Guest: Red cedar trees are soaking up our water and releasing pollen. We need to act.
Fifty years ago, Christmas seasons were kicked off in my family by loading up the farm truck with our bow saw and a thermos of coffee in hopes of finding the perfect eastern red cedar to bring home and decorate. This tradition usually included searching at least two or three pastures for the right size and shape, but always ended in success ― likely because by 1950, these junipers covered 1.5 million acres in Oklahoma, and by 1985, the coverage exceeded 3 million.
Oklahoma has 17 millionacres of prairie, shrubland, Cross Timbers forests and other forests. In 2002, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) estimated there were 8 million acres in this category infested with at least 50 red cedars per acre — a 400% increase in infested acres in 50 years. They further estimated that by the year 2013, 12 million acres would be infested.
Ten years later, Oklahomans are looking at emergency levels of infestation in their rearview windows, with cedars growing at 762 acres per day and adding another 300,000 acres of infestation per year. And while there are many problems associated with this woody infestation problem, water is quite possibly the issue pulling the full weight of all political views together. Eastern red cedars drink between 25 to 50 gallons of water per day, and some of the largest clock in at 100 gallons … per day.
If the most conservative estimates of infestation were calculated at 10 million acres, infested at 50 trees per acre and drinking 30 gallons of water per day, those 500 million trees are sucking up Oklahoma’s water at the rate of 15 billion gallons of water. Per day.
Imagine an aromatic, dark green sponge covering the state of Oklahoma soaking up the water that normally runs down the North Canadian watershed areas, impedes the recharging of underground reservoirs, and hungrily soaks up farm ponds and lakes intended for cattle and wildlife. That sucking sound you hear is an astronomical problem caused by an out-of-balance ecological system now in need of intervention.
Across history, foliage/horticulture infestations were controlled by naturally occurring wildfires, intentional fires set by First Americans in open ranges to cleanse an area for bison grazing or rangelands, and by wildlife roaming across thousands of open miles, unencumbered by fence lines. Today, our state is void of these measures and is now suffering because of our own development and priorities. Other “suffering” is increasing on the public health front, as well ― red cedar pollen produces some of the largest-size pollen grains, and the allergens choke our air between December and February.
Recently, Oklahoma Sen. Casey Murdock shared in a committee hearing that he used to argue against former Rep. Richard Morrissette when legislative measures were brought to the table. Now, he said, he has taken up and is carrying that mantle.
Historical support has been piecemeal at best. Fifteen years ago, a board was formed by the Legislature with the goal of finding economic uses for the trees’ biomass. A registry of those who had large quantities on their property was designed to match with those in economic ventures for the wood, branches/mulch, or oil. Unfortunately, the initial board diffused, and recently this topic was re-assigned to the Department of Agriculture. However, when I communicated to the department, they referred me to legislators who were “interested in this topic.” Meaning, they had no office or position assigned to the problem.
This year there are two bills (House Bill 2239 and Senate Bill 454) aiming to coordinate essential governmental structures and provide relief or cost-sharing for eradication of the eastern red cedar and the also-problematic tamarisk (salt cedar). I urge you to read these practical bills, call your legislators and encourage them to help reestablish a better ecological balance in Oklahoma ― an excellent step toward managing our precious water resources and planning for our future generations.
Kelly Roberts is a fifth-generation Oklahoman who lives in Edmond.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Why Oklahoma Legislature should focus on red cedar tree infestation
