Nebraska’s grassland is being taken over by eastern red cedar trees

A threat to Nebraska’s and the world’s largest intact grassland.

The land is being taken over by eastern red cedar trees. Ranchers in Nebraska say that these trees use anywhere from 50-100 gallons of water per tree, per day. Very problematic as water has been hard to come by this summer.

A loss of good grass leads to a loss of cattle. So, producers in the state are using prescribed burns to kill the trees, a process that also restores grasslands. However, in a drought year, any kind of burn is a much bigger liability.

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