Your tree is covered in the fruiting body of
cedar
apple rust. This disease has two hosts--cedar trees and apple trees. On the
cedar trees there are usually a few orange tentacled looking growths in the spring, which
eventually harden off to a brown ball. They are actively emitting the disease
spores while they are orange. These spores then fly and infect apple trees,
giving them yellow spots with orange centers. A heavily infected apple tree
can defoliate. The disease is usually much worse on apple trees than it is on
cedars, but from the looks of your pictures, you have quite a case on the
cedar. If you can, remove and destroy the galls on the cedar, and hopefully
the problem will be greatly reduced for next year. I hope you don't attempt
growing apples anywhere nearby.
(April) I'm
sure you have answered this question many times, but we couldn't find the
answer. On the cedar trees around here are hard brown things on the branches,
from the size of marbles to maybe a golf ball. When it rains, orange stuff comes
out and then disappears later. I have enclosed some pictures for you to see.