List Evergreens that live very long, 100+ years.

Zone 6.5 New Jersey USA

20ft minimum mature, 25-30ft preferred, 40ft Max.

Although I'm trying to also list some around 15ft max but prefer 30ft for now.

I know people say 'XYZ may live 150 years but starts looking scraggly at 50 years" .

I'm ok with that as long as it doesn't thin out too bad or become weak or anything serious.

I didn't realize something like Blue Point Junipers only live around 40 years. I don't really want pointy leaves anyway, but just an example.

Emerald green arborvitae smaragd are good and popular but not tall and are so slow growing, and only live like 40 years, and snow load damage prone if not trained.

IDK, some say 25 years live:

https://www.ehow.com/info_8618688_many-green-arborvitae-reaches-maturity.html

Says up to 1,700 years?

https://www.bowerandbranch.com/t/208/emerald-green-arborvitae/#tree_more_info

this thread unsure, ~25 years?:

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/4267270/emerald-green-arborvitae-smaragd-average-lifespan

Maybe asking for a lot but can compromise on some requirements listed below.

I'm going to recommend these trees to a lot of people so I want a good list that you can just plant (and water and fertilize) and it'll be good for very very long. Why? Mainly because I like trees and nature and not yards that are just grass, and if these trees I plant die, I don't really think many people are going to be like me and dig up all the roots and plant new trees.

They'll be somewhat spaced tightly and can't just 'plant next to the old stumps' either. Plus, even if someone were to remove the stumps and replant, it's better to have something long-lasting to begin with.

They'll be somewhat tight spaced about 10 ft from each other, so that may either help certain trees from growing too large/wide, help windthrow and sun scorch, but might cause some to grow into each other and smother/kill sections.

SPECS WANT:

[*] 20ft minimum matured, 25-30ft prefer, 40ft Max.

[*] Full sun / Part Shade

[*] somewhat columnar and isn't wider than around 15 ft at base, although it may be skirted later to reduce width on the lower ~5-7ft of trunk.

[*] Handles sandy/clay, poor, wet/dry soils. I know that could be asking a lot, and I don't want to omit all the choices that need decent soil, but if some can handle poor/wet soil also that's great.

[*] Windthrow resistant

[*] fast growth and dense, good for bird nests etc

[*] If has berries, nuts, seeds etc for wildlife is a plus.

[*] doesn't need much pruning at all and stays dense and isn't likely to snap from snow/ice build up if not pruned. For example emerald green arbys are more snow-proof if you prune the long leaders besides the central one, and it'll fill in thick with smaller branches less likely to snap. Not something like a pine that might grow outward softwood branches and snap under weight/wind, but some pines with shorter branches might be good.

[*] Can be cut too deep or even topped and not be harmed too much, unlike something like a blue point juniper or Alberta spruce that you can barely cut into without killing that section.

[*] doesn't cost more than like $80 for a small one, somewhat easy to find but if can order online for decent price that's a plus. Maybe $100 max.

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Green Giant arbys I was thinking, they fit almost all that criteria but they might get a bit too tall but I don't think they're that heavy on top that they'd be a disaster if they ever snapped or fell and the tops hit something, and even at 50ft max which is a bit higher than I'd want, could probably be felled sort of DIY if ever needed in the future and direct the fall with people on ropes and one cutting it, rather than something that needs a climber or cherry picker near houses is something I want to avoid. And they're only like $25 and grow extremely fast.

But no one knows how long GG will live since they're a new breed, it's part western red cedar AKA Thuja Plicata can live 1,200+ years, but the other half Japanese Arborvitae Thuja Standishii I can't find lifespan info on and might be like the emerald green ~40 years. I'll still plant some Green Giants but looking for more confirmed species.

This is saying get single leader GGs live longer (because no snow load?), does this mean you have to get lucky and it grows that way or can you train it to a single leader up to about 20 ft and then when it gets too high it'll still stay single leader?

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/1875195/lifespan-of-some-evergreens

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Some species I'm considering but have to research more:

+ Cupressus nootkatensis AKA Nootka Cypress, yellow cypress, Alaska cypress, Nootka cedar, yellow cedar, Alaska cedar, and Alaska yellow cedar::

Possibly 1,000 years in perfect conditions, and in wild perfect conditions height up to 90 ft is way too much but read in residential maxes around 35.

+ weeping Alaskan cedar: not sure if same as Nootka Above. '3,500 years in wild/perfect' 50 ft maybe too tall but maybe whippy/light at top and not a disaster if fell/cracked.

+ Cryptomeria japonica – ‘Black Dragon’ Japanese Cedar Only grows 10 feet mature but need some around 12ft too. 650 years potential.

+ Yoshino cryptomeria 35ft mature, 650 years potential. may be thinner when mature though prefer something denser than this link, good thread on cryptomeria but just skimmed though so far

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/4949274/does-anyone-know-of-own-a-cryptomeria-that-is-50-years-old

+ Needlepoint Holly only about 10 ft max, and yes has sharp leaves but lives potentially 100+ years if it's anything like american holly

+ American Holly 35 ft max. ~100 years. Holly berries animals like, although toxic to people etc, same with yews.

+ Capitata Japanese yew 35ft "50-150 years" AKA Upright Yew

+ Deodar cedar (Cedrus deodara) potential 1,000 years perfect conditions, 60ft max too big though, but nice tree.

+ Fat Albert Blue Spruce , 15ft, not 35ft but maybe usable, 80 years. AKA Picea Pungens but if you google that it says lives up to 200 years but says 50ft which is too tall

+ Thuja occidentalis aka northern white-cedar, eastern white cedar, or eastern arborvitae. And is AKA american arborvitae?

https://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/~adk/oldlisteast/

https://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/~adk/oldlisteast/Spp/THOC.html

Different than the small emerald greens that they just add "'Smaragd'" to the end of Thuja occidentalis and confused me.

northern white cedar grows ~45ft, 800+ years if perfect conditions.

BTW I'm not looking for something to live 800 years,, but 100+ would be great.

+ Oriental Arborvitae Thuja orientalis, I think I have these, and I like them if they max around 30ft and live long. We chopped it to a stump like 15 years ago and it bounced back great, wouldn't do that again,, it's a strong, dense evergreen, maintained around 12 ft now but if do plant more will let them grow if won't get over like 45ft.

Whatever it is I have, the seeds are exactly the same as Oriental Arborvitae Tree Seeds (Thuja orientalis)

https://www.amazon.com/Oriental-Arborvitae-Seeds-orientalis-Chinese/dp/B07CRS2DFR

But I have seen the same seeds on very similar plant that sort of looks bunchy, not as full as mine, but maybe because those ones aren't pruned that regularly, but they don't seem to even really grow in the last few years compared to mine, theirs are spotty/bunchy but growing just 15 ft away in same conditions. Maybe I'll take pics. Actually, what I mean is, theirs looks sort of like the first pic of lowers photo set where it says "habit of young plant" but even scragglier, and mine is much fuller:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platycladus

I'm guessing that wiki link is the same tree I have.

"Platycladus is a monotypic genus of evergreen coniferous tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae, containing only one species, Platycladus orientalis, also known as Chinese thuja, Oriental arborvitae, Chinese arborvitae, biota or oriental thuja."

But then it shows it as trees, and hard to believe it's the same species. And mine doesn't get brown in winter like that. Maxes around 55 ft? Can live 1,000 years in perfect conditions? but becomes that scragly tree?

+ Juniperus virginiana AKA Eastern Red Cedar, 100-300 years, 60ft maybe too tall. But if google the more common name "Eastern Red Cedar" says 45ft.

Despite blue points living only ~40, there seems to be other Junipers that live long, and the sharp leaves might only be new growth. But make sure forgiving if overpruned and not brown out sections like Blue Points do.

Note to self google more juniper types.

+ Picea mariana (Black spruce) ~75 years, 40ft

+ Southern magnolia, 80-120 years perfect conditions, but tall 70ft but I really like these and maybe it'll not grow so tall in given conditions. I alrady planted some sweetbay magnolias, not evergreen in NJ, but thought they lives ~100 years but just read ~50 but whatever, I can transplant them to someone else and maybe pick something more long lived deciduous under 25ft max. Regardless sweetbay mags are supposed to smell amazing but prefer longevity.