I don't suppose you have closer photos? Or cones? Where are the trees located?

My first thought was Alaskan Cedar but, if the trees are in Utah, some type of Spruce.

they do look like Picea abies of some kind

Are the needles prickly or soft? They look something like a deodar cedar, Cedrus deodora.. but I'd think they'd be wider at the base, if so... My first thought was also Alaskan Cedar, but it looks more like needles than fern-like.. As Daisy said, a close of of the foliage would be helpful..

I was actually thinking something like Picea engelmannii.

I'll go take some closer pictures and feel the branches and needles........

And look for cones...

I'd give the nod to Henhouse - those look distinctly like Cedrus deodara.

You won't find a Deodor Cedar in Zone 5.

Hi Daisy:

I'll grant that you won't find one there very long...

Are we certain it is even in zone 5? Seeing where Paul lives, there are more than a couple nearby communities rated in zone 6a and 6b - and even one (West Valley City, UT) which rates an unbelievably balmy zone 7a. Put a big body of water nearby that doesn't freeze over, and you can get some interesting microclimates.

Way back in the day (for me, late '80s/early '90s) when a couple of selections of Cedrus deodara named 'Kashmir' and 'Shalimar' hit the local market, it was all the rage to plant these around the Ohio River valley region and elsewhere in colder zone 6/warmer zone 5 areas. As one might expect, they tolerated warmer winters when the average coldest temperature wasn't that low - but bit the dust when "real" (read: normal) winters struck.

People still plant -22F rated 'Bracken's Brown Beauty' Southern Magnolias in suburban Chicago, on the off-chance they'll luck out for a year or two. A very good plantsman friend continuously tried zone 5 rated Ilex opaca to no avail. Sometimes zone rating is not the only consideration.

I don't get to see many Cedrus sp. at all around here, outside of some older Cedrus libani var. stenocoma, so identifying those trees in that picture from my perch in central KY is a hazardous enterprise. Paul has not been overly generous yet with information as to growing location, aspect, age of plantings, or other details that might assist in categorically keeping in or out many species.

Closer images that define needle/leaf morphology will certainly be valuable, too.

Sorry I haven't responded sooner. No excuse. I'll get in my pickup and go for a ride and see if I can get better close-ups, feel the texture of the branches and needles and see if there are any cones. Zones are interesting. I grow about 70 HT Roses, do nothing for winter protection and have only lost one, John F. Kennedy, in a harsh winter.

@Paul2032 there is only a very small patch of zone 5b in your area according to this hardiness zone map. Is that where you are located?

https://www.plantmaps.com/8406...

Here are some more pictures which I took today.....
Needles and branches are stiff but not overly so.



Bark is smooth and shiney





Tree had only a few cones about the size of a mans finger.

Certainly Cedrus species. Perhaps west coasters or conifer-ophiles can narrow down which one by the reproductive structures illustrated.

Paul could still provide some answers to the cultural/locational questions heretofore asked...

Yes, I agree, it is Cedrus. @Paul2032, we need a location. That really does look like a Deodar Cedar. I can't think of any other choices but these tree have been there long enough to have cones so are mature trees. But a Deodar wouldn't survive in Zone 5.

The trees are in Manila, Utah which is a small town bordering to the north of Pleasant Grove, another small town. They are planted on the east of the old barn. I have seen others in different situations in my area. To me zones are confusing. We sometimes have winters where the temps rarely get into the low teens. Below O is a rare occurrence. Thanks everyone for the interest you have shown......

An article on google indicates the varieties Kashmir, Shalimar, and Polar King are hardy in zone 6.

Another possibility... I've only seen older specimens of Cedrus libani- Cedar of lebanon.. so I'm not familiar with how a young one would look., but I've read they they are the hardiest of the Cedars.

i did find this interesting discussion on Cedars:
https://forums.botanicalgarden...

According to the hardiness zone map Manila, Utah, is somewhere between 4a and 5b:

https://www.plantmaps.com/8404...

NGA Zone look up says 5b - 6b.

The bigger problem is that Cedrus sp. look too much alike to tell from photos which tree it could be. Even C. libani would pushing the limits of hardiness in that area, which ever the zone (4, 5, 6).

Maybe we should leave it at its a cedar tree (Cedrus sp.)...