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!

Prepared Today, Resilient Tomorrow: Making Wildfire Preparedness Part of Rangeland Stewardship

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Wildfire risk is a natural part of West Texas rangelands, but preparedness is most effective when it is part of ongoing land stewardship. Managing rangelands with long-term resilience in mind not only protects property and resources, but also supports ecosystem health and sustainable operations. 

Integrating Preparedness into Stewardship Practices 
Preparedness begins with everyday land management decisions. Practices such as targeted grazing, rotational grazing, and selective vegetation management help reduce fuel loads while maintaining healthy grass and brush cover. These strategies are not one-time solutions—they are ongoing practices that strengthen the landscape over years. 

Infrastructure and Access as a Stewardship Tool 
Maintaining roads, fence lines, water sources, and access points is a long-term investment in rangeland resilience. Clear access allows for safe movement of equipment and personnel if wildfire conditions arise. Roads and defensible corridors also serve as strategic breaks in fuel, reducing potential fire spread while supporting everyday operations. 

Monitoring Conditions Over Time 
Ongoing observation of vegetation, fuel, and weather trends is central to long-term preparedness. Tools like the Jornada Rangeland Analysis Platform provide historical and current data on vegetation growth and drought patterns. Combining this data with on-the-ground monitoring helps landowners make adaptive decisions, such as adjusting grazing or vegetation treatments, in a way that supports both land health and wildfire preparedness. 

Preparedness as a Continuous Practice
Long-term wildfire preparedness is not about expecting a fire every year. It is about creating a resilient, well-managed landscape that can better withstand unpredictable events. Maintaining native grasses, managing fuel continuity, and planning infrastructure improvements over time ensures the land remains productive and safer under a variety of conditions. 

Building Resilient Rangelands
By treating preparedness as part of overall stewardship, landowners reinforce their long-term investment in rangeland health. The combined effect of fuel management, infrastructure planning, monitoring, and adaptive management reduces potential wildfire impact while sustaining the ecological and economic productivity of West Texas rangelands. 

Range Concepts – Rangeland Analysis Platform

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Check out our new YouTube Channel featuring videos and handouts dedicated to increasing County Extension Agent knowledge and enhancing landowner’s understanding of tools, resources, techniques, and strategies on rangelands!

Our latest post features application and utility of Rangeland Analysis Platform, an online free resources for understanding trends in vegetative cover on rangelands.  Get the Rangeland Analysis Platform Handout here and watch the YouTube video here!

Managing Heat for Wildlife on Texas Rangelands

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I am a really, really lucky Range Specialist!  I get to have one of the most amazing jobs and work across the hall from a very intelligent Wildlife Specialist!  We decided to combine forces and have recently published “Managing Heat for Wildlife on Texas Rangelands”.  You can find the publication here.  Check it out and download it!  It’s free!

Texas Section Society for Range Management YOUTH RANGE WORKSHOP

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Our Texas Section Society for Range Management 62nd Youth Range Workshop will be June 26 – July 1, 2016 at the Texas Tech University Campus in Junction, TX.  This is a very exciting opportunity for our Texas youth (14-18 years old, completed 8th grade, but have not graduated high school)!

At the workshop, participants will gain knowledge and skills in ecology, range inventory, range management, and evaluation of resources.  More importantly, we teach public speaking, advocacy, and leadership skills so that each student is equipped with the knowledge to effectively educate others on the importance of rangeland management.  I encourage you to forward the application and flyer to any youth that might be interested in learning more about stewardship of our natural resources.  Applications can be found here.  More information YRW 2016 flyer.

Who Started That Fire — Embracing a Fire Culture in 2016

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Fire is fire.  That said, I can tell you fire is the answer, but the problem is in the questions.  Is it a wildfire or prescribed burn?  The biggest question for range managers, is how does fire (planned or unplanned) fit into your ranch plan?  Fire is a naturally occurring process that is not centered on if, but when it will happen on rangeland.  As rangeland managers we have the choice as to the type of fire that occurs in our pastures.  Waiting for a wildfire is neither a good offense nor a good defense, similar to the old Marine philosophy, which mountain do you want to die on? It boils simply down to proactive vs. reactive attitudes and perspectives. Check out Who started that fire – Embracing a fire culture in 2016 for more of the story featured in the Progressive Cattleman.