Conservation Practices Archives - Page 2 of 3

CO2 Flux over Burned Honey Mesquite Savanna Rangeland

April 24, 2024 by jaime.sanford

Prescribed fire is a management practice used to reduce woody plant encroachment on rangeland and maintain native perennial grass diversity and productivity. Prescribed fire effects on CO2 fluxes and their contribution to atmospheric CO2 is not well known. The study below discusses the effect of fire on net ecosystem CO2 flux above Prosopis glandulosa Torr. (honey mesquite) using the Bowen ratio/energy balance method (BREB), and to compare these fluxes to fluxes determined by an empirical model.

Extreme Prescribed Fire during Drought Reduces Survival and Density of Woody Resprouters

April 3, 2024 by jaime.sanford

Researchers looked at extreme fire conditions during drought in humid subtropical and semi-arid ecoregions that require innovative management strategies that go beyond the traditional restoration and conservation practices. These practices have either been historically ineffective or economically cost-prohibitive at restoring grass-dominated ecosystems following conversion to resprouting shrublands.

Texas Pasture Land Values Summary

January 17, 2024 by jaime.sanford

USDA has recently released their land value summary for 2023. Texas is located in the Southern Plains region along with Oklahoma.

USDA Expands Conservation Practices Qualifying for Climate-Smart Funding

January 10, 2024 by jaime.sanford

At the end of October, USDA released an updated NRCS expanded list of practices and activities that are eligible for Climate-Smart funding through the Inflation Reduction Act. In addition, they added additional funding for the practices for the fiscal year 2024.

2020 Resources Planning Act Assessment

November 29, 2023 by jaime.sanford

The Resource Planning Act Assessment reports on the past, present, and future of renewable resources on public and private forests and rangelands. The recent 2020 assessment forecast was released in November and includes the following topics:

Grasslands are the Forgotten Ecosystem

September 27, 2023 by jaime.sanford

“Anybody can love the mountains, but it takes a soul to love the prairie.” — Willa Cather

Since the 1800s, North Americans have historically overlooked the significance of grasslands. With centuries of farming, ranching, energy development and suburban growth, grassland protection and conservation have been pushed aside.

Integrated Pest Management for Woody Encroachment

September 20, 2023 by jaime.sanford

The top 5 woody invasive plant species in the Great Plains Grasslands include; Eastern redcedar, Honey mesquite, Chinese tallow, Ashe juniper, and Redberry juniper. Past brush management efforts have been unable to stop or reverse the loss of grasslands at county, state, or regional scales. Traditional management efforts have assumed that there are tolerable levels of the top five woody pests in grasslands before encroachment becomes a resource concern and mechanical or chemical removal of woody plants will restore a site back to a grassland. Scientists are now recommending more integrated approaches for dealing with woody species and ending the reinvasion cycle in grasslands.

SRM Multidisciplinary Rangeland Ecosystem Services Report

August 30, 2023 by jaime.sanford

The Society for Rangeland Management recently released their Rangeland Ecosystem Services Report: Connecting Nature and People. The report includes five key rangeland service topic areas including; food and fiber, water as an ecosystem driver in rangelands, carbon sequestration and security, plant and insect biodiversity, and wildlife habitat provision.

Photo: Rangeland Ecosystem Services Report

Reducing Woody Encroachment in Grasslands: A Pocket Guide for Planning and Design

August 23, 2023 by jaime.sanford

Have you seen the latest Pocket Guide from the Great Plains Grasslands Extension Partnership? This Pocket Guide integrates new guidelines for reducing woody encroachment with a planning process. It is also an important resource that further incorporates the latest, science-based approaches for reducing woody encroachment.

22.4 Million Tons of Rangeland Production Lost to Woody Encroachment in Great Plains Grasslands

July 12, 2023 by jaime.sanford

Did you know that 22.4 million tons of rangeland production are lost annually in the Great Plains to woody encroachment? Or that The Great Plains accounts for approximately 95% of the nation’s lost rangeland production to woody encroachment?