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San Juan County Photographer Documents Dying Junipers

Dying junipers change to a yellow hue, retired botanist Kay Shumway says.

One of the icons of a southwestern landscape is mysteriously dying across the Four Corners. 

The dying juniper trees — known to some locals as cedars — have caught the interest of retired botanist Kay Shumway. The Blanding resident is documenting the trees throughout Utah’s San Juan County in a project that caught the attention of U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service personnel.

 

Shumway joined KSJD’s Daniel Rayzel to share what he’s seen among Utah’s junipers over the past several months.