This is one of many large Utah Junipers that grow on the mesa tops throughout Natural Bridges National Monument. A mixed Pinyon pine, juniper, and Gambel oak forest grows in the loose sandy soil on the higher elevations of the southern Colorado Plateau in elevations typically between about 5,000 to 8,000 feet (McAvoy and others, 2004). The slow-growing trees can live for hundreds or even thousands of years. A small pinyon tree is partly visible on the right.

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