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Western Juniper: An Evolving Case Study in
Commercialization, Ecosystem Management,
and Community Development
Larry Swan 1
Abstract.-The talk upon which this article is based was intended to
stimulate exploration and marketing of juniper and pinon products. Ultimately, the objectives are to better utilize fiber harvested for ecosystem
management purposes, and improve local community and tribal economies. The evolving case history of western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis)
commercialization efforts, from an unofficial coordinator's perspective, is
offered as an example of what could be done in the Southwestern United
States.
INTRODUCTION
and products should be tested in conditions replicating customer home or office environments.
Following is a brief description of the process
and efforts made during the last four years to
commercialize western juniper. The experiences
discussed should be instructive to those contemplating ways to improve utilization and the value
of fiber removed for other ecosystem management
activities.
There are many parallels between the cultures,
economies, and geography where western juniper
exists (primarily Eastern Oregon, Northeastern
California, and Southwestern Idaho) and the
Southwestern United States. And similar to western juniper, there appear to be opportunities to
increase the value of fiber removed for other management activities.
For example, it appears that markets for pinon-juniper novelties and .high-end rustic furniture are wide-open. It is remarkable that none of
the stores at Sky Harbor Airport, Phoenix, and few
in Sedona, stock items made from Southwestern
pifton-juniper species. Based on informal disc.ussions with store owners, the absence of pinon-juniper items is more a problem of supply,
than demand or price. In addition, there is infrastructure already in place for the pifton-juniper
fuelwood industry, and only minor adjustments
would be necessary to sort the type of high-quality
logs desired by wood products manufacturers from
lower quality material.
.
It is not unreasonable to assume that proceeds
from the sale of pifton-juniper could be doubled,
based on the market niches identified above. Realistically, however, more work is needed before this
can happen: Basic marketing research should be
undertaken to confirm market niches and buyers,
WESTERN JUNIPER COMMERCIALIZATION
PROJECT BACKGROUND
Federal timber sales have declined drastically
over the last five years in much of the Western
United States. The decline in Federal timber availability, as well as changing markets and improved
manufacturing techniques, have contributed to
economic hardship and social dislocation, especially in small, timber-dependent communities.
The Winema National Forest, located in Southcentral Oregon, about four years ago organized a
"focus group" of small, medium, and large wood
product manufacturers, to identify critical issues,
potential areas of cooperation, and who would
consider working together with the Forest Service,
and other government and non-profit economic
development organizations. Further impetus to
discussions was provided by the shutdown of
1Special Projects Coordinator, USDA Forest Service, Pacific
Northwest Region, Winema National Forest (Klamath Falls, OR).
179
eradication throughout its present-day range are
few.
Juniper removal is usually undertaken by private landowners on their own or on a cost-share
basis through governmental programs, such as the
'~gricultural Conservation Program" (ACP), administered by the Agricultural Soil and Conservation
Service (ASCS), and "Forest Service Stewardship
Incentive Program" (SIP), administered by state
forestry agencies. Due to lack of demand and markets, juniper removed by landowners and public
land managers is often piled and burnt, or simply
left to decompose after being knocked down or cut.
several local mills: Over the course of just 18
months, 1,200 manufacturing jobs were lost out of a
total regional manufacturing employment base of
less than 4,000.
The "focus group" met informally three times
and, as might be suspected, identified "supply" as
the major issue facing the industry. Follow-up
interviews with manufacturers were conducted by
Forest Service personnel from the Forest Products
Lab (Madison), Conservation and Recycling group,
and Winema National Forest, using relationships
established through the "focus group". Interviews
were designed to define problem areas and refine
what might be possible given resources available
and manufacturer interests. An updated inventory
of wood products manufacturers in the region was
completed at the same time (Kent 1992).
Interviews yielded several partners, as well as
some "doable" research projects or field manufacturing trials. High interest was also expressed
about better utilization of and markets for western
juniper Uuniperus occidentalis).
WESTERN JUNIPER COMMERCIALIZATION
PROJECT
A fundamental premise of the "Western Juniper
Commercialization Project" is that interested
manufacturers will identify and explore their own
markets, if well-prepared raw material (e.g. dried
and surfaced) and assistance with technical problems are available.
The first effort to put raw material into the hands
of manufacturers consisted of slicing and drying
veneer. It was thought that sliced veneer would
maximize value and yield from an inherently difficult
tree to mill with traditional methods and in traditional
lengths. Partners were recruited and samples distributed at several industry meetings.
Interest stimulated by the sliced veneer samples, and a local mill's willingness to experiment,
led to a production run of juniper fencing material.
A portion of the production run was dried in a
dehumidification kiln, surfaced, and distributed to
14 different Oregon wood products manufacturers
for prototype and market development. Another
mill run was soon put together to test market landscape timbers and decking. A portion of this run
was dried in a steam kiln and distributed to more
interested manufacturers.
Early market exploration confirmed potential
markets for: 1) Fencing (if material is partially
dried before shipping); 2) Decking (especially
higher-end radius-edge decking); and 3) Landscape timbers. There was also strong interest in
higher-graded lumber for flooring, cabinets, furniture, interior paneling, novelties, as well as straight
substitution for species which were becoming
difficult and expensive to acquire. Additionally,
markets were explored and confirmed for milling
residual (composites), especially if the residual was
in the form of "clean" chips (less than 6% bark
content).
WESTERN JUNIPER WOODLANDS AND
EXISTING INDUSTRY
Western juniper woodlands occupy approximately four million acres, primarily in Eastern
Oregon, Northeastern California, and a small portion of Southwestern Idaho. It is the least-utilized
wood fiber resource in this region, with an estimated volume of over 700 million cubic feet. About
40% of the volume is on private lands and 60% on
lands managed by the' Federal government
(Bolsinger 1989; Gedney 1994, personal communication).
Historically, a small volume of western juniper
has been harvested for fence posts and firewood.
There are also small existing markets for juniper
rustic furniture and novelties, and at least a thousand acres of juniper woodlands in Northeastern
California have been harvested over the last couple
of years fol' power generation biomass (Ward 1994,
personal communication).
WESTERN JUNIPER REMOVAL
Landowners and resource managers east of the
Cascade Crest are accustomed to hearing western
juniper characterized as a "water sucking weed".
Many have heard accounts of how old springs
flowed once all the juniper was cut down. Dissenting voices about western juniper removal and
180
STEERING COMMITTEE AND
PARTNERSHIPS
Rural Development programs, Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region, State and Private branch.
A "Juniper Forum" was held in 1993 to publicize western juniper commercial potential, biological concerns, and project accomplishments. Another goal of the "forum" was to increase networking and identify more potential partners. Over 150
people attended and there are now more than 300
listings on a western juniper mailing list maintained by an industry partner.
Membership on the "Steering Committee" is
about equally divided between industry, government/non-profit, and landowners. Membership
mix was designed to reflect the wide range of
interests potentially involved in commercializing a
new species. The "Steering Committee" gets together about four times per year at locations
around the state, and meetings are open to all
interested parties. Committee members recently
toured the eastern red cedar industry in Missouri
to learn about and compare techniques and markets for a species closely-related to juniper: Eastern
red cedar Vuniperus virginiana).
The committee has helped the unofficial Forest
Service coordinator define and prioritize proposed
projects, and find partners and funding to make
them happen. Projects are based on problems
identified by industry, scientists, and other cooperators, and range from improving inventory information (to include more explicit ecosystem-related data categories) to solid wood drying
trials.
Partnerships are necessary to make things happen, and they change according to project requirements and organizational or business interest.
A common thread though, is that there is reliance
on government, industry, and non-profit organizations and sources, rather than just one or another.
Over 40 different businesses, institutions, organizations, and agencies have actively participated in western juniper projects. This includes at
least 25 different private firms, five research institutions (Oregon State University, University of
Montana, Forest Products Lab, and Pacific NW and
Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Stations), three state forestry agencies (Oregon, California, and Missouri), Oregon Economic Development Department, three local county economic
development and two Resource Development and
Conservation (RC&D) organizations, as well as 10
Bureau of Land Management, Extension, and
National Forest System offices in Oregon and
California. Critical logistic and financial support
has been provided through the Community and
JUNIPER WOODLAND ECOLOGY AND
RESEARCH
The ecological side of the "commercialization
process" is not being ignored. Over a year ago, a
position paper was put together for the "Eastside
EIS" Team, mandated by President Clinton in 1993
as part of the President's "Forest Plan" (Pacific
Northwest Region) (Swan 1994). Prominent field
scientists from different institutions helped with
this effort and, in part due to Steering Committee
efforts and field scientist input, western juniper
woodlands will be specifically addressed in this
major policy document.
Contacts between the Forest Service coordinator and field scientists active in western juniper
woodland research continue: A field demonstration area is being developed on private land to
showcase the latest in harvest techniques and
juniper management research, training sessions
for key personnel who will have to administer
increased juniper harvests on private lands are
planned, and a work plan and budget are being
investigated to better inventory key juniper
woodland ecological attributes and commercial
potential.
PRODUCTION AND FIELD TRIALS, AND
MARKETING PROJECTS
Production and field trials involving juniper
have lead to preliminary reports and descriptions
for a variety of topics, as well as better definition of
potential products and markets:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
181
Slicing and drying;
Scaling methods comparisons;
Composites;
Interior stains and finishes;
Bending properties;
Pallets;
Fencing lumber recovery;
Harvest machinery comparisons;
Pellets and BTU;
Fasteners;
Bark as cement aggregate;
New markets and niches are constantly being
identified through this process.
12. Shrink/swell properties of solid-wood panels.
2. Ecology - Ecological issues, such as watersheds and social systems, are directly affected by commercialization and should be
addressed at the same time. Efforts can be
coordinated and sometimes combined. For
example, a better inventory of western juniper woodlands is needed for both ecological and commercial purposes. Based on
discussions with scientists and industry,
some data categories are similar and can be
combined.
Production and field trials in progress include:
1. Drying schedules;
2. Edge-glued panel working environment
comparisons;
3. Moisture meter correction factors;
4. Furniture and cabinet parts;
5. Flooring;
6. Exterior stains and finishes;
7. Peeling characteristics and veneer markets.
3. Identification of Unique Characteristics - It
is important to identify a species' unique
characteristics to assist marketing efforts, as
well as dispel stereotypes. This may take
research assistance, both in the lab and in
field trials with manufacturers.
Planned production and field trials, and marketing projects include:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Debarking;
Harvest equipment and techniques;
Log storage;
Production-level kiln schedules;
Another juniper forum;
Rustic furniture market niche ID and design;
Shavings;
Buyers/sellers data base;
Harvest and management demo area;
Newsletter;
Mulch;
Further bending product/market exploration.
4. "Eggs in One Baskef' - It is advisable to di-
vide efforts between cottage-level manufacturers and larger commercial producers.
Different markets and products will be
identified.
5. ProblemlProject Definition - A critical aspect
of private, non-profit, and government cooperative projects is "problem and project definition". Government entities and industry
need to do their homework about local resources before deciding there really is a problem and a need to involve additional outside
organizations. A "team" approach improves
problem and project definition. Team members should include representatives from entities with direct interest in a project's outcome, such as industry, local economic development organizations, research, government,
and private landowners.
OBSERVATIONS OF AN UNOFFICIAL
COORDINATOR
6. "Doable" Projects - Ensure that when projects are defined with industry and other affected interests, at least some are" doable"
in the short-term, and have clear economic
benefit and a reasonable chance of success.
"Nothing begets success like success."
Markets for western juniper are confirmed and
industry interest is increasing. Interest will no doubt
grow even faster as technical and economic problems
are addressed. Following are observations from the
perspective of an unofficial coordinator about what
has worked and not worked, which may be valuable
to others contemplating commercializing "underappreciated" fiber resources:
1. Stimulating Market Dynamics - Well-prepared (e.g. dried and surfaced), r~w material
has to be available to manufacturers for product and market identification and exploration.
7. Multiple Primary Producers - More than
one primary producer is needed before
most manufacturers will commit to products and markets. Reliability is a bigger issue than size and volume. Sole sourcing is
risky at this stage of the industry.
8. Project Coordinator - Someone needs to organize and coordinate. In the early stages,
182
9.
10.
11.
12.
government can contribute by helping to
identify and combine different resources in
the public and private sector.
Communication - Some form of regular
communication is necessary to help things
along and recruit more partners - newsletters, open forums, field trips, and meetings
all help.
Steering Committee Formation and Composition - An informal "Steering Committee" or similar body is important to identify
problems, prioritize projects, network, gain
funding support, and look into the future.
A conscious decision was made to integrate
membership of the "Western Juniper
Steering Committee" to reflect various interests, ranging from landowners to public
land managers, and manufacturers to economic development organizations.
Commitment and Time Line - Commercializa tion of a new fiber resource is not a
one-year, one-grant process. It takes consistent leadership, intense communication and
networking, and constant refinement of
which problems will receive highest priority.
Federal or State Agency Support - If government agencies want to have influence in
how or what occurs, they have to find ways
to assist and where assistance will be accepted. In the case of western juniper, the
Forest Service has played a key role because
of current legislation and funding programs, as well as the un.ique multi-faceted
nature of its mission (which includes Re-
search, State and Private, and National Forest system). Other organizations may play
a similar role in other situations.
13. Funding and Partnerships - In addition to a
"coordinator", funding is necessary for operations. As little as a couple of hundred
dollars is often the difference between
making something happen or a project falling apart. "In-kind" services or supplies
are also necessary, but not feasible for everything. Partnership projects can become so
logistically complex that minor problems
cause major repercussions.
REFERENCES
Bolsinger, Charles L. 1989. California's western juniper
and pinyon-juniper woodlands: Area, stand characteristics, wood volumes, and fence posts. Resource
Bulletin PNW-RB-166. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest
Research Station.
Gedney, Donald 1994. Personal communication. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest
Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station.
Kent, Peter 1992. Forest products industry review of the
Klamath Basin. Unpublished manuscript. Prepared
for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Winema National Forest, Klamath Falls, OR.
Swan, Larry 1994. Western juniper management and
commercialization: An emerging issue for Eastside
EIS. Unpublished manuscript. Winema National
Forest, Klamath Falls, OR.
Ward, Barney 1994. Personal communication. Alturas,
CA: California Department of Forestry.
183