Cedar Removal & Lot Clearing in Edmond, OK

Cedar removal and lot clearing is a big part of tree work on the larger lots east of I-35 and out toward Arcadia Lake, where Edmond's native Cross Timbers woods still stand. Eastern redcedar is native to Oklahoma, but with fewer grass fires it has spread into prairie, pasture and oak woodland at a startling rate; the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service has estimated it spreading across 762 acres a day statewide. On a homesite that shows up as a wall of cedars along the fence, under the oaks and around the house.

Why cedars near a house are a concern

Redcedar keeps limbs close to the ground and its foliage is high in volatile oils. Oklahoma's Conservation Commission describes how grass fires can climb cedars like a ladder into the crowns of other trees, and how wind carries sparks to rooftops. Prolonged droughts in central Oklahoma often lead to wildfires, and cedar-choked lots carry fire easily. Thinning cedars back from the house, outbuildings and the oaks you want to keep reduces that ladder effect.

Cedars grow fast

A redcedar can add about a foot of height and a foot of width a year, so a scatter of seedlings becomes trees too big to cut by hand within a few years, and hundreds of new seedlings can come up in a season. On acreage, cutting the large ones is only half the job; the small ones need regular follow-up, by hand, mowing or, on open pasture, prescribed burning under the right conditions.

Keeping the good trees

Clearing a Cross Timbers lot is not the same as scraping it. Post oaks and blackjack oaks grow slowly and some stands are very old, and Edmond has made preserving forested areas part of its development rules for new residential plats since 2021. We mark the oaks, hickories and other keepers first, then remove cedars, dead trees, Bradford pear thickets and brush around them, taking care with roots, grade and soil compaction near the trees that stay.

Brush disposal

OSU's guidance on redcedar warns against piling cut cedar and burning the piles, because burning cedar throws fire brands hundreds of feet downwind. Chipping is usually the safer route on residential acreage, and chips can be spread on trails and beds or hauled away. Larger logs can be cut for firewood, or left as wildlife brush piles away from structures if you prefer.

Permits for undeveloped land

Edmond requires a tree removal permit on unplatted land and in nonresidential, special purpose and PUD districts, with exemptions such as existing single-family lots, parcels under five acres and trees within 20 feet of a structure. If you are clearing a larger unplatted tract or a site for development, check with the city first; for a typical home on acreage, the permit generally does not apply.