100 years ago, walking across the expanse of Eastern Oregon would have revealed sprawls of sagebrush and native grass, pockmarked with the occasional juniper tree. Fast forward to today, and those picturesque western landscapes have become overgrown with juniper trees. Due largely to modern day fire suppression, junipers, a “native invasive,” have expanded from one million acres at the turn of the 20th century to a staggering 10 million acres today. Junipers are a thirsty tree, drinking up to 35 gallons of water per day in a high desert ecosystem that is already plagued by drought. As the trees expand, they push out sagebrush and grass, which affects vulnerable species…
