Year: 1990
Type: article
Abstract: A growing problem on many rangelands and pastures is the invasion of eastern redcedar(Juniperus virginiana). The encroachment of this coniferous, non-sprouting tree has reduced the amount of available forage on grazing lands and increased livestock handling problems. If a program of eastern redcedar control is not initiated by landowners, the ultimate result could be a significant loss of grazing on these lands. Using Nebraska as an example, the status of eastern redcedar in Nebraska has been rapidly changing. Recent inventories show an increase in acreage infested by eastern redcedar while other forest types were declining. Total woodland acreages in Nebraska declined about 10% from 1955 to 1983. In 1955, approximately 2% of all woodlands were predominately eastern redcedar (Stone 1961). In 1983, over 15% of all woodlands were occupied by eastern redcedar (Raile 1986). Eastern redcedar expanded from approximately 54,000 acres in 1955 to over 188,000 acres in 1983. Size class distribution gives another view of what is transpiring with this species. Over 54% of the eastern redcedar trees are currently in the one to five inch diameter breast height (DBH) size class. Over 40% of the trees are in the 5-11 inch DBH size class while only 6% are over eleven inches in DBH (Raile 1986). This indicates a young eastern redcedar population. Where is this expansion occurring? Most of the increase is occurring in non-commercial forest land, which is typically pasture and rangeland with scattered trees. The following table shows the acreages of eastern redcedar in Nebraska by land class for 1983 (Raile 1986).
Authors: J. G. Wilson, Thomas L. Schmidt
Language: English
Subfield: Ecology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Life on land
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W220250341