BIG TOYSThe brush that takes over Texas and Oklahoma land
Some plants don’t just grow — they take over. Left alone, they crowd out native grass, shade out young hardwoods, raise wildfire risk and make land impossible to walk, graze or hunt. The most common problem species we see include:
- Eastern red cedar (juniper) — spreads quickly into pastures without regular fire or mowing and forms dense, water-hungry thickets.
- Chinese and glossy privet — evergreen shrubs that fill creek bottoms and woodland understory.
- Japanese honeysuckle and bush honeysuckle — vines and shrubs that smother young trees.
- Autumn olive — a fast-spreading shrub that crowds open ground.
- Greenbrier and blackberry briars — thorny tangles that block access.
- Mesquite and other thorny brush — common in pastures across Texas.
How we remove it
Forestry mulching is one of the most effective ways to clear invasive brush. We grind it in place, leave the trees you want to keep, and avoid the soil disturbance that often invites a fresh flush of weeds. Eastern red cedar is a particularly good target: it generally doesn’t resprout once cut below its lowest green limbs, so mulching knocks it out for good.
Species that resprout from roots or stumps — like privet, mesquite and many hardwood sprouts — need a plan for follow-up. That usually means mowing the regrowth a few times, and in some cases a herbicide treatment applied by a licensed applicator.
Restore pasture, timber and wildlife habitat
Clearing invasives opens the ground to sunlight so native grasses and forbs can return. Ranchers get grazing back, hunters get better habitat and visibility, and homeowners get usable, safer land with less fuel for wildfire.
Read more: Eastern red cedar removal in Texas and Oklahoma.
Cedar & Invasive Brush Removal FAQs
Is eastern red cedar really a problem?
Yes. Eastern red cedar is native, but without regular fire it spreads into grasslands and pastures, forming thickets that crowd out grass and increase wildfire risk. It is one of the most common clearing requests we get in Oklahoma and North Texas.
Will invasive brush come back after clearing?
Cedar usually does not resprout from a low cut. Many other invasive shrubs and vines do, so we recommend follow-up mowing and, where needed, treatment by a licensed applicator to keep them from returning.