Eastern redcedar is the main invasive woody plant in west-central Missouri. Birds spread the seed along fence lines and into open pasture, and without fire or mowing to control the seedlings, cedar can close over grassland in a couple of decades. A closed cedar stand shades out forage, uses up soil moisture, and is heavy fuel if a fire starts in it.
How is cedar removed?
It depends on size:
- Seedlings up to a few feet tall can be handled with loppers or a brush mower. If that is all a property has, machine clearing is not worth paying for yet.
- Pasture invasion from fence-post size up to about 8 inches is forestry mulcher work. The machine grinds each tree to chips, and there is no pile to burn afterward.
- Large, old cedars are felled individually, and the tops and remaining growth are mulched.
Cedar does not resprout from a stump. Unlike locust or hedge, a cedar cut at or below the green growth is dead permanently, with no herbicide needed. Cleared ground stays clear as long as new seedlings are mowed or grazed off in later years.
Is there cost-share for cedar removal?
Sometimes. USDA-NRCS programs such as EQIP and Missouri Department of Conservation private-land programs have both funded cedar and woody invasive removal, usually tied to grazing improvement or habitat restoration. Programs and signup windows change from year to year, and approval generally has to come before the work is done. Contact the USDA service center or Soil and Water Conservation District serving Benton County, or an MDC private land conservationist, before scheduling. The work can be done to a written NRCS or MDC plan.
What does cedar clearing cost?
Scattered cedar on open pasture prices near the low end of normal mulching rates, around $1,500 per acre. Dense, closed stands take more machine time than any other common clearing job and can run past $3,000 per acre. Quotes are free. A rough description (“scattered”, “half closed”, “solid”), the acreage, and photos are enough to price from.