Juniper.

Does the bark usually get that gray?

its normal.. why are you concerned???

not many problems attack the exterior of the bark ... one might say.. its dead tissue.. protecting that inside

ken

I'm not concerned. It's a healthy tree. They're all over the place here but most have reddish bark. There's a silver eastern red cedar in the local arboretum which made me wonder if this was the same tree.

I have one that looks very similar.

with all your generalities.. its hard to compare ...

but one might suggest.. its an age thing ...

e.g. if you are comparing a 10 year old.. to a 30 year old ... then bark could be a different color

if you look at a branch end... you will see that this years growth has green bark ... well its green .. further back is last year growth.. and it is probably brown... and if you keep tracing back you can see each years growth.. and how the bark has changed color as it ages ... by the time you get to the main trunk ... its as old as the tree ...

BTW .. i applaud interest for knowledge sake .. lol.. too many peeps who pop into GW.. think there is something wrong.. and have already sprayed the bark with 3 different chems.. BEFORE they ask ... lol .. thats what triggered my initial question ...

ken

Just an aspiring tree nut who's struggling with learning the ropes of ID'ing, Ken. There are a lot of eastern red cedars in my neighborhood. If my neighbor didn't already have half a dozen of them, I'd have planted one already. This one is in a friend's yard and it might be the biggest one I've seen around here based on trunk diameter, and the age would explain the difference in bark color. There is an insane amount of bird activity in this tree.

The silver variety at Morris Arboretum is fascinating. I've read that these top out at about 30' which is why I figured this wasn't the same tree, despite the color resemblance.

Trees top out when they are declining (dying back) or dead. Otherwise, there is new growth every year, including on the very top. Even the tallest coast redwoods do this, with lack of sustained progress beyond a certain apparent maximum height only being due to new top growth being lost periodically. In such cases it appears the trees are in good condition overall but can't keep the entire top fully hydrated to the very tip during dry years, die back a little at those times - and then start over.