Oklahoma lawmakers put some money toward slowing the massive expansion of dangerous red cedar trees

Wildfires in Creek County, Oklahoma, 2012 Red cedar trees contributed to the fires which destroyed nearly 400 homes in a matter of days in 2012 (Russell Mills)

By Russell Mills

TULSA — Red cedar is an aggressive species of tree long known to be both highly flammable, and ironically, gluttonous when it comes to water.

As long ago as 2013, Oklahoma lawmakers were debating how to best address the rapid growth of red cedar, which at the time was estimated to be overtaking 700 acres a day.

[Hear our KRMG In-Depth Report on the dangerous red cedar trees HERE]

That problem has simply grown - literally and figuratively - to the extent that the OSU Extension Office estimates red cedar now covers some 4.5 million hectares in the state - well more than 11 million acres.

In June, Governor Stitt signed the Terry Peach North Canadian Watershed Restoration Act, which funds pilot programs designed to both educate the public about the issue, and also being modest eradication efforts.

In 2013, State Rep. Richard Morrissette ran three separate bills which addressed the problem, including one which would enlist DOC inmates to learn eradication methods.

All three bills easily passed in committee, and on the House floor, but died in the Senate.

Oklahoma’s new effort becomes one of the first in the nation to actively target the aggressive species.