BY EMILY PUGMIRE
Five years ago, former Moonshine Ink columnist Bioregion Boy wrote about ancient, gnarled Sierra Junipers that could reach ages of 3,000 years old. Recently, a Moonshine Ink reader recalled that column and wrote us to ask about a grove of weathered trees on the flanks of Martis Peak.
I found your informative article online regarding Sierra Junipers. I’m wondering about a few groves of trees near our cabin in Placer County, just north of Martis Peak. Can you tell me if these are Sierra Junipers? They seem ancient and I’d love to learn more about them.
Nature’s Corner columnist Eve Quesnel and her husband Bill began sending the photos of the trees around to local botanists and tree experts. Here is what they found out.
Definitely juniper trees. They could be Western Juniper (Juniperus occidentalis var. occidentalis) or Sierra Juniper (Juniperus occidentalis var. australis).
Hard to tell from the picture, but would lean toward var. australis because of their size.
If readers are interested, Sardine Peak has a few magnificent junipers as well … one of them being quite a bit larger than the bigger one pictured.
~ Scott Conway, vegetation management specialist, Truckee Ranger District
I haven’t been botanizing in that area, but on quick glance it looks like a juniper to me. If you have the scale-like “leaves” or a branch, take a closer look. …The way the trunk is twisting reminds me of junipers, too. Cedars twist, but it seems to me like the junipers do it more.
~ Micki Kelly of Kelly Biological Consulting
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