When should junipers be pruned?

The cut that matters

Like other conifers, a juniper will not push new growth from old bare branches, so hedge-style shearing leaves brown holes that stay. Raising the lowest branches and clearing the dead twigs inside the plant is the work that makes a juniper safer. Utah juniper is a native, usually multi-stemmed and slow growing; see Utah juniper and ornamental junipers.

Why junipers near a house are different

UNR Extension's Living With Fire guide advises keeping evergreen woody plants at least 30 feet from the house, and the first five feet, Zone 0, are meant to be ember resistant. Junipers touching the siding, under eaves or at vents are the problem the guide describes. Our page on junipers and other high-hazard plants next to the house goes into it.

Prune or remove

A juniper that is dead or dying, or that sits against the house, is usually a removal. A group of them on a lot is a lot clearing job. A single juniper farther from the house can be limbed up and kept. We do not suggest chemical treatments of any kind.

Next step

Walk the planting with the arborist and point to what touches the house. The estimate is free at 775.232.8243.

Before you book

Mark the plants touching siding, sitting under eaves or against vents, and any that are dead. Debris from juniper work is hauled away as part of our job, and the wood can be chipped; call the office about chips. A certified arborist assesses the job at the free estimate. For the bigger picture of clearing around a home, read defensible space and fire mitigation.