Some Common Brush and Weed Management Mistakes Made By

Rangeland Owners and Managers

Introduction

Texas rangelands support many species of brush and weeds. The continual increase over years in the number and distribution of brush and weed species is primarily the result of natural succession, suppression of wildfires, and overgrazing by livestock. Rangeland owners and ranchers need the ability to manage the occurrence of brush and weed species on their property. To do so effectively, there are numerous decisions and considerations that need to be made, including: selection and timing of treatments; pre and post treatment management; post treatment resource responses; monitoring; maintenance programs; and impacts on other resource uses and real estate value, risks, and financial constraints. Risk is defined as the chance of injury, damage or loss, often expressed as degrees of probability. It is inevitable that mistakes will occur. These mistakes can be very costly and may result in failure in solving real ranch problems. Mistakes are minimized by thorough evaluation of alternatives and projection of all likely resource responses, using a long-range integrated plan.