Oklahoma lawmakers eye threat from cedars
BY MICHAEL MCNUTT
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Published: October 28, 2009
Just in time for Halloween, legislators heard Tuesday about the invasion of the creeping menace: the Eastern red cedar.
The hardy trees take over nearly 300,000 acres of
Oklahoma land every year, and a mature tree can soak up as many as 30 gallons of water a day.
Fire is the main deterrent of the trees’ spread. Fires — from lightning or set by American Indians before the state was settled — had kept the trees under control. But now that fires are fought, and landowners are leery of controlled burns because they may be liable for damages if the fire gets out of control, the Eastern red cedar’s growth in recent years has gone mostly unchecked.
"This is a scary situation,” said Clay Pope, executive director of the
Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts, to the House
Agriculture and Rural Development Committee. "We’re losing 700 acres to this invasive species every day.”
Minutes earlier, Pope held up a copy of a 22-minute DVD, "Eastern Red Cedar: The Invasion of the Creeping Menace,” that shows how the trees are destroying Oklahoma’s native habitats. The DVD, produced in part by
Oklahoma State University, is available at county extension offices.
Efforts to thwart the Eastern red cedar are further hampered by the state’s slumping economy. Legislators earlier created an Oklahoma controlled burn indemnity fund to help landowners whose controlled fires to eliminate the trees got out of control and damaged neighbors’ property. Legislators never put any money in it.
Mike Thralls, executive director of the
Oklahoma Conservation Commission, asked committee members to back legislation that would put $500,000 in the fund next year and build it up to $1 million. It would encourage more controlled burns, the most effective defense against the Eastern red cedar, he said.
It’s best to burn the trees when they are young and shorter than 5 feet, Thralls said. Trees taller than that can burn easily, and can quickly make a fire spread out of control.
Thralls also asked committee members to support increasing the state’s share by $2 million a year to implement Eastern red cedar controls.
"This is a conservation issue for all Oklahomans,” he said.
The Eastern red cedar has taken over nearly 10 million acres of land, Thralls said. Economic losses from not managing the encroachment are projected to reach $447 million by 2013.
Rep. Richard Morrissette, who requested Tuesday’s study on the Eastern red cedar infestation, encouraged OSU to look at finding a product for the trees so they would be harvested. The trees have been used for mulch and for animal bedding purposes.
Increased landowner involvement can also help.
John Burwell, state forester for the state Agriculture, Food and Forestry Department, said other states have given tax breaks to landowners.
Communities can join the Firewise programto evaluate danger and plan to protect lives and property from wildfires.
Morrissette, D-
Oklahoma City, said the April 9 wildfires that destroyed more than 100 homes underscore the fire threat caused by the Eastern red cedars.
"If we don’t start aggressively attacking this problem, I believe that in the near future there will be a major fire or a major crisis involving the red cedar,” he said.
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