The Oak Ridge Cedar Barren will undergo its annual fall cleanup at 9 a.m. Saturday, November 8.  The main cleanup activity consists of exotic invasive plant removal.
Located next to Jefferson Middle School in Oak Ridge, the area is one of only a few cedar barrens in East Tennessee.
The barren is subject to invasion by Chinese lespedeza, leatherleaf viburnum, Chinese privet, autumn olive, mimosa, Nepal grass, multiflora rose, and woody plants. These plants, if allowed to mature, will shade out or overgrow the system’s unique prairie grasses.
The Barren is a joint project of the City of Oak Ridge, Tennessee Natural Areas Division, and Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning. TCWP sponsors three cleanups per year at the Barren under the leadership of Barren Steward and TCWP Board member Tim Bigelow.
Volunteers should meet in the Jefferson Middle School Parking lot at 9 a.m. Eastern time, with sturdy shoes, loppers, gloves, and water, a press release said. The work session will conclude at noon with a pizza lunch.
For more information, contact Tim Bigelow at (865) 607-6781 or Bigelowt2@mindspring.com.
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