U.S. Forest Service Official: Massive Juniper Tree Die-Off In Arizona 'Unprecedented'

By Mark Brodie
Published: Tuesday, May 18, 2021 - 12:45pm
Updated: Wednesday, May 19, 2021 - 9:02am

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Juniper
National Park Service
Junipers can self-prune some branches to conserve water.

Juniper trees in parts of Arizona are dying in large numbers, and the ongoing drought seems to be to blame.

But unlike some species of pine trees, the lack of water does not make the junipers more susceptible to other insects and pathogens, including bark beetles.

The Show spoke about this with Joel McMillin, zone leader of the Arizona Zone of the Forest Health Protection Unit within the U.S. Forest Service, about how significant of a die-off he’s seeing.

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