In Oklahoma, one veteran spent five years fighting invasive cedar trees on his 400-acre ranch; now native grasses are returning and water is flowing into newly reappearing streams

Retired Marine Corps veteran Brian Heishman has been slowly converting a 400-acre ranch near Pawnee, Oklahoma, into a cedar forest for five years. An overgrown property choked by eastern red cedars is showing signs of ecological recovery: Native grasses are returning, ponds are filling faster and streams are reappearing. For Heishman and his wife, Melinda, the work has become more than just a land management project. After more than two decades of military and government service, Heishman has taken on a new calling. According to a USDA report, Heishman served five years in the infantry, 16 years in explosive ordnance disposal and a decade as a U.S. government contractor in Iraq. After retiring from his service career, he looked for a meaningful way to stay active and then the opportunity to manage the family property was the opportunity. When Heishman and Melinda bought the land, it had three ponds and large areas densely covered with eastern red cedars. At first he wondered if he could handle the vast clearing alone, as he had never done such a job before. That changed when he cleared a preliminary 500 feet to establish a firebreak for a prescribed burn. This experience gave him the confidence to undertake a much larger restoration effort.

Work with conservation experts

Heishman began working with Duel Brown, the Pawnee County conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service, who helped find practical ways to improve the property. With the help of Cole Fagen of the American Bird Conservancy, Heishman signed his first contract with NRCS in 2022. Cedar removal has been a critical component of his conservation plan ever since. Additional contracts with the NRCS Environmental Quality Incentive Program helped the couple install cross fencing and grazing practices to better manage their livestock and vegetation. Additionally, a loan from the Farm Service Agency for the purchase of equipment also accelerated the cedar clearing effort. Water management also became a priority. With the help of conservation partners, Heishman restored the dam on the largest pond on the property, improving water availability for livestock. The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation also helped stock the ponds with fish to improve their ecological value. And the Pawnee County Prescribed Burn Association provided more guidance on the use of prescribed fire.

Forest fires accelerate the transition

Heishman’s efforts were unexpectedly accelerated by a wildfire in 2025. The fire also damaged other trees, including oaks and black walnuts, but destroyed much of the cedar growth on the east side of the property. Heishman is now removing the last skeletons of the trees and allowing the recovering landscape to take hold. Native grasses are beginning to return in areas that were once filled with cedar trees. Ponds on the property are filling more quickly and streams that had dried up are flowing again as there is less competition among trees for water. The changes provide a clear measure of how much the land has changed since Heishman restoration work began in 2022.

Designing a long-term future

Restoration is not a one-time affair for Heishman. Their next challenge is to maintain progress and not allow the Eastern Red Cedars to reclaim the property. He and Melinda hope to one day build a house on the ranch and enjoy the landscape they have spent years restoring. Their experience also offers a more general lesson for conservation: Landowners don’t have to undertake big restoration projects alone. Heishman has transformed an unknown challenge into a long-term management effort by partnering with the NRCS, wildlife agencies, conservation organizations, and local prescribed burning groups. Five years after the project began, the changes are increasingly evident. Native grasses are returning, water is flowing again, and a ranch once littered with cedar trees is slowly being transformed into better pastures for livestock and wildlife. Restoring the land has become a new way of serving for a veteran who spent much of his life serving others.