OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – As fire season in Oklahoma continues, Eastern Red Cedar trees also continue to fuel major problems for the state. They grow almost as quickly as the wildfires they fuel.

An over-population of Eastern red cedar trees is like a cancer to the rangeland—aggressive, widespread and time-consuming to eradicate. Landowners in the High Plains have fought these ...

Q: Why are there so many cedar trees in Oklahoma? A: Weir said the Eastern Red Cedar was overplanted in the early 1900s and invaded places they wouldn’t be under natural circumstances.

All of the photos are from spring 2025 Dewey County, Oklahoma, fire, and provided by Justine Anderson, Oklahoma Conservation. Cutting cedar trees without removal ...

Oklahoma lawmakers are pushing to expand efforts to remove Eastern Red Cedar trees, a highly flammable species that has contributed to the state’s growing wildfire crisis. House Bill 2162, which ...

The Terry Peach North Canadian Watershed Restoration Act tasks the Oklahoma Conservation Commission to complete a 10,000-acre hydrology study targeting native red cedar trees, a variety of juniper ...

Ensure the tree is growing in well-draining soil, and don't overwater it. Some pesticides can help to control the diseases, but if the trees are large, these problems can be very difficult to combat.

Research by Oklahoma State University found one cedar tree can take up to 30 gallons of water per day from the soil, while one acre of cedars can absorb 55,000 gallons of water in a year.