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Question from Bruce, Torrey, UT (received 4/6/20) -
I have property near Torrey Utah with many juniper trees. I'm the last couple of years I have had three die starting from the bottom branches up. I've removed them and in all three cases they were smaller trees growing next to healthier larger trees. I have one of the larger trees now having some lower branches bare. I would like to preserve it. Is there anything I can do to preserve it? Also anything I can do to protect other trees from developing the problem?
Answer from Dr. Mike Kuhns, USU Extension Forester and Professor (sent 4/7/20) -
Hi Bruce, I know what is removing the green foliage from the lower limbs of your junipers. And I bet that you are losing lots of other plants or portions of plants to the same factor. What you are seeing is the effects of deer feeding after a hard winter. Nearly all of the branches low down on the tree are alive, and they probably add a little new foliage to the bare area each year. However, in most years it would be denuded by spring. Above the height that deer can reach the tree canopy is fairly normal.
This would be worse if there are a lot of deer and if they don’t have much to eat in winter. Also it can make it difficult or impossible for small trees to get big, because they have no foliage after a hard winter. Once a tree gets a good part of its canopy above the reach of deer then it will usually do well. The best way to get big trees in such a situation is to surround smaller trees with tubes of welded wire fencing. Just make sure that you want more junipers, given their tendency to burn.