Red cedar is a weed, it spreads easily and is a serious host for cedar/Apple rust which will kill out Apple production for quite a distance. the seeds are readily eaten by birds which is how it's spread all around. I am attempting to eradicate them from my property and it has been a 20 year process with no end in sight. I hate the dang tree.
I used spruces rather than pines for my windbreaks. They are denser foliaged and grow well on all but the sandiest soils. They can contract a fungus which will kill off the limbs to about 5' but I trim them to keep the branches a couple feet off the ground which seems to help as mine have not been affected.
White cedar is a very good tree too but they suffer big time from deer and rabbits feeding off them when young. Once they get around 6' or so they can hold their own.
I also have a couple rows of leafed trees up wind of the evergreens. Tall trees like oak, walnut, basswood, et al are next to the spruces with shorter ones like crabapple, plum, cherry, and the like next. Shrubs are in front of them with shorter ones up front, tall in the back.
One can mix all of these together for a more natural look which can be less costly but won't be as effective as a windbreak. I do both methods depending on what the objective is.
