Oak Ridge Cedar Barren Archives

Spring Cedar Barren Weed Wrangle to be held Saturday

Posted at 8:15 pm March 6, 2020
By Sandra K. Goss Leave a Comment

Larry Pounds and Jean Bangham at a previous Cedar Barren Weed Wrangle. (Submitted photo)

Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness planning is sponsoring a Weed Wrangle at the Oak Ridge Cedar Barren on Saturday, March 7. The event is part of an invasive plant removal project coordinated by The Garden Club of Nashville and Invasive Plant Control. One of only a few cedar barrens in East Tennessee, the area is subject to invasion by Chinese lespedeza, Japanese privet, autumn olive, mimosa, Nepal grass, multiflora rose, and woody plants that threaten the system’s prairie plants, a press release said.

Volunteers should meet at the Jefferson Middle School parking lot next to the baseball field at 9 a.m. Saturday, with sturdy shoes or boots, loppers, hand saws, weather-appropriate clothing, snacks, and water, the press release said. Other tools and work gloves will be available at the event. [Read more…]

Learn about prairie wild flowers during maintenance at Oak Ridge Cedar Barren on Saturday

Posted at 4:02 pm August 23, 2019
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

See the prairie wild flowers at the Oak Ridge Cedar Barren on Saturday, August 24, during a hands-on maintenance activity with plant experts to identify wild flowers and grasses. Volunteers are needed to uproot invasive plants that would otherwise shade and kill the native cedar barren prairie plants, a press release said.

Located next to Jefferson Middle School in Oak Ridge, the barren is a joint project of the City of Oak Ridge, the State Natural Areas Division, and Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning. One of just a few cedar barrens in East Tennessee, the area is subject to invasion by Chinese lespedeza, Japanese privet, autumn olive, mimosa, Nepal grass, multiflora rose, and woody plants that threaten the system’s prairie grasses, the press release said.

[Read more…]

Cedar Barren clean-up scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 5

Posted at 5:31 pm November 2, 2016
By Sandra Goss Leave a Comment

September flowers at Oak Ridge Cedar Barren (Photo courtesy D. Colclasure)

The Oak Ridge Cedar Barren will again be the site of exotic invasive plant removal as Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning conduct its fall cleanup, its third and final cleanup of the year.

Located next to Jefferson Middle School in Oak Ridge, the Barren is a joint project of the City of Oak Ridge, State Natural Areas Division, and TCWP. The area is one of just a few cedar barrens in East Tennessee, and it is the home to three state listed plants: prairie goldenrod, fewleaf sunflower and Torrey’s mountain mint.

The Barrens are subject to invasion by bushy lespedeza, leatherleaf viburnum, privet, autumn olive, mimosa, Nepal grass, multiflora rose, and woody plants that threaten the system¹s prairie grasses. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Cedar Barren Cleanup, Prairie Grass Extravaganza on Saturday, Aug. 20

Posted at 8:57 pm August 10, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

September blooms at Oak Ridge Cedar Barren, courtesy Doug Colclasure. (Submitted photo)

There will be a free opportunity to see prairie goldenrod (Solidago ptarmicoides), naked-stem sunflower (Helianthus occidentalis), and Torrey’s mountain mint (Pycnanthemum torrei) at the Oak Ridge Cedar Barren on Saturday, August 20. This will be combined with a workday to remove invasive plants, a press release said.

Located next to Jefferson Middle School in Oak Ridge, this barren is a joint project of the City of Oak Ridge, the State Natural Areas Division, and Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning, or TCWP. The area is one of just a few cedar barrens in East Tennessee, and it is subject to invasion by Chinese lespedeza, Japanese privet, autumn olive, mimosa, Nepal grass, multiflora rose, and woody plants that threaten the system’s prairie grasses. [Read more…]

TCWP volunteers will remove exotic, invasive plants from Oak Ridge Cedar Barren on March 5

Posted at 8:46 am February 29, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning will remove exotic, invasive plants at the Oak Ridge Cedar Barren on Saturday, March 5.

Located next to Jefferson Middle School in Oak Ridge, the cedar barren is a joint project of the City of Oak Ridge, State Natural Areas Division, and TCWP. One of only a few cedar barrens in East Tennessee, the area is subject to invasion by Chinese lespedeza, Japanese privet, autumn olive, mimosa, Nepal grass, multiflora rose, and woody plants that threaten the system’s prairie grasses.

“Our continuing efforts help to eliminate these invasives and other shade-producing plants that prevent the prairie grasses from getting needed sun,” TCWP said in a press release. [Read more…]

Cedar Barren Cleanup, Prairie Grass Extravaganza on Aug. 15

Posted at 11:00 am August 7, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

There will be a cleanup and Prairie Grass Extravaganza at Oak Ridge Cedar Barren on Saturday, August 15, organizers said.

They said this will be a free opportunity to see prairie goldenrod (Solidago ptarmicoides), naked-stem sunflower (Helianthus occidentalis), and Torrey’s mountain mint (Pycnanthemum torrei) at the Oak Ridge Cedar Barren. It will be combined with a workday to remove invasive plants.

Oak Ridge Cedar Barren cleanup on Nov. 8

Posted at 9:34 pm October 29, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

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. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Cedar Barren work day on Saturday

Posted at 1:20 am February 21, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Submitted

There will be a work session to remove exotic invasive plants and learn about cedar barren ecology at a small unique area in the heart of Oak Ridge. The Oak Ridge Cedar Barren, a state natural area, will be the focus of the event on Saturday, March 1. The public is invited to attend.

Located next to Jefferson Middle School in Oak Ridge, this rare barren was spared from development in 1988 through efforts spearheaded by Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning, sponsor of this event, and was subsequently registered as a Tennessee Natural Area. Maintenance of the barren is a joint project of TCWP, the City of Oak Ridge, and the Tennessee Division of Natural Areas. [Read more…]

Officials, volunteers celebrate new Cedar Barren kiosk near JMS

Posted at 11:50 am August 27, 2013
By City of Oak Ridge Leave a Comment

Officials and volunteers celebrate a new kiosk with a ribbon-cutting at Oak Ridge Cedar Barrens near Jefferson Middle School on Aug. 17. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge Cedar Barren has a new kiosk, thanks to Thomas Crout and his Eagle Scout project. There was a ribbon cutting on Saturday, Aug. 17, followed by a brief interpretive tour and some cleanup work.