By Lana Robinson
Field Editor
Brush can be an asset or a liability, depending upon the land use and goals of the landowner. Ranchers attending the first of the "Brush Appreciation Day" series seminars held in three locations this month—Burnet (May 7), Eden (May 18), and Baird (May 27)—heard from a variety of rangeland, wildlife, and technology specialists on the value of brush and the optimum amounts for running livestock or as wildlife habitat.
Dr. Dale Rollins, Extension range specialist at San Angelo and a program coordinator, said, "Landowners today are more concerned about managing their landscapes for multiple uses, not just for livestock. I'm amazed at how quickly the phrase `brush sculpting,' and its practice has caught on. Since it was first coined in 1997, this practice of intentionally leaving some wildlife cover in an aesthetically pleasing pattern has been used on literally thousands of Texas acres."
Dr. Allan McGinty, Extension rangeland specialist based in San Angelo, defined the Brush Sculptors concept as "the planned selective removal of brush (to enhance wildlife habitat) on rangelands."
McGinty, who had a role in developing the earlier, successful "Brush Busters" program, said the two programs share many of the same principles: treat brush when it's most vulnerable; use the most effective treatment option; do it in an environmentally safe manner; keep it simple; and the carpenter's axiom "Measure Twice! Cut once!"
McGinty recommended starting a Brush Sculptor project with a blueprint, which would include an inventory of the land.
"Know your critters. Know your land, what infrastructure you've got, what plants, and the topography. Know your capabilities, define your goals, and develop a long-term plan," he advised. "The most common mistake in brush management is the single treatment brush philosophy. It must be a lifelong philosophy."
McGinty said maps are of the utmost importance, including the soil surveys of the 1960s and 1970s, those that show basic fence lines and roads, and topo maps. He discussed the use of Global Position Satellite (GPS), Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Digital Orthophot Quads (DOQ) technology.
As for tools, he said mechanical, IPT (Integrated Protein Technologies) herbicides, or aerial application, can be selective. Fire, he said, is used as a maintenance tool, to extend treatment life.
"An excavator is very selective, and works in strips," he said, explaining that the excavator is cheaper and more efficient than a track dozer. "It doesn't disturb a lot of ground. We encourage leaving the debris in place as forced deferment, so the cows can't get to it. They can come back later with a burn. The debris also slows water."
While a skip loader will do the job, McGinty said the shears on them are better for maintenance work. The mesquite or red berry must be sprayed. Done right, spraying results in a 95 percent or better root kill.
"An ATV can be rigged for up to three people. You can treat 700 mesquites per hour, and not just the hand spray. We can broadcast or sculpt if we wish. Theoretically, anything with a battery and tank can work—ATVs, jeeps or golf carts," he said.
Dale Rollins said those wanting to maintain a wildlife-friendly environment should first get a "bird's eye view," so to speak.
"In Brush Sculptors, wildlife considerations should take place before the fact. Look at the habitat through the eyes of the species. If you're six feet tall, remember, the quail is right on the ground. Determine your species of interest and think from their perspective. Think in terms of `usable space.' That's the maximum capacity available to the species. If you have a thousand acres, and a hundred random points, at point 37, ask yourself, `if I were a Bobwhite quail, could I live here year round?'"
Rollins emphasized the importance of communication, if the landowner is not doing the actual work himself.
"Work with your dozer operator to make sure his goals are yours," he said. "You have your `honey holes,' and by that, I mean a turkey roost or a spot that any time of day you know you can go and jump a deer. You want to buffer critical habitat. Identify, mark it, and communicate with the dozer operator..."
General Brush Sculptors guidelines for Bobwhite quail are: 1) No point in the pasture is further than 25 yards from woody cover; 2) No more than 90 percent of the pasture is treated; and 3) No woody cover object is less than 75 square feet in the area.
"You can use mechanical control, even a grubbing hoe," Rollins noted. "You want to leave a quail house about every softball throw apart. A quail house could be a prickly pear, little leaf sumac, or an agarita bush. Another rule of thumb when sculpting for quail is you ought to be able to see your bird dog most of the time."
Ricky Linex, USDA-NRCS zone wildlife biologist based in Weather-ford, said the amount of brush taken out for quail may be too open for deer.
"A good rule of thumb for deer is to take out no more than 50 percent of your brush. They like rough hills. They live in brush and need a comfort zone. They may graze in a field that's a couple of hundred yards from brush, but you typically want brush no more than 400 to 500 yards maximum so they can dash to cover. Brush patterns impact wildlife. You want a good diversity of plants, preferably a mosaic that looks natural."
Specific Brush Sculptors guidelines for White-tailed deer are as follows:
• Clear small (about 20 acres) irregularly shaped patches scattered throughout the landscape. These clearings should total less than or equal to 40 percent of the landscape. Leave relatively wide corridors of brush separating the patches that total greater than or equal to 60 percent of the landscape.
• Areas of tall, dense, diverse brush with canopy cover greater than or equal to 85 percent should be interspersed thoughout the landscape to provide cover for mature bucks.
• Avoid disturbing brush in and along natural drainage areas.
• When manipulating brush, leave large, single-stemmed mesquites intact.
• Use the brush control method best suited to the habitat. Root plowing is not recommended.
Chance Walker of Weatherford, a USDA/NRCS technology specialist, said, "Good planning doesn't cost any more than sorry planning."
Walker cited additional considerations.
"There are also special considerations, such as endangered or threatened species and local, state and federal laws, such as those regarding burning," said Walker. "You should also consider if your plan protects present, secondary and future land values and what follow-up treatments and management will be required."
Walker told participants that preparation for the project calls for gathering the proper tools and prioritizing all the considerations mentioned.
"Give the most productive soils the highest priority. That is such a basic rule of range management," he said. "Stay away from fragile, erosive soils. Avoid steep slopes, especially with mechanical brush management."
Walker recommended leaving borders around fields and buffers along roads and highways.
"It's important to come up with a time frame you can live with. Constantly reevaluate your plan. Be prepared to revisit any and all stages of the planning process as needed," he said. "Post treatment maintenance planning is important. There are many free or low-cost resources. Plan your attack, then attack your plan."
Walker also encouraged participants to consider purchasing a handheld GPS unit.
For more information on the Brush Sculptors and Brush Busters programs, visit the TexNat web site (http://texnat.tamu.edu).
The good and
bad sides of brush
At the recent "Brush Appreciation" Days meeting in Burnet, Dr. Allan McGinty explained the merits and deficiencies of some dominate forms of brush in the Texas landscape.
According to McGinty, mesquite thickets generally reduce management options because they negatively impact understory herbaceous species diversity, visibility, and watershed yield.
"Mesquite value for livestock is not much good," he said. "The mesquite does not really offer enough shade. Cattle do like the beans and in a drought, and in the arid areas of Far West Texas, livestock eat a lot of beans. If as much as 50 percent of the diet comes from the beans, it can be toxic. But mesquite is not a predictable food source. But it's not harmful unless you have high densities."
McGinty had less good to say about cedars, which are very aggressive and damaging woody plants on Texas rangelands.
"The forage value of cedar for a cow is zilch. It provides some thermal cover, but a lot of other woody plants are better," he said, adding that cedars adversely impact soil moisture. "There is no effective broadcast chemical to control a mature stand. Controlling mature cedars requires heavy equipment and is usually very expensive, plus it tears the ground up."
McGinty said the right amount of cedar depends on individual landowner management goals.
McGinty noted that pricklypear may have value as a livestock feed during drought and as food and cover for wildlife, such as quail, deer, and javelina. Again, the decision to control pricklypear, how much you should kill, and where to target your control efforts, should match your goals.
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