Woody Encroachment Archives - West Texas Rangelands

Burning From the Ground Up: How Prescribed Burn Associations Are Expanding Fire Across the Great Plains

October 1, 2026 by kara.matheney

Prescribed fire has long been one of the most effective tools for managing woody plant encroachment, improving wildlife habitat, enhancing forage production, and reducing wildfire risk. Yet for many landowners, implementing prescribed fire can seem out of reach due to concerns about labor, equipment, experience, liability, and planning requirements.

Across the Great Plains, Prescribed Burn Associations (PBAs) are helping overcome those barriers through a simple but powerful concept: neighbors helping neighbors. New research published in the International Journal of Wildland Fire demonstrates that these landowner-led organizations are expanding access to prescribed fire, building local capacity, and making meaningful contributions to rangeland stewardship across the United States.

A Movement Built by Landowners
Prescribed Burn Associations first emerged in the Great Plains in the 1990s to help ranchers gain the education, equipment, training, and support needed to safely implement prescribed fire on private lands. Since then, the model has spread nationwide, with more than 140 PBAs now operating across the country.

Unlike traditional top-down approaches, PBAs are community-led organizations that bring together landowners, volunteers, and natural resource professionals to share knowledge, labor, equipment, and experience. These local networks help reduce costs, increase confidence, and provide opportunities for people to gain hands-on experience using prescribed fire.

The impact of these organizations continues to grow. Survey responses from PBAs across the United States showed that associations collectively conduct an average of 660 prescribed burns across 84,508 acres annually, mobilizing thousands of volunteers to restore fire to ecosystems where it has historically been excluded.

Expanding Access to Prescribed Fire
One of the most significant findings from the study was the role PBAs play in making prescribed fire more accessible.

Nationwide, 72% of respondents identified broadening access to prescribed fire as a management tool as one of the three most important actions performed by their association. Respondents also emphasized field-based training, increasing public understanding of prescribed fire, and providing tools and equipment needed to conduct burns.

PBAs have been particularly successful because they intentionally maintain low barriers to participation. The research found that many associations welcome community members into training events, volunteer opportunities, and educational burns. More than half of surveyed PBAs reported opening burns to community participants through “learn and burn” or other educational programs. Additionally, 77% reported conducting at least one training opportunity annually.

This approach helps create new prescribed fire practitioners while strengthening local support for the use of prescribed fire.

Addressing Woody Encroachment in the Great Plains
Across much of Texas and the Great Plains, woody plant encroachment remains one of the greatest challenges facing rangeland managers. Eastern redcedar, juniper, mesquite, and other woody species continue to expand into grasslands, affecting forage production, wildlife habitat, water resources, and wildfire behavior.

The study found that management of invasive species and woody plant encroachment was the primary objective reported by 93% of Great Plains PBAs, making it the most common management goal among respondents in the region. Rangeland and forage enhancement ranked second, followed by wildlife habitat improvement.

These findings reinforce the importance of prescribed fire as a practical, cost-effective management tool. For many landowners, prescribed fire remains one of the few approaches that can address woody encroachment at the scale needed to maintain productive grasslands.

The Power of Volunteers
Perhaps one of the most remarkable findings from the research is the extent to which PBAs rely on volunteer leadership and community support.

Among Great Plains respondents:

93% relied entirely on volunteers for leadership.
93% relied on membership fees for funding.
93% relied on donated time and resources from members.
45% received support from a statewide PBA organization.

These numbers illustrate how strongly PBAs depend on local commitment and cooperation. Landowners are not simply members of these organizations. They are the trainers, burn crew members, equipment operators, mentors, and leaders that make prescribed fire possible within their communities.

The success of PBAs demonstrates that effective conservation often begins at the local level, where people with shared goals work together to solve common challenges.

More Than Acres Burned
While acres treated and burns conducted are important measures of success, the benefits of PBAs extend far beyond those numbers.

By providing real-world experience and mentorship opportunities, PBAs are helping train the next generation of prescribed fire practitioners. They are creating networks of landowners who understand fire behavior, weather, planning, and risk management. These organizations also foster trust among neighbors, strengthen community resilience, and increase public understanding of the role fire plays in maintaining healthy rangelands.

The study’s authors concluded that PBAs are successfully reducing barriers to prescribed burning while expanding access to beneficial fire through a community-based model that pools resources, provides training, and lowers implementation costs.

Looking Ahead
As woody encroachment, invasive species, and wildfire risk continue to challenge rangeland managers across Texas and the Great Plains, Prescribed Burn Associations are helping demonstrate what is possible when communities work together.

The research confirms what many Texas landowners already know: prescribed fire is not just a management tool. It is a tool that becomes even more effective when supported by strong partnerships, local leadership, and a shared commitment to healthy rangelands.

By expanding access to prescribed fire, training new practitioners, and supporting landowners in the field, PBAs are helping ensure that fire remains part of the rangeland management toolbox for generations to come.

Source
Deak, A., Fawcett, J. E., Quinn-Davidson, L., Adlam, C., Weir, J. R., and Stackhouse, J. (2025). Burning from the ground up: the structure and impact of Prescribed Burn Associations in the United States. International Journal of Wildland Fire, 34(3), WF24178. DOI: 10.1071/WF24178.

Juniper Management on Texas Rangelands

September 24, 2026 by kara.matheney

Article written by Jacob Court
West Texas Rangelands Intern
Graduate Student – Texas A&M University

With the widespread issue of woody encroachment on the Texas rangelands, the proper management of juniper is crucial. Unfortunately, due to overgrazing and poor land management, much of our rangelands have already been taken over by large juniper trees.

Prescribed fire is a great method to manage juniper when it is utilized correctly. One thing to note is that some juniper like Alligator Juniper (J. deppeana) and Redberry Juniper (J. pinchottii) can resprout from a bud bank beneath the surface. These bud banks make plants more resilient to the effects of burning; although fire can help to kill smaller trees, higher-intensity fires can work to kill larger trees. Even so, other management methods may be more effectively used to try and kill these resprouters. For non-resprouting trees, fire is an effective method throughout the early life cycles. Often, conducting growing season fires will help kill seedlings, preventing more growth while also helping to kill any larger trees. Like with the resprouting trees, more intense fire might be necessary for the removal of any larger non-sprouting trees, and the concern of them recovering from that damage is much less.

A great way to create these high-intensity fires is with the cut-and-stuff method. The idea behind this method is to cut branches off (or gather other fuels) and pile them underneath large juniper trees. This creates a continuous ladder of fuel all the way up the tree. Utilizing this method solves both of the two main issues when trying to burn larger trees: a lack of fuel to catch the tree on fire and not having flames long enough to burn the branches. By letting the flames climb this fuel ladder, we can successfully ignite the entire tree, greatly increasing the effectiveness of our prescribed fire. Some more things to consider when trying to burn juniper are waiting for the fuel beneath the tree to dry out so that it ignites and burns more effectively. It’s also important to put the fuel beneath the upwind side of the tree as this allows the majority of the fire to be blown into the main part of the tree instead of away from it.

While prescribed fire is a great method of juniper control, the implementation of grazing alongside burning can increase the overall effectiveness. Goats are especially good in this sense, as they will target the high-quality new growth from these juniper trees post-fire. The idea behind this method is to have fires in an area to kill off large swaths of juniper and then have the goats graze it afterward. Fire will kill the aboveground sections, allowing for new plants to sprout. Then the goats can target these sprouts, preventing any large-scale regrowth from happening. The utilization of pyric herbivory in this manner is cost-effective and will work for a variety of situations. One issue is still the management of the larger and more developed juniper trees. In these cases, chemical or mechanical methods may be the best strategy.

References
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension – Managing Texas Juniper with Prescribed Burning
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension – Managing Juniper (Cedar) with Goats
Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service- Cut and Stuff Practices for Enhancing Cedar Control with Prescribed Fire

Grubbing Mesquite Trees: A Long-Term Brush Management Solution for West Texas

August 27, 2026 by kara.matheney

Article written by Holt Teplicek
West Texas Rangelands Intern
Undergraduate Student – Texas A&M University

Mesquite trees are one of the most persistent brush species found across West Texas rangelands. While they provide some wildlife habitat, dense mesquite infestations compete with desirable grasses for sunlight, soil moisture, and nutrients. Over time, this competition can reduce forage production, limit grazing capacity, and make rangeland management more difficult.

One effective method of controlling mesquite is grubbing, a mechanical practice that removes the entire root crown of the tree. Unlike simply cutting a mesquite tree at ground level, grubbing removes the portion of the root system where new shoots develop. When the root crown is completely removed below the bud zone, the tree is much less likely to resprout, making grubbing a long-term control option.

Grubbing is most effective on small to medium-sized mesquite trees and is commonly performed using hand tools such as grub hoes or specialized grubbing tools. This method is especially useful for treating scattered trees, fence lines, wildlife food plots, and areas where herbicide applications may not be practical or desired.

Timing can also influence success. Grubbing can be performed throughout much of the year, but favorable soil moisture conditions make the job easier by allowing the root crown to be removed more completely. It is important to remove enough of the root crown to prevent regrowth. Leaving any portion of the bud zone behind can allow the tree to resprout.

Removing mesquite provides several benefits for rangeland health. Native grasses and other desirable plants have greater access to water, nutrients, and sunlight, allowing them to establish and produce more forage. Improved grass cover also helps reduce soil erosion, improves rainfall infiltration, and supports healthier wildlife habitat. For livestock producers, increased forage production can lead to improved grazing opportunities and better overall pasture condition.

Although grubbing is an effective tool, it is often most successful when used as part of an integrated brush management program. Depending on the size of the infestation and land management goals, grubbing may be combined with prescribed fire, herbicide applications, proper grazing management, or reseeding efforts to maintain healthy, productive rangelands over the long term.

Every ranch is different, and selecting the best brush management strategy depends on factors such as mesquite density, tree size, labor availability, equipment, and management objectives. Working with your local Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service office can help determine the most effective and economical approach for your operation.

By removing mesquite before it becomes well established, landowners can improve forage production, conserve valuable soil moisture, and promote healthier West Texas rangelands for future generations.

Source: https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/asset-external/brush-management-methods/

Take What You Need & Let The Range Succeed: Principles of Sustainable Grazing

July 8, 2026 by kara.matheney

Article written by Mr. Burkes Kissire, Sutton County 4-H Member

When looking out into a rangeland, you might think that all the grass you see can be fully grazed, but when you look a little deeper into the subject, you begin to realize that you may be wrong.

Rangelands are the most valuable resource available to livestock producers in Texas. A well-managed rangeland can easily sustain both livestock and wildlife, while also maintaining healthy soil. However, these resources can decline quickly when overused. One of the most recommended grazing practices is the Take 50%, Leave 50% concept. While simple in theory, this management practice can have significant impacts on the long-term health and the productivity of your land.

Take 50%, Leave 50% is exactly what the name suggests: only half the edible forages should be removed from the pasture. Importantly, this must be based on the weight of the edible forage, rather than the height of the plant. Different plants grow differently, making height an unreliable factor for estimating. By only focusing on the amount of forage used, rangeland managers can better manage their plants and rangelands and ensure that plants retain enough leafy material to recover the lost material efficiently and quickly.

Leaving half of the plant is essential for the plant’s health since plants rely on their leaves to capture available sunlight and produce energy they need through photosynthesis. When too much of the leaf is grazed, the plant goes into a state of emergency, in which the plant begins to use energy stored in the roots for regrowth. Depending on how much leaf was removed, a portion of the roots will stop growing. In contrast, when 50% or more of the leaf material remains and contributes to photosynthesis, the plant recovers more quickly, leading to more efficient plant growth and healthier roots.

Proper grazing affects the roots more than you think. A pasture full of healthy plants has a healthy root system that helps hold soil in place and helps hold water during a drought. Deep roots allow water to infiltrate the soil, instead of running off and eroding your soil. Healthy rangelands also promote nutrient cycling as plant material decomposes and returns nutrients to the soil. Over time, these processes and cycles will lead to better soil health, cleaner groundwater, and a more drought-resistant rangeland for years to come.

Applying the Take 50%, Leave 50% principle starts with understanding the amount available forage. Rangeland managers can visually estimate the amount of plant life in a pasture, but for precise measurements, you should weigh the grass. Begin by marking out a random square yard in your pasture, clip and weigh the grass, then convert this weight into pounds per acre. Knowing the exact amount of forage production in your pasture can help prevent overstocking and ensure that the plant retains enough material to regenerate.

Each livestock species selects different plants, making your choice of livestock very important. Cattle primarily graze taller grasses, and graze less selectively than other livestock species. Sheep graze shorter grasses, legumes, and other plants native to where they live. In contrast to both cattle and sheep, goats prefer browse, similar to a white-tail deer. Because each species has its preference, you can allow multiple species to graze or browse the same pasture to maximize operation. For example, if you have a pasture dominated by grasses that also has a considerable amount of browse, you may consider allowing both sheep and goats to graze and browse the same pasture.

Successfully applying this principle requires more than simply gauging your forage content. Rangeland managers must also consider carrying capacity, stocking rates, growing seasons, seasonal rainfall, and pasture recovery times. Strategies such as rotational grazing and deferred grazing help you maintain the perfect ratio of forage in your pasture. During a drought, you may have to reduce your stocking rate to ensure you do not lose too much grass.

The economic benefits of proper grazing are major. A healthy rangeland produces more edible forage over time, reducing the need for supplemental feeds. Good forage quality is important since it leads to efficient weight gain and overall improves herd quality. By maintaining productive plants on productive soil, producers can avoid costly restoration efforts needed after overgrazing. Sustainable grazing practices help protect natural resources we have and profitability.

The Take 50%, Leave 50% concept has remained one of the most reliable grazing practices since it can balance production and resource conservation. Following this principle helps maintain healthy plants and soil. This combination of benefits leads to productive rangelands for future generations. While every operation is unique, this practical principle can be applied almost anywhere, with any types of grass.

Sources: Dr. Doug Tolleson, Pascual Hernandez, Tammy Fisher

Economic Incentives for Reducing Wildfire Risk

April 15, 2026 by kara.matheney

What Landowners, Educators, and Technical Assistance Providers Should Know
Wildfire risk across Texas rangelands and working lands continues to rise. Larger fires, longer fire seasons, and increased exposure at the wildland–urban interface are no longer isolated concerns, they are becoming part of routine land management decisions. While traditional wildfire response has focused heavily on suppression, growing attention is being given to prevention and risk reduction, particularly through economic incentives that encourage proactive land stewardship. Recent research examining economic incentives for reducing wildfire risk highlights both opportunities and challenges for landowners and those who support them through education and technical assistance.

Why Wildfire Risk Is Increasing
Several interacting forces are driving higher wildfire risk on rangelands:

Climate and weather variability, including hotter temperatures and more frequent droughts
Fuel buildup from invasive grasses, brush encroachment, and reduced disturbance
Land use change and fragmentation, which complicates coordinated fire management

The social and economic impacts extend beyond burned acres. Wildfires affect ranch operations, infrastructure, natural resources, insurance markets, and community safety. As a result, there is growing interest in tools that shift investments from post-fire response to pre-fire prevention.

What Are Economic Incentives for Wildfire Risk Reduction?
Economic incentives are mechanisms designed to lower the financial barriers to adopting wildfire-mitigating practices or to reward landowners for reducing risk on their properties. The research summarized in the infographic identifies four broad categories of incentives:

Command-and-Control Policies – These include regulations such as burn bans, fuel treatment requirements, or zoning rules. While they can be effective in certain contexts, they often face resistance if they limit landowner flexibility or fail to account for local conditions.
Information-Based Incentives – Programs such as cost-share education, outreach campaigns, and technical guidance aim to increase awareness and capacity. These approaches are common in Extension programming and are most effective when paired with financial or operational support.
Market-Based Incentives
- Cost-share programs for prescribed burning, brush management, or grazing infrastructure
- Payments for ecosystem services
- Insurance premium adjustments tied to risk reduction
- Research shows that direct subsidies and cost-share programs are among the most frequently used and most studied incentive types for wildfire risk reduction.
Hybrid Incentives – Hybrid approaches combine regulatory frameworks with market or informational tools. For example, insurance programs that reward compliance with fuel management standards.

Cost, Effectiveness, and Tradeoffs
One of the most important takeaways for landowners and advisors is that upfront investment matters, but long-term savings can be substantial.

Prescribed burning, targeted grazing, and mechanical treatments require planning and initial costs.
Over time, these practices can reduce wildfire suppression costs, limit infrastructure damage, and improve ecological resilience.
Studies summarized in the research indicate that prevention investments can yield significant cost savings compared to repeated emergency response and recovery.

However, challenges remain:

Incentive programs are often short-term, while wildfire risk reduction requires sustained management.
Programs may not align well with local ecological conditions or landowner objectives.
Participation can be limited by administrative burden or lack of technical support.

Implications for Extension and Technical Assistance
For Extension educators and technical assistance providers, the findings reinforce several key points:

Cultural context matters. Landowners are more likely to engage when incentives align with local norms, production goals, and stewardship values.
One-size-fits-all approaches rarely work. Flexible, locally adapted programs outperform rigid designs.
Education alone is not enough. Information is most effective when paired with financial or operational incentives that reduce risk and uncertainty for landowners.

Extension’s trusted role positions educators to:

Translate incentive opportunities into practical decision tools
Facilitate cooperative approaches across fence lines
Support landowners in navigating cost-share, insurance, and hybrid programs

Looking Ahead
As wildfire risk continues to shape rangeland management, future incentive programs are likely to place greater emphasis on:

Long-term contracts and sustained funding
Risk-based insurance models
Integrated approaches that combine grazing management, prescribed fire, and fuel reduction

For landowners, proactive participation in wildfire risk reduction can protect livelihoods, landscapes, and communities. For educators and technical assistance providers, aligning economic incentives with sound land management remains a powerful strategy for building more fire-resilient rangelands.

Learn More and Stay Connected
For additional resources on rangeland fire management, prescribed burning, and incentive programs, contact your local Extension office or rangeland specialist.

What Your Rangeland Is Telling You: If You Know How to Look

February 11, 2026 by morgan.treadwell

The condition of your rangeland shows how management decisions are affecting it. By paying attention to plant communities, soil cover, and overall structure, land managers can identify potential issues early and respond effectively. Regular observation is one of the most important tools in long-term rangeland stewardship.

Key Indicators to Watch

Plant diversity is a strong indicator of rangeland health. A mix of grasses, forbs, cool and warm season species, and varying plant heights often signals a functioning system. Uniform vegetation or dominance by a single species may indicate stress or management imbalance. Think monocultures of Purple Threeawn or Texas Wintergrass.

Soil surface condition is equally important. Adequate litter and ground cover protect soil from erosion, temperatures, and help retain moisture. Increasing bare ground can signal declining rangeland condition. Bare ground between bunchgrasses of plants will slowly start to expand, increasing soil movement and soil loss.

Monitoring Beyond the Growing Season

Rangeland monitoring does not stop when plants are dormant! Winter and early spring observations can reveal grazing patterns, hoof impact, and areas where pressure may be too concentrated. Monitoring native perennial grasses during the winter is just as important as monitoring during the growing season, because what you protect in the winter is what jumpstarts new growth this spring.

Tracking changes season-to-season rather than reacting to a single observation provides a clearer picture of trends and management outcomes.

Using Monitoring to Guide Decisions

Monitoring allows managers to make informed adjustments to grazing timing, duration, and intensity. When rangeland conditions are regularly evaluated, management becomes proactive rather than reactive setting pastures off to a great start this spring.

Fire and Follow-Through!

December 17, 2025 by morgan.treadwell

This amazing class at TAMU RWFM is focused on Communicating Natural Resources. It covers principles for effectively sharing natural resource science with diverse stakeholders, building essential skills for careers in rangeland, wildlife, and fisheries management. Topics include audience analysis, mixed-media presentations, and interpersonal communication tailored to natural resource contexts. Check out 2025 spring semester’s capstone project!

High-Energy Fire Significantly Improves Honey Mesquite Control: Key Findings from a 2022 Texas Study

December 10, 2025 by morgan.treadwell

A new(er) peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of Environmental Management (Starns et al., 2022) provides some of the strongest experimental evidence to date that fire intensity—not just the presence of fire—is the critical factor in achieving meaningful mortality of honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa).

For decades, land managers in Texas, Oklahoma, and across the southern Great Plains have observed that typical “safe” prescribed fires top-kill mesquite but rarely kill it. The plant simply resprouts vigorously from protected buds beneath the bark (epicormic) and at the root crown (basal). This resilience has made prescribed fire alone an unreliable tool for restoring grass-dominated rangeland once mesquite has become dominant.

The 2022 study directly tested whether dramatically increasing fire energy could overcome those protective mechanisms—even without the added stress of severe drought.

Study Design (Sonora, Texas – 2018–2020)

48 similar-sized honey mesquite trees were selected.
Plots received either:
- Low-energy fire (≈10,000 kJ/m²) – representative of standard prescribed burns using grass/hay fuel, or
- High-energy fire (≈105,000 kJ/m²) – created by adding cut redberry juniper as fuel to produce prolonged, intense heat.
Half the trees in each fire treatment had soil removed from the root crown to test the importance of soil as a bud shield.
Trees were monitored for survival and resprouting (basal and epicormic) for two full growing seasons.

Major Results Every Land Manager Should Know

100% survival after low-energy fire Every mesquite exposed to low-energy fire resprouted and survived the 2-year study period.
29% apparent mortality after high-energy fire Seven of the 24 mesquites subjected to high-energy fire produced no live resprouts after two growing seasons—an unprecedented kill rate in a controlled experiment without drought stress.
Epicormic (trunk) sprouting virtually eliminated Low-energy fires triggered abundant trunk sprouting (often >100 shoots per tree). High-energy fires almost completely prevented epicormic resprouting—only one tree produced any trunk shoots.
Fewer basal resprouts with high-energy fire Although basal buds (protected by soil) were more heat-tolerant, high-energy fires still reduced the number of basal resprouts by roughly 50–70% in the first post-fire year compared with low-energy fires.
Root-crown exposure helped in year one, but effect faded Excavating soil from the base reduced resprouting the first season, but by year two the difference disappeared.
Results achieved under normal-to-wet conditions The burns were conducted during moderate soil moisture and were followed by above-average rainfall. This demonstrates that extreme fire energy alone—not plant water stress from drought—can significantly impair mesquite recovery.

Practical Implications for Ranchers and Prescribed-Fire Practitioners

Standard low-intensity prescribed fire remains largely ineffective for reducing mesquite density or canopy cover.
To achieve meaningful mortality, fires must deliver sustained high heat to the cambium and bud zone for several minutes. This typically requires substantial woody fuel loading (e.g., scattered juniper, brush piles, or heavy dead mesquite stems) and weather conditions that support fire spread.
Adding targeted woody fuel around individual mesquites or in patches is a practical way to create localized “high-energy” zones even on days when broader landscape conditions are moderate.
While complete stand replacement with a single fire is still unlikely, repeated high-energy fires over time—especially when residual dead stems remain standing—should progressively increase cumulative mortality.

In short, the study confirms what many experienced burn practitioners have long suspected: when the goal is mesquite control rather than simple top-kill, hotter is unequivocally better.

Citation: Starns, H.D., Wonkka, C.L., Dickinson, M.B., et al. 2022. Prosopis glandulosa persistence is facilitated by differential protection of buds during low- and high-energy fires. Journal of Environmental Management 303: 114141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.114141. Feel free to download a pdf file here!

Safe, effective, and sufficiently intense prescribed fire can be a game-changing tool for restoring grass dominance in mesquite-invaded rangelands. This research gives us the science to justify turning up the heat!!

Fire Up Plant Diversity!

December 3, 2025 by morgan.treadwell

A recent study from Texas A&M researchers, published in Landscape Ecology, dives into how prescribed fires impact plant diversity in mesquite-oak savannas like those on the Edwards Plateau. By analyzing data from over 288 plots before and after a prescribed fire, the team found that these fires boost local plant diversity, encouraging more species richness and evenness in burned areas. This is especially true in soils with better water-holding capacity, where post-fire regrowth thrives amid the mosaic of burned and unburned patches. But there’s a flip side: fires can reduce beta-diversity, meaning less variation in plant communities across your land, as similar species start dominating post-burn.

The study highlights how soil types and rainfall play starring roles in these outcomes. In areas with deeper, moisture-retaining soils like Kavett silty clay, fires sparked significant gains in forb and grass diversity, helping control woody encroachment from mesquite and juniper while creating prime grazing spots. However, in shallower, drier soils like Tarrant, the effects were muted, underscoring the need to time burns with wetter periods to avoid stressing your vegetation. Precipitation patterns around the 2019 burns, drier than average, further mediated results, showing that fire heterogeneity (those patchy burns) shapes spatial diversity patterns, ultimately supporting a more resilient ecosystem for livestock and wildlife alike.

For ranchers looking to implement pyric-herbivory, combining fire with grazing, this research is a game-changer!! It suggests strategic burns can sustain biodiversity, improve forage quality, and maintain ecosystem services without homogenizing your landscape. Start by mapping your soil types and monitoring rainfall forecasts to maximize benefits. While the study focused on semi-arid savannas, its insights encourage adaptive management: test small-scale burns, observe plant responses, and adjust for your ranch’s unique conditions. In the end, embracing fire thoughtfully could ignite long-term health for your rangeland, turning potential threats into thriving, diverse, opportunities!

For more information on the study led by Jaime Xavier as part of The Prairie Project, please click here!

Revegetation vs. Encroachment: Why There’s No “Silver Bullet” for Woody Plant Management

October 29, 2025 by jaime.sanford

Across the Great Plains and Texas rangelands, woody plant encroachment continues to challenge grassland health and productivity. A brand new study from Trejo-Perez et al. (2025) offers important insight into why some rangeland reseeding efforts fall short and what it really takes to keep trees and shrubs from taking over.