--- title: When to Prune Junipers, and How Far Back to Cut url: https://battleborntreeservice.com/faq/pruning-and-trimming/when-to-prune-junipers/ business: Battle Born Tree Service address: 6301 US Highway 50 East, Carson City, NV 89701 phone: 775.232.8243 hours: Office Monday-Friday 8:30 am-5:00 pm; phones answered seven days a week; 24-hour emergency service credentials: ISA Certified Arborist WE-11728A on staff; Nevada Business License # 20131580674; fully insured type: Tree service (removal, crane work, pruning, stump grinding, defensible space, snow removal, firewood) --- - [Home](https://battleborntreeservice.com/) - [Questions and answers](https://battleborntreeservice.com/faq/) - [Pruning and trimming](https://battleborntreeservice.com/faq/pruning-and-trimming/) - When should junipers be pruned? # When should junipers be pruned? Junipers are usually pruned in early spring and summer, and dead wood can come off at any time. Do not cut a juniper back into bare wood, because it will not regrow; the cut that reduces fire risk is raising the skirt and removing the dead interior. ## 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](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-guide/utah-juniper/). ## 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](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/junipers-high-hazard-plants/) 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](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/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](tel: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](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/defensible-space-fire-mitigation/). ### Sources - [USDA Forest Service, Fire Effects Information System: Juniperus osteosperma](https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/tree/junost/all.html) (read October 1, 2026) - [University of Nevada, Reno Extension: Living With Fire (SP-23-07)](https://extension.unr.edu/publication.aspx?PubID=5522) (read October 1, 2026) ### Talk to the office [775.232.8243](tel:775.232.8243) | Monday to Friday | 8:30 am - 5:00 pm | |---|---| | Saturday and Sunday | Office closed, phones answered | Phones answered seven days a week. 24-hour emergency service. [Free estimate](#quote) ### Keep reading - [Pruning and trimming questions](https://battleborntreeservice.com/faq/pruning-and-trimming/) - [Utah juniper and ornamental junipers](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-guide/utah-juniper/) - [Junipers and other high-hazard plants next to the house](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/junipers-high-hazard-plants/) - [What is defensible space? Zones 0, 1 and 2](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/what-is-defensible-space/) - [Defensible space and fire mitigation](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/defensible-space-fire-mitigation/) ### Terms on this page [Arborist](https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/arborist/) [The full glossary](https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/) ### All pruning and trimming questions - [Pruning and trimming questions](https://battleborntreeservice.com/faq/pruning-and-trimming/) ## More pruning and trimming questions [When should pine trees be pruned in Northern Nevada?](https://battleborntreeservice.com/faq/pruning-and-trimming/when-to-prune-pine-trees/) [When should spruce trees be pruned?](https://battleborntreeservice.com/faq/pruning-and-trimming/when-to-prune-spruce/) [When should aspen trees be pruned?](https://battleborntreeservice.com/faq/pruning-and-trimming/when-to-prune-aspen/) [When should cottonwoods be pruned?](https://battleborntreeservice.com/faq/pruning-and-trimming/when-to-prune-cottonwoods/) [When should oak trees be pruned in Northern Nevada?](https://battleborntreeservice.com/faq/pruning-and-trimming/when-to-prune-oaks/) [When should ash trees be pruned?](https://battleborntreeservice.com/faq/pruning-and-trimming/when-to-prune-ash-trees/) [Previous question: When should cottonwoods be pruned?](https://battleborntreeservice.com/faq/pruning-and-trimming/when-to-prune-cottonwoods/) [Next question: When should oak trees be pruned in Northern Nevada?](https://battleborntreeservice.com/faq/pruning-and-trimming/when-to-prune-oaks/)