West Texas Rangelands
West Texas RangelandsWe hope to provide a variety of science-based rangeland information and current research on prescribed fire, wildfires, brush management, and grazing management!

81% La Niña Conditions

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Pockets of drought relief exist, but not much.  In fact, 74% of the state is abnormally dry or worse, up 4% from last month. Underlying dryness and dry, drought cured grasses will support low to moderate potential for wildfires with steady 10-15 mph winds as frontal activity increases. As forage transitions to fuel, rangeland managers are monitoring perennial grass response throughout the Concho Valley as some counties received over 12” of rainfall in September alone.     

As we move from a summer to fall-like pattern this week, the Outlook +Water Report from October 5th keenly acknowledges sea-surface temperatures in the Central Pacific (defining the status of the weather phenomenon known as the El Niño Southern Oscillation) are under neutral conditions, but sea-surface temps continue to drop suggesting a transition to La Niña conditions in September-November (81% chance). However, current dynamical and statistical models show the La Niña period promises to be weak and short.

 

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The current U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook shows drought development over the eastern third of Texas and in the Panhandle.  With the increased drought designation, temperatures over the next 3 months are expected to be above-average with rainfall deficits for Far West, Panhandle, and Eastern Texas.    

 

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As with any drought monitoring or transitions into La Niña this fall and winter, West Texas Rangeland managers know to prioritize keeping the ground covered, maintaining residual forage, rotating livestock, and plan, plan, plan.   

 

For more information, be sure to check out the full article from Outlook + Water here!

 

Mace, R. (2024, October 8). outlook+water: Drought declines, La Niña delayed again, more drought expected. texaspluswater.wp.txstate.edu. October 14, 2024, https://texaspluswater.wp.txstate.edu/2024/10/08/outlookwater-drought-declines-la-nina-delayed-again-more-drought-expected/?utm_source=Texas%2BWater+Newsletter&utm_campaign=c569d9ca52-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_03_22_08_02_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-86323a7a46-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D&mc_cid=c569d9ca52&mc_eid=23994de06b

70 Questions Important for Grassland Conservation

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Did you know that Grasslands are crucial to global food security, rangeland economies, carbon storage, and a variety of ecosystem services? Did you know that 31-43% of global lands are grasslands? 

A Management Priorities Working Group (MPWG) comprised of 11 individuals was tasked with identifying and reviewing the management related documents in order to: 

1) Synthesize grassland management goals and challenges.

2) Identify questions and information needed to allow grassland managers to meet their goals within the context of climate change. 

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Woody Plant Encroachment – What other states are doing and saying

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Extreme climate swings, lengthened fire seasons, drought, floods, overgrazing, fragmentation,  land-use change, urbanization, and altered disturbance regimes has created an increase in woody plants, commonly referred to as woody plant encroachment or (WPE). Woody encroachment has become a global phenomenon in nearly all grassland ecosystems. We have seen the devastating results of WPE in Texas grasslands and savannas and as we learn from our North Central partners (CO, KS, MT, ND, NE, SD, and WY) many of these states are on a similar trajectory of plant community transition.  Through the work of the North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center and the Rangeland Analysis Platform, other states can learn from our Texas lessons of WPE and aim for fire return intervals that minimize initial spread of woody species in grasslands.  

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Drought and La Niña Update

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Even with recent rains in the central part of Texas, drought conditions have, unfortunately, increased. There are moderate to severe droughts along the Northern border between Texas and Oklahoma and in the far West Texas region, drought conditions are extreme and in some areas have increased to exceptional drought. Central Texas, along the Gulf Coast, and parts of East Texas are looking above average showing no drought indicators.

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Patch Burn Grazing: An Economic Analysis of Pyric Herbivory Rangeland Management by Cow-Calf Producers

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Patch-burn grazing is a practice that requires an understanding of the interaction of fire and grazing (pyric herbivory) (for more information check out www.theprairieproject.org). It divides a pasture into pieces/patches, with one burn rotationally each year. It helps control woody plant encroachment and provides high-quality forages. Despite these known benefits, the adoption of this practice by ranchers has been slow and limited. This study focused on the benefits of patch-burn grazing by estimating the costs and long-term economic benefits. Additionally, researchers compared patch-burning to traditional applications of prescribed fire burning fenceline to fenceline or an entire pasture at once with a 3-year fire return interval. 

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East Texas Landowners: $800,000 Available for Prescribed Burning

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Texas A&M Forest Service grant application period is now open and will close September 30, 2024 for prescribed fire grants awarded to East Texas Landowners.

To determine if you are eligible to apply and to access the online application, be sure to visit the Texas A&M Forest Service Site. There have been some changes this year including the name, eligible area for the program and rate changes. In addition, the recipient of this award must be a licensed or utilize a contractor who is licensed by the Texas Department of Agriculture as a certified and insured prescribed burn manager. Texas A&M Forest Service does not conduct the prescribed burns. 

Below are the changes that have been made to this year’s grant program:

  • The program name has changed to the State Fire Capacity near Federal Lands in East Texas Prescribed Fire Grant (SFC-ETX).
  • The program area has shifted to 20 counties in southeast Texas
  • Applicants who desire to burn on a 2-year fire return interval, the rate has been reduced to $22.50 per area
  • Maximum reimbursement rate for a new project is $30.00 per acre
  • If you received payments in 2024, you are not eligible for 2025 funding
  • If you were approved in 2024 and did not complete your project, you will be given priority in 2025
  • If you received funding in 2023 and are reapplying, the maximum reimbursement rate is $22.50 per acre
  • If you received funding in 2022 or prior, maximum reimbursement is $30.00 per acre

You can find more information about each of these programs here!

For questions please reach out to – ETxRxFireGrants@tfs.tamu.edu

Stability of C3 and C4 Grass Patches in Woody Encroached Rangeland after Fire and Simulated Grazing

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In the western portion of the southern Great Plains, grasslands are defined as “southern mixed”, with warm season or C4 mid-grasses being dominant and cool season or C3 short-grasses in less frequent densities. As woody plant encroachment increasingly dominates, the productive warm season C4 grasses begin to decline with less abundance on the landscape and even less productivity. Woody plant dominance also reduces plant diversity eroding heterogeneity in the mixed-grass prairie. Recently, researchers measured the effects of various combinations of spring clipping (mimicked cattle grazing) and prescribed fire treatments over an 8 year period on Texas wintergrass and buffalograss with the overall objective of reducing Texas wintergrass abundance and increasing warm season C4 mid-grass species and diversity.

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Drought Update!

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Did you know that East and Northeast Texas received two to four times the normal amount of rainfall in July? Unfortunately, the other half of the State did not do as well, as some places in West Texas only received a half an inch of rain. With the increase in rains in Eastern areas of the State, Lake Travis saw 78,000 acre-feet of runoff pour into the basin! Even with that amount of runoff, Lake Travis still remains at less than 50% full. The figure below shows the reservoir storage for Lake Travis. In looking at the figure, our numbers are above where we were for 2023 and a little bit more than where we were in 2011. 

La Niña has been the dominant subject of the summer. According to this month’s update, projections are suggesting a shift to La Nina in mid-to-late summer. Looking at the figure below, there is a 45% chance that La Nina occurs during the July-August-September months. Moving ahead on the figure, we can see that shifting one month over, there is a 70% chance of those La Niña conditions occurring in August-September-October months. 

 

 

Looking ahead at the three month drought outlook, you can see in the figure below, that West Texas will remain in drought conditions. There is also the possibility for drought conditions to develop in the Northern Panhandle. 

 

 

In looking at the 3-month precipitation forecast, Texas does not look to be receiving a greater chance of rain. As you can see, the East Coast is set to have above normal chances of rain, with East Texas catching a tail end of that wave. On the other side of that, the Northern Panhandle is forecasted to receive less than normal rainfall. The figure below explains more of the 3-month forecast. 

 

For more information, be sure to check out the full article here from Texas+Water.

Impact of Goats on Cattle Diet Composition

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Did you know that having goats in your pasture could potentially complement the existing cattle operation while boosting livestock productivity and plant community diversity? Goats normally prefer and preferentially consume various types of woody and forb species more so than cattle do, and that their presence in a pasture does not alter what the cattle preferentially select to eat.

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