In Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas, the eastern red-cedar (Juniperus virginiana L.) has substantially reduced livestock production and profitability by 75% in the rangelands it invades.
Originally limited to rocky bluffs and other areas where fire couldn't reach them, eastern red-cedar tree populations expanded with the introduction of European land management practices to the United States. A decrease in controlled burns allowed forests to spread, including this now-invasive species. It extended from its native Kansas to nearby states, where it overtakes prairie plant life.