01/21/2026
We recently completed a relatively involved CRP management project. The property was flagged for invasive species encroachment creating a compliance issue. We primarily used our Diamond brand disc mulcher but also involved our hydraulic saw and grapple to handle some mixed invasive deciduous trees.
The interesting part - to me at least - is how aggressively the cedars were repopulating. The landowner told me they had the cedars removed a few years ago. Opening that canopy allowed the seeds to germinate and vigorously establish themselves. On the west side of the drainage (~13 acres) I removed 592 cedars. Yes, I counted 😁. Of those 592, I don't think more than maybe 10 were more than 24 inches tall so they hid very nicely in the tall CRP grass. I'm sure I missed some but this is why it seems like cedars spring up practically overnight. They are all there but just hiding in the grass. For the first three years they'll grow 6"-12" per year. Beyond that, they'll shoot up 12"-24" per year depending on moisture. Hopefully we've reset the clock for this property. Moving forward, the plan for this property is ongoing chemical maintenance of the thickets and mechanical removal of the cedars if needed.
I hope you enjoy the photos and videos. Special thanks to my son Landyn for his cameo appearance in the first picture to provide some scale to the size of the thickets. If your CRP requires some maintenance or you'd like to reclaim your pasture acres lost to invasive trees, give us a call at 785-770-0479 to discuss options!
