OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A public hearing is set for October on a state lawmaker's proposal to eradicate the eastern red cedar tree, which some blame for quick-spreading wildfires that have plagued the state.
State Rep. Richard Morrissette says the eastern red cedar trees are firebombs waiting to explode. He tells the Journal Record that he plans to introduce a bill in the 2013 session that calls for the eradication of the tree.
Morrissette says the trees are extremely flammable and helped spread fire to more than 100,000 acres in the state.
Morrissette says the Oct. 10 hearing will focus on a program to link landowners who have registered with the state Eastern Red Cedar Registry Board to an inmate-run harvesting program.
