[AT] Okla Fires

[Cecil R Bearden]

I'm here in central OK near Piedmont. A lot of this could have been 
prevented if folks would clear out those Red Cedar trees that have 
invaded over the past 20 years. I worked on a survey of a Rural Water 
District in '08 on a lot of land that was owned by OK State Univ near 
Stillwater.   They had not taken care of this land at all, it had Cedar 
trees over a foot in diameter probably 100 per acre average, and 
thistles that were higher than my head.   Both of these are invasive 
species and listed as a Noxious weed in OK.   These fires will take care 
of most of the Cedars that are existing.  Now, we need to prevent any 
more from starting back up and remove the ones that are here.  I feel 
truly sorry for anyone who has had to suffer the loss of their home.   
However, I see the same disaster being planned every day with people 
moving trailers, double wides, or building houses in the middle of Cedar 
trees.   The Shade trees do not go up in flames in 15 seconds  like 
those Cedars.  We are in a drought, there is a lot of land that would 
have provided hay for feed, but the Cedars have rendered it useless.  
Much of this is from land speculation and Hunting leases...   It is time 
to return the land back to prairie instead of forest!!!   This will 
happen again in the near future, the memory of these losses will pass 
and they will build under the shade of a Cedar again.

I need to mow some pasture that is a foot or so high to prevent a 
fire.   Most of the pasture around me is less than 6 inches since we 
mowed and baled it earlier.

Cecil in OKla


On 8/4/2012 11:31 PM, Dennis Johnson wrote:
> As you may know there have been several fires in Oklahoma the last few days. Today a rent house and some storage sheds I had in Mannford Oklahoma went up in flames. Several neighboring houses also burnt. I heard count was over 120 homes lost earlier today. Sister-in-law have fire on acrage fences, but the fire stopped just inside the fence on all 4 sides.
> Fortunatly I did not have much equipment there - only 1 small JD lawn tractor and a few antique impliments, a few parts, some tools, 45 year old Lincoln 225 I got when in Junior High with the good heavy windings, etc. Thankful for insurance.
> Pray for the family renting - they lost most all they had except for a few horses that were saved. Several others also lost most all they had.
>   
> Dennis
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