Are there many juniper trees in central and north Idaho? (Moscow: allergies, to move)

[A.McClure]

I want to move somewhere in the west near the mountains away from all the rain of the coast, but I'm severely allergic to juniper. Are there many juniper forests around the Palouse and nearby mountains? What about further north around Spokane and CDA? I know there are quite a few in eastern Oregon and southern Idaho.

[Shaner]

Yes, they are everywhere in CDA. Easy to care for and drought resistant, they are very popular up here. I think you are going to have a hard time finding an area without them.

[banjomike]

Shaner's right.

Junipers are native to the state, and most of the intermountain west. There are several different species that are native. Junipers are sort of evergreen pioneers; they are usually the first to re-seed soil that has been contaminated, like dry areas, and thrive where other evergreens won't.

The ones Shaner mentioned are popular for shrubbery here and are found almost everywhere throughout the state.

[A.McClure]

I not talking about decorative trees in yards. I mean natural trees out in the wild.

[Cnynrat]

While the Rocky mountain juniper (Juniperis scopulorum) is found in north Idaho, it is not widely distributed in natural areas.

I don't think I've seen one on our property (20 heavily treed acres). In the northern panhandle we mostly have Western red cedar, Western larch, Douglas fir, and Grand Fir.

Dave

[A.McClure]

Redcedar or red cedar? One is a tall sequoia looking tree and the other is an asparagus shaped juniper.

[banjomike]

Idaho has mostly red cedar. We have the biggest cedar in the west here- 18 feet around, 177 feet high. It's called The King.

The World´s Tree Species: Giant Cedar near Elk River Idaho

Here's a big grove of Mountain Cedar:

The Cedar Grove - Outdoor Idaho's Palouse Paradise (Idaho Public Television)

Here's a list of our commercially harvested native woods. This site has extensive info on our forests.

Trees of The Idaho Forest

[Cnynrat]

Eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) is not a true cedar, which is why the common name is spelled as one word. It isn't found in Idaho.

Western Red cedar (Thuja plicata) is found in many areas of north Idaho, particularly in areas that have more moisture than average.

Dave

[Dangerous Dave]

I've never seen natural junipers around CdA. Plenty of juniper bushes in yards, but it's not juniper forests like you'd see in the arid high desert areas. I have stumbled across cedars in the forests south of CdA around Moscow & Saint Maries.

[ShadoAngel]

Distribution map for Rocky Mountain Juniper

There's also a few stands of Western or Sierra Juniper to the south.

Those are the two main species. Most others are endemic to other areas. Besides the man-planted varieties, there aren't a ton out in the wild, so it would depend on just how allergic you are as to whether the level of pollen would bother your allergies or not. They exist nearby - If you look at the first map, you can see how the edge of the range correlates with what Dave said about the areas south and east of CdA. Best thing to do is wait until the height of allergy season for those suckers and spend some time outside around Spokane-CdA and see if it affects you.