House Bill 2988 expands the Terry Peach Water Restoration Act statewide, effective Sunday, November 1, 2026. The change gives the Oklahoma Conservation Commission authority to coordinate efforts to control and remove harmful woody species, including eastern redcedar, across the state.
The program began as a pilot in the North Canadian watershed before lawmakers expanded its reach. The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation says the law establishes a revolving fund for removing harmful woody species and assigns program administration to the Oklahoma Conservation Commission. The department confirms the law was signed by the governor and takes effect November 1, 2026, according to its legislation summary. The pilot history was reported by Oklahoma Energy Today.
What Counts as a Harmful Woody Species
Under the Official Oklahoma Statutes, a harmful woody species is defined as a tree or shrub species that is rapidly encroaching into adjoining lands and is likely to cause harm to the environment or economy, according to the Oklahoma Legislature. Examples listed in the statute include Juniperus virginiana, better known as Eastern Redcedar, among other species named in the law. Oklahoma Energy Today's report adds that harmful woody species more broadly include eastern red cedars and other trees and brush that consume massive amounts of water, damage grazing lands, reduce wildlife habitat, reduce water flow into state waterways and water basins, and present a fire danger in watershed areas throughout Oklahoma.
The statute directs the Conservation Commission to establish a statewide plan for controlling, removing and eradicating harmful woody species on land owned, leased or operated by the state. The Commission must measure their density, estimate the water they use and conduct a comparison study using a parallel watershed where no control work is carried out. It is also required to work with landowners, state agencies and other political subdivisions, and is authorized to promulgate rules and procedures to implement the law.
Water planning across Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Water Resources Board’s 2025 water-demand forecast prepared county-level projections and allocated them to 82 planning basins for supply-and-demand analyses. That basin-level framework helps assess projected demand alongside supply and gives watershed restoration a broader planning context. The forecast information cited here does not identify which parts of Oklahoma face the largest projected gaps or show how restoration would change them, according to the Oklahoma Water Resources Board.
A Revolving Fund With an Earlier Tax-Credit Version
The Terry Peach Water Restoration Act establishes the Water Restoration Revolving Fund for the Conservation Commission’s work to manage and eradicate harmful woody species, Oklahoma Energy Today reports. The bill’s original version described a different approach: an Oklahoma Legislature summary of HB 2988 as introduced says it would create an income tax credit for people using Commission-approved practices to remove the species, according to the bill summary. The Department of Wildlife Conservation’s account of the enacted law describes the revolving fund, not the proposed tax credit; the available summaries do not explain how the final language resolved the difference.
The law also requires specified agencies to submit an electronic report to the Legislature each year on control, removal and eradication efforts. The first report is due by November 1, 2026, according to the statutory text.
Removal Contracts Cover 15,588 Acres, More Applications Pouring In
The program already has a track record to point to heading into its statewide expansion. The Oklahoma Conservation Commission awarded 133 contracts for invasive woody species removal through the watershed restoration program, covering 15,588 acres, Oklahoma Energy Today reports. The FY27 application period opened September 1 and runs through Sunday, November 1, 2026, and the program had received 600 applications to date as of the report. Focus conservation districts for FY27 include Cleveland, Coal, Creek, Dewey, Grady, Hughes, Konawa, Lincoln, Logan, Major, McClain, Noble, North Caddo, Okfuskee, Oklahoma County, Okmulgee, Payne, Pontotoc, Seminole, Shawnee, South Caddo, West Caddo and Woodward, with applicants able to apply at the local conservation district office within the program area.
Wildfire prevention work tied to the broader conservation effort has also been moving forward. Wildfire mitigation zones have completed 2,450 acres and 69 miles of work located near 48 communities, lowering the risk of loss to life and property, according to the same report. The Conservation Commission implemented 22,541 acres of prescribed fire with cost-share funds between FY2024 and FY2026 and has planned 29,155 acres for FY2027. The agency also completed seven Fighting Fire With Fire trainings for rural fire departments in FY2024 and plans five more for FY2027, with the first scheduled for November 12 in Dewey, after previously awarding 55 grants to rural fire departments and prescribed burn associations through the Fighting Fire With Fire workshop.
The Lawmaker Behind the Bill
Rep. Mike Dobrinski was the principal author of HB 2988 and served as House author of Senate Bill 940 in 2025, which also addressed harmful woody species, Oklahoma Energy Today reports. The Conservation Coalition of Oklahoma named him its 2026 Legislator of the Year, citing his conservation legislation and work on natural-resource management and partnerships. The coalition also pointed to his involvement in issues including woody-plant encroachment, wildfires, water resources, native grasslands, wildlife habitat and agricultural productivity.
Dobrinski said lawmakers established a consistent statewide approach to invasive species amid drought and persistent wildfires, according to the outlet. Separately, a KGOU report examined possible uses for cleared eastern redcedar, including soil-health applications and plugging orphan wells, after lawmakers heard from experts about turning the trees into usable material.
