Cedar Removal Considerations on Sandhills Highways

During a recent trip through the sandhills, notes were kept on the situation regarding cedar trees along the some highways in the region. There were some places where there were no errant cedars. These locales presented a wonderful vista, which truly represented a sea of grass.

The following areas were otherwise, and details were provided to staff at the Nebraska Department of Roads so they can know of the problem and put sufficient effort into the task to get rid of the cedar trees.

• along Highway 91 from Highway 2 at Dunning to Brewster; this was the worse condition of a roadside noted
• Highway 97 north of Mullen, especially from the village to the county line
• Highway 83 north of Thedford; most of the unwanted trees are to the southern extent, as upon getting into Cherry county there are only a few which mar the view. The grassland along this stretch is mostly tree of trees and by removing the relatively few trees present, this would create a wonderful vista of the grass scape.
• Highway 2 west of Broken Bow; especially to Merna and Anselmo

Also, along Highway 20 from Cody to Merriman, there is perhaps one cedar tree along the highway that needs to still be removed. It would be gone now except a large enough saw was not available to remove it. Two other smaller cedars were recently cut to achieve the goal of having no invasive cedar trees.

In 2004, the Nebraska Department of Roads initiated a program to remove cedar trees in this region. There are some obvious successes for this effort, but the work needs to be actively continued.

Landowner Interest Promotes Efforts to Remove Unwanted Cedars

By James Ed. Ducey

Landowner interest was key to brining funds to the central sand hills for a grassland restoration initiative.

A Private Stewardship Grant of $44,520 will allow the Sandhills Task Force to work with property owners along the Calamus, North Loup, Middle Loup and Dismal Rivers. The area is in Blaine, Hooker, Loup and Thomas Counties.

"Invasive eastern red cedar will be removed and grazing management altered to improve habitat for long-billed curlew, short-eared owl and the threatened western prairie fringed orchid," said the grant award summary. Awards were announced in May, 2007 with the grant a 5-year agreement between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Sandhills Task Force.

The landowner contact efforts of the task force were especially helpful.

"There is a list of individuals who have contacted the Service," said Gene Mack, with the Fish and Wildlife Service, and a member of the sandhills' group. The grant was submitted "primarily to improve the grassland landscape" and benefit "common and rare grassland species," Mack said in an email. "Large infestations of cedar are not beneficial to sustaining a native grassland and its associated wildlife."

Reasons for the grant being selected from among many national proposals, explained Heather Johnson, with the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program in a regional office of the Fish and Wildlife Service, include:

• "identified specific landowners that would receive the funds through the Sandhills Task Force,
• "had solid match requirements,
• "were benefiting a suite of at-risk species, and
• "and had a solid habitat restoration/enhancement implementation plan to benefit key species."

"Removal of cedar trees will benefit key species such as the Savannah Sparrow, Short-eared Owl, Long-billed Curlew, Ferruginous Hawk, Whooping Crane, Trumpeter Swan, Bald Eagle and Bell's Vireo, all identified within the grant application," she said in an email.

"The Service recognizes native grassland as an ecosystem that has been greatly altered over many decades and the wildlife associated with grassland is facing dramatic declines," Mack said. "Large infestations of cedar are not beneficial to sustaining a native grassland and its associated wildlife." Cedar tree growth can also confine water flows to smaller channels and limit the flow into side channels or backwater areas.

Funds of the federal program were obligated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Most projects that were funded for FY 2007 are expected to get underway next spring.

There is no funding for this program in the FY 2008 budget, according to a FWS official.

Cedar Removal Along Nebraska Roadways Focus of State Agency

By James Ed. Ducey

An ongoing program by the Nebraska Department of Roads continues to remove invasive and unwanted cedar trees from the right-of-way along the state's roadways.

The project was initiated in the autumn of 2004, when the state agency "realized that the spread of eastern red cedar trees had picked-up during the ongoing drought," said Art Thompson, a highway landscape architect.

All district maintenance superintendents were notified to increase their emphasis on control of the red cedar statewide, and especially in the Sand Hills, according to a mid-November directive.

At the same time, "emphasis was also placed on removal of smaller cedar seedlings by mowing when small enough not to damage equipment. This would occur during scheduled mowing of the entire right-of-way which can occur every 3 to 5 years depending on the area of the state," Thompson said.

"Directions indicated to begin with removal of trees producing seed and then begin to thin the cedar trees to a spacing of no closer than 50 foot apart." All trees closer than 35 feet were to be removed.

"It would be my hope that by setting this example on public right-of-way, adjacent property owners will incorporate similar procedures on their property," Thompson said.

In some areas, all of the invasive trees are removed. Notable roadways where extensive cedar removal has been done include Highway 20 between Ainsworth and Valentine. Many trees are have been taken from the predominantly grass range westward from Valentine towards Merriman. In this section, only a few trees needed to be removed to eradicate the unwanted growth.

There is a large variety of ownership along the state's highways and scenic byways, including acreages, farms and ranches, towns and hamlets or various sizes, and national wildlife refuges. The Cowboy Trail corridor runs for more than 300 miles along Highway 20 in northern Nebraska.

The NDOR also has a "long standing program to remove potential large growing woody plant material for the lateral obstacle clearance area adjacent to all highways as a safety measure to maintain good visibility and a safe recovery area on the roadside. This includes cedar trees and is an ongoing procedure." Before any trees are cleared, they are checked to ensure no bird nests or eggs are disturbed.

"It is hoped that the long term benefit of this work will be to broaden the diversity of native species of animals and plants along the roadside as well as at mitigation sites and on adjacent private property," Thompson said. "The key is everyone needs to do their part."