This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
It is understandable that Utah should not share the same state tree with Colorado, presently known as the Colorado blue spruce. The Legislature has voted to change our state tree to the quaking aspen.
We in Utah live in the second driest state in the Union with desert conditions. If you travel the latitude and longitude of the entire state by plane or car, what is the tree that overwhelmingly dominates Utah's landscape?
Love it or be in denial, the real Utah state tree is the Utah juniper (Juniperus osteosperma).
Russell D. Larson
Sandy