N RANCHING
atural Resources
aligned for the perfect storm for a lot of wildfi re starts across the entire state.”
Effect of fi re in brushy areas The brush species aren’t just a nuisance. They
displace native grasses that are more fi re resistant. In central Texas, “We primarily aspire to control regrowth cedar (Ashe juniper),” says Bill Armstrong, retired wildlife biologist with Texas Parks and Wildlife De- partment (TPWD). “By the 1940s, it was the dominant plant out here in the Hill Country and ranchers spent a lot of money and time trying to control regrowth cedar. It was all done mechanically, and they were spending large amounts of money buying their land back from the cedar every 7 to 8 years.” Armstrong was among the specialists working at the
Kerr Wildlife Management Area in 1979 who started using prescribed fi re as a way to control the cedar more economically. “We also found that when we began to burn, we released nitrogen and phosphorus back into the land,” he says. “This had a fertilization effect on the land and we actually grew a greater volume of veg- etation in burned country versus unburned country.” Since some plants are fi re-active, the vegetation
became more diverse as well, which translated into more carrying capacity for the livestock and for native species. “There were certain plants that deer normally do not eat, but when you burn them, it makes them more digestible for the deer,” he says. While prescribed burning has gained greatly in
popularity over the last 20 years, Armstrong says there is still a long way to go, and those who advocate prescribed fi re are constantly trying to catch up with the clientele. “The land in this part of the world turns over every
7 to 8 years,” he says. “A lot of people are moving into this country after they retire from their jobs, and they’re buying 300, 500, 1,000 acres of land. Every year, this new group of landowners has to be educated about fi re and that fi re is a tool to use.” What overcomes fear of fi re, Armstrong says, is eco-
nomics. “It just costs so much to do this stuff mechani- cally that after a while, people begin to say, ‘There’s got to be an easier way.’” Professionals with agencies like TPWD, Texas A&M
AgriLife and USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service will help these landowners work into a fi re re- gime, and when they employ it, he says, “They see it’s really an easy tool to use and it’s not this big wildfi re thing. Most people are very disappointed when they
tscra.org January 2016 The Cattleman 45
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