Did you know that 40% of the Earth’s surface is covered in Rangelands? However with the increase of brush encroachment, there has been an increase in conversion from rangeland into undesirable and unproductive species. In the Rolling Plains the primary invasive species focused on is prickly pear cactus, in South Texas Plains huisache is the primary focused species, and in the Edwards Plateau, Ashe & Redberry Juniper are of concerns. One fun fact, Mesquite is considered to be a secondary problem in all three of these ecoregions.
This study shows an economic comparison among using prescribed fire, mechanical, and chemical treatments since these are the most common brush treatments in Texas. The analysis was conducted using net-present value (NPV) (per hectare), benefit-cost ratio and internal rate of return over a 20-year planning period.
The study shows that summer fire was more economically feasible than the most commonly used alternate treatment in each ecoregion. Summer fires for both heavy and moderate brush across all regions had higher NPV and lower total cost than common alternate brush treatments. This also helps make implementing good rangeland management practices more feasible.
For more information and the full study, check it out here!
Van Liew, Dustin, et al. “An economic comparison of prescribed extreme fire and alternative methods for managing invasive brush species in Texas: a modeling approach.” The Open Agriculture Journal 6.1 (2012).