|
Landowners learn brush sculpting for wildlife |
|||
|
By JULIET BRISKIN | Central Texas Edition |
|||
October 11, 2001 -- Brush sculpting for wildlife takes on many forms - from high fencing to prescribed burns and herbicide applications. On Oct. 5, 2001 the Mills County Extension office hosted a workshop at the Carlisle Ranch near Goldthwaite that covered the various ways land owners can successfully manage their property. Tamara Trail from the Texas Wildlife Association in San Antonio addressed workshop participants on the pros and cons of high fences. "Numerous things need to be taken into account when considering high fences," said Trail. "I think you could take either side of the debate on this when it comes to ecological and economic issues for the the state of Texas." Some of the issues Trail suggested land owners consider when discussing high fences included - whether the government should or should not be able to tell landowners if they can or cannot fence their property; how does high fencing affect movement among target and non-target wildlife; what is the public perception. "Every piece of property provides a different situation," said Trail. "One very important thing to think about is what are we doing to educate the public about private land." One of the most important things Trail discussed was the need to keep the land and the habitat healthy. "Bottom line is if you have a healthy habitat, high fence or a low fence, your animals are going to be more healthy and will be more likely to reach their genetic potential," said Trail. Benefits of prescribed burns in wildlife management and how to implement a burn was discussed by Clint Cross with the Texas Forest Service . "There are numerous benefits to doing a prescribed burn," said Cross. "I think the prescribed burn is an incredible land management tool, but obviously there are inherent risks to using prescribed fires." According to Cross prescribed burns will help increase forage in the long run. "It will help improve plant diversity not only in your grasses and your weeds but also in your beneficial brush type species and trees," stated Cross. "It will also help improve the wildlife diversity on your property because of the increase in plant diversity." Cross discussed the changes that have occurred in the last few years that have helped landowners to implement prescribed burns. "There was new prescribed burning legislation passed a few years ago," said Cross. "It created what is called certified burners which allows landowners to get certified to do burns on their property. This limits the liability for the prescribed burner." After the prescribed burn discussion the workshop took to the field for a presentation from Dr. Dale Rollins and Dr. Allan McGinty from the Texas Cooperative Extension Service. McGinty addressed the group about mesquite control. "When we get a situation with a lot of mature mesquite trees we don't have a lot of alternatives." he stated. "Some of the options are mechanical control and spraying a Remedy/Reclaim combination." According to McGinty the most important thing to know about successfully killing mesquite with a herbicide is how the herbicide gets from the leaves down to the buds. "The herbicide travels down with the carbohydrates to the crown and to the buds," he said. "If you spray herbicide on only half of the plant you will not kill the entire plant. Herbicides do not translocate sideways in a plant; it goes up or down." Dr. Dale Rollins discussed ways to manage brush for wildlife. Rollins stated that it is important for each individual landowner to determine where they stand in the spectrum of livestock versus wildlife. "As I contemplate brush control should I be wearing the hat of a livestock man or a wildlife man?" asked Rollins. "What I recommend to landowners is that they wear a bit of both." |
