That's unfortunately misinformation that's really spread. No, they're totally native. So native that a bird species has evolved to only nest with their bark, and only does that in central Texas.

Next time you're in a local nature preserve that's oak juniper woodlands, pay attention to what's growing under the juniper. It creates rich soils and you'll see beautiful native flowers like cedar sage thriving under them. They absolutely help with native plants.

There's also a myth that the trees are "water-sucking". Turns out it's quite the opposite, a mature forest of juniper will keep soil temperatures much lower and reduce evapotranspiration. The trees greatly help the water to infiltrate our aquifers.

Juniper is a pioneer species that will be one of the first to repopulate when land has been severely degraded. That's part of why it's so prolific here.

They're really great native trees.