Cedar Trees

Nance: LJ and I have some differences of opinions, if you can believe that and this subject might be one of them. I think that the cedar trees should all be cut out. The area where the picture was taken, below, once must have been used for pasture and most of the trees growing up are cedar. I will want to do some clearing in this area for a garden some day so the cedars may as well go now. I'm sure that this post will generate some discussion with LJ. In fact, I hope that he will join in and post comments of his own. In anticipation of that, I will begin with this post to preface it with "Nance" and we will know in future posts just who is talking (or spouting off, as the case may be).

When the settlers started moving into Missouri and Iowa, most of the trees grew along the creeks and rivers. Forest fires on the prairies kept the trees limited and allowed the grasses and wild flowers to fill the rolling prairies. When the white men moved in they brought the cedars onto the homesites for windbreaks, fence posts and fire wood. When the family farm was 40 acres or 80, the farmer cleared his pastures of any volunteer trees so that the grasses would grow to feed his cattle. Driving the countryside nowadays, look at the pastures no longer being utilized. Cedar trees are taking over the unused pastures. Read this . . .

Kansas City Wildlands website (http://www.kcwildlands.org/feature6.htm): The eastern red cedar is the only native coniferous tree in our area and has many beneficial qualities as a source of food and shelter for birds and other wildlife. However, cedars are an invasive species in natural communities like prairies and glades, where regular fires would have eliminated these trees in pre-settlement times. [Cedars burn readily and cannot tolerate fire.] If allowed to dominate a prairie or glade, cedars shade large areas and also inhibit plant growth by the accumulation of the acidic leaf litter under them. In time, the biological diversity of these communities is destroyed as they become "cedar jungles."

So, on our little parcel of land, I want to encourage the hard woods and other large decidious trees but I would remove most of the cedars. Perhaps we should leave just enough that we can use one for a Christmas tree each year. I think that would be just about right!