedar or any wood mulch	All 8 mulches burned; none recommended within 5 ft (SP-11-04)
Bed 5 to 30 ft from the house in a wildfire area	Choose pine bark nuggets or composted chips; break beds up with gravel or lawn	Lower spread than shredded cedar (SP-11-04)
Mulch against a foundation in termite country	Any species, under 2 inches deep within 12 inches of the wall, with 6 inches of foundation showing	Termites eat cedar too (Pinzon 2006; IN651; LSU AgCenter)
Buying cedar to repel mosquitoes, ticks or termites	Do not pay extra for it	No mosquito effect; tick claims excluded by 40 CFR 152.25(e); termites eat it
You want the slowest-decaying mulch	Pine bark nuggets, or cypress from a known mill-residue source	About 5% loss in 2 years vs 10.5% for redcedar (Maggard 2012)
You live in Texas or Oklahoma	Buy local cedar	$45 to $49.99 a yard, at or under local hardwood (GIR survey)
Western red cedar costs over $80 a yard where you live	Use undyed hardwood or pine bark at $40 to $47.50	Same moisture, temperature and weed results in trials (Maggard 2012)
Seeding annuals or vegetables	Keep fresh wood mulch, cedar included, off the seed row until seedlings are up	Fresh extracts of all 6 mulches slowed germination (Duryea 1999)
You want ground-nesting bees	Leave some sunny bare soil unmulched	Thick bark or wood mulch blocks nesting (USU Extension)

1. 1Is the bed within 5 ft of the house in a wildfire-prone area?

   YesUse rock, gravel, pavers or irrigated lawn. No wood mulch, cedar included.

   NoGo to the next question

2. 2Is the bed 5 to 30 ft from the house in a wildfire-prone area?

   YesUse pine bark nuggets or composted wood chips, broken up with gravel or lawn. Skip shredded cedar.

   NoGo to the next question

3. 3Are you buying cedar mainly to repel mosquitoes, ticks or termites?

   YesDo not pay a premium for it. Keep any mulch under 2 inches within 12 inches of the foundation.

   NoGo to the next question

4. 4Does cedar cost more than about $60 a cubic yard where you live?

   YesUse undyed hardwood ($40 median) or pine bark ($47.50) for the same moisture and weed results.

   NoGo to the next question

5. 5Do you need the slowest-decaying wood mulch?

   YesUse pine bark nuggets, or cypress from a known mill-residue source.

   NoCedar is a sound pick: spread 2 to 3 inches and top up about an inch every 2 years.

Source: Univ. of Nevada SP-11-04; UF/IFAS IN651; Maggard et al. 2012; GIR price survey Oct. 2026

Question	Short answer	Best evidence
Lasts longest?	Cypress and pine bark nuggets; cedar is mid-pack	Oklahoma State, 2 years
Repels bugs?	Some ants in the lab; not mosquitoes	Lab and field trials
Stops termites?	No; least preferred, still eaten	Univ. of Missouri
Fire risk?	Shredded cedar spread fastest	Univ. of Nevada burn
Hurts plants?	Not established ones	WSU review
Costs more?	$10 a yard over hardwood at the median	GIR survey, Oct. 2026