Ranchers brush up on balancing wildlife with livestock

By J.T. SMITH / Abilene Reporter-News

Fifty years ago "eradication" was the buzzword for the basic approach to fighting brush.

But ranchers have learned -- some the hard way -- that annihilating all brush wasn't in the best interest of their land (or pocketbook).

It evolved into brush "control." And with pesticide concerns and dramatic increases in energy costs in the 1970s, that became brush "management."

Dr. Dale Rollins, a Texas A&M wildlife specialist and one of the keynote speakers Wednesday at the two-day Brush Sculptors Symposium at the Abilene Civic Center, said effective brush management opens many doors of opportunity for landowners.

"Bobwhite quail could be worth as much or more than whiteface cattle on some ranches in the near future," he said.

As the symposium name implies, today's approach to brush is becoming almost an art form of working with -- and not against -- nature's laws.

Of course, extremely dense brush is neither good for livestock nor most wildlife.

"But selective removal of brush can benefit both wildlife and cattle operations," Rollins said.

That's what brush sculpting is all about.

Various plants such as mesquite, pricklypear cactus, and cedar provide food for wildlife. Ragweed, often cursed, is one of the three most important foods of bobwhite quail.

But J.F. Cadenhead, Texas A&M range scientist, frequently emphasizes that range plants also must be judged beyond their food value alone. For example, an acceptable amount of brush also can give wildlife some thermal cover from bitter cold winds in the winter.

The same brush can provide shade in the summer.

Beyond hunting income, Steve Nelle of San Angelo said bird watchers may add significant income for some ranchers in the future.

"Don't rule out songbirds as recreational income," the USDA biologist said. "It's not a far-fetched idea."

Dr. Fred Guthery, professor of forestry at Oklahoma State University, agreed.

"There are about 17 million Americans who enjoy just watching wildlife -- even more than the 11 million who play golf," Guthery noted.

Veteran Texas A&M range specialists Dr. Darrell Ueckert and Dr. Allan McGinty showed through their "Brush Busters" (which preceded the idea of Brush Sculptors) program that it's far cheaper to control brush with four-wheelers and backpack sprays when it is small than waiting for brush to get so huge and dense that it requires bulldozers.

Their average cost to selectively control mesquite using leaf spray was 8.2 cents per tree or $16.76 per acre. Using a stem spray, the cost average 11 cents per tree or $18.50 per acre.

Where pricklypear was the problem, it cost $12.60 per acre to treat an average of 533 prickly pear per acre.

In being selective in sculpting brush, Ueckert noted: "We want ranchers to think like a banker and an ecologist at the same time."

Dr. Larry White, Texas A&M range specialist, said ranchers need to "look at the big picture." Most ranch operations simply don't have the resources to address all their multiple problems at once. White said ranchers should set priorities, decide strategy, and then act.

But a word of caution from the ever-practical Rollins from a lesson learned from home woodworking and "do-it-yourself" projects.

"Always measure twice, saw once," Rollins said.