Utah Juniper

The cones of the Utah juniper take 2 years to mature. The red to reddish-brown cones are covered with a powdery white coating giving them a bluish tint.

NPS/

Utah Juniper (Juniperis osteosperma) grows abundantly on the monument. Opposite pairs of scale-like leaves fill the branches giving the tree a shrub like appearance. The reddish-brown tree bark is thick and fibrous, and peels easily from the trunk. Small pieces of this bark can cause irritation as they lodge easily in human skin.

Once used by Native Americans for food, the cones of the Utah juniper look similar to a berry. Juniper “berries” provide food for jackrabbits, foxes, coyotes and birds. This interaction is important to the tree as seeds pass through the digestive system and soften the seedcoats allowing for germination. Utah juniper commonly grows in shallow alkaline soils. Its extensive root system allows it to compete for water in the arid desert. Across the west, junipers have expanded their range into shrublands sometimes crowding out herbaceous and shrub species.

The durable wood of Utah juniper resists decay making it an ideal material for fence posts. Additionally the wood has been used for firewood, pencils, construction, and Christmas trees.

 

One inch thick fibrous bark covers the trunk of a Utah juniper tree. This thick bark helps enable the trees to reach lifespans of up to 650 years.

NPS/ Kenneth Ingham