Western juniper

Overview

A very durable, fine-textured juniper from the high desert of the western United States, similar in look and character to eastern red cedar (Eastern red cedar). It is mostly used locally for fence posts and rustic work, and sold as a salvaged, locally milled wood with gnarly, characterful grain.

Pros

• Very durable (Wood Database); good for outdoor uses.
• Easy to work with hand and machine tools; glues and finishes well.
• Fine, even texture with rich colour.
• Abundant locally and often cheap; harvesting helps manage over-expansion.

Cons

• May develop drying checks during the initial drying (Wood Database).
• Small, gnarly boards with knots; wide clear stock is rare.
• Skin and respiratory irritation reported.
• Mostly regional; hard to find outside the West.

Variants and subspecies

• Western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis).
• Eastern red cedar is the related, aromatic eastern juniper; see Eastern red cedar.
• Sold as 'juniper' or 'cedar' in some regions.

Working and finishing

Machines and planes easily; dry boards slowly to limit checks. Glues and finishes without trouble. Sand and oil to show colour.

Staining and finishing colour

Often finished with oil or clear coats to show the colour variation. Stain is seldom used, and the sapwood streaks will take colour differently.

Sustainability and handling

Not CITES-listed (Wood Database; checked 2026-09-30); IUCN Least Concern as of 2026-09-30. The Wood Database notes that the tree's population has expanded greatly in Oregon, harming sagebrush and sage-grouse habitat, so some landowners remove it. Skin and respiratory irritation has been reported.

Popular projects

Fence posts, rustic furniture and benches, small specialty items, carvings and exterior construction.

Buying notes

Regionally sold, mostly as structural or utility lumber for exterior use; old-growth or specialty pieces cost more (Wood Database). A sawmill in North Carolina lists 'juniper' at $3.00-3.75 per bf rough; no listing for surfaced western juniper was opened, so the upper price is an estimate.