{"id":"juniperus-occidentalis","license":"CC-BY-4.0","data":{"scientificName":"Juniperus occidentalis var. occidentalis","commonNames":["Juniper, western/Sierra"],"taxonRank":"variety","acceptedName":"Juniperus occidentalis","family":"Cupressaceae","ids":{"usdaSymbol":"JUOC","gbifKey":7071096},"usdaZoneMin":"3b","zoneSource":"usda-plants","states":["CA","ID","NV","OR","WA"],"hardinessAssertions":[{"minimum":"3b","interpretation":"minimum-threshold","precision":"half-zone","zoneMapping":"derived-containing-band","sourceMeasurement":{"kind":"minimum-temperature","value":-33,"unit":"degrees-fahrenheit"},"applicability":"applicable","source":"usda-plants-characteristics","sourceRecordId":"JUOC","sourceTaxon":"Juniperus occidentalis var. occidentalis","taxonMatch":"source-identifier","sourcePlacement":"PlantCharacteristics record 15223, Temperature, Minimum (°F)","sourceVersion":"PLANTS Help Document 2022; characteristics cache retrieved 2026-08-23","asOf":"2026-08-26T00:00:00.000Z"}],"plantForm":"tree","matureHeightFt":33,"waterNeed":"low","evidence":[{"source":"nv-forestry-tahoe-landscaping-guide","verdict":"avoid","verdictRaw":"high — Juniper, western/Sierra — Juniperus occidentalis var. occidentalis","claims":"Table 1's Fire Hazard column prints “high” for this taxon. The guide calls the rating a rough estimate of potential flammability, not a result of scientific trials. Its footnote says plants that turn brown often become high fire hazards and tells readers to mow grasses and forbs when they begin to turn brown.","plantPart":"whole-plant","sourcePlacement":{"value":"Fire Hazard column: high","scheme":"tahoe-guide-2006"},"edition":"Bulletin 06-01 (2006)","url":"https://forestry.nv.gov/uploads/missions/20210304_AMT_2006_Home_Landscaping_Guide_Lake_Tahoe.pdf","documentDate":"2006-01-01T00:00:00.000Z","accessedOn":"2026-08-25T00:00:00.000Z"}],"flammabilityClass":"mixed-evidence","ratingReason":"limited-evidence","recommendation":"candidate","author":"grayson-graham","reviewStatus":"draft","lastVerified":"2026-08-25T00:00:00.000Z"},"localAssessmentInputs":{"stateDistribution":["CA","ID","NV","OR","WA"],"nativeStates":[],"rangeAssertions":[{"relation":"documented-occurrence","geography":{"grain":"state","stateCodes":["CA","ID","NV","OR","WA"]},"provenance":"legacy-field"}],"usdaZoneMin":"3b","usdaZoneMax":null,"hardinessAssertions":[{"minimum":"3b","interpretation":"minimum-threshold","precision":"half-zone","zoneMapping":"derived-containing-band","sourceMeasurement":{"kind":"minimum-temperature","value":-33,"unit":"degrees-fahrenheit"},"applicability":"applicable","source":"usda-plants-characteristics","sourceRecordId":"JUOC","sourceTaxon":"Juniperus occidentalis var. occidentalis","taxonMatch":"source-identifier","sourcePlacement":"PlantCharacteristics record 15223, Temperature, Minimum (°F)","sourceVersion":"PLANTS Help Document 2022; characteristics cache retrieved 2026-08-23","asOf":"2026-08-26T00:00:00.000Z","provenance":"cited"}],"hardinessSelection":{"status":"selected","assertion":{"minimum":"3b","interpretation":"minimum-threshold","precision":"half-zone","zoneMapping":"derived-containing-band","sourceMeasurement":{"kind":"minimum-temperature","value":-33,"unit":"degrees-fahrenheit"},"applicability":"applicable","source":"usda-plants-characteristics","sourceRecordId":"JUOC","sourceTaxon":"Juniperus occidentalis var. occidentalis","taxonMatch":"source-identifier","sourcePlacement":"PlantCharacteristics record 15223, Temperature, Minimum (°F)","sourceVersion":"PLANTS Help Document 2022; characteristics cache retrieved 2026-08-23","asOf":"2026-08-26T00:00:00.000Z","provenance":"cited"},"assertions":[{"minimum":"3b","interpretation":"minimum-threshold","precision":"half-zone","zoneMapping":"derived-containing-band","sourceMeasurement":{"kind":"minimum-temperature","value":-33,"unit":"degrees-fahrenheit"},"applicability":"applicable","source":"usda-plants-characteristics","sourceRecordId":"JUOC","sourceTaxon":"Juniperus occidentalis var. occidentalis","taxonMatch":"source-identifier","sourcePlacement":"PlantCharacteristics record 15223, Temperature, Minimum (°F)","sourceVersion":"PLANTS Help Document 2022; characteristics cache retrieved 2026-08-23","asOf":"2026-08-26T00:00:00.000Z","provenance":"cited"}]},"invasiveIn":[],"statusAssertions":[],"fireEvidenceClass":"mixed-evidence","recommendation":"candidate","fireSourceScopes":[{"source":"nv-forestry-tahoe-landscaping-guide","sourceName":"Home Landscaping Guide for Lake Tahoe and Vicinity (Ed. Bulletin 06-01)","sourceUrl":"https://forestry.nv.gov/uploads/missions/20210304_AMT_2006_Home_Landscaping_Guide_Lake_Tahoe.pdf","geography":{"grain":"aggregate-region","stateCodes":["CA","NV"],"regions":["Lake Tahoe Basin"]},"completeness":"partial","reviewStatus":"reviewed","scope":"Nevada Division of Forestry and University of Nevada Cooperative Extension publish Bulletin 06-01 for the Lake Tahoe Basin and vicinity. FireApproved publishes 83 exact rated owners as basin context across Nevada and California. Rough estimates are not statewide or site ratings.","sourceVersion":"Nevada-Extension-Bulletin-06-01-2006","asOf":"2006-01-01T00:00:00.000Z"}],"firePerformanceConditions":[],"maintenanceAssertions":[],"maintenanceConditions":null,"regulatoryReviews":{},"seedReviews":{}},"legacyCompatibilityProjection":{"nativeStates":[],"invasiveIn":[],"usdaZoneMin":"3b"},"localAssessmentContract":"Compare each dimension separately. State noxious-weed seed designations are material-scoped and never become non-seed plant restrictions, ecological-invasive findings, nursery restrictions, alternatives, product evidence, or fire votes. Introduced/established context is not an invasive warning. Minimum-only hardiness has no inferred maximum; canonical source-temperature conversion is validated and contradictory applicable rows project no primary zone. L48 context applies only to conterminous states and is never exact-state status. Fire-performance conditions are not maintenance advice. FEIS fire-ecology context does not vote in the plant classification. Absence of a status row is not regulatory clearance."}