Source: TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY submitted to NRP
ECOLOGY, MANAGEMENT AND UTILIZATION OF WOODY PLANTS IN RANGELANDS
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
HATCH
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0165974
Grant No.
(N/A)
Cumulative Award Amt.
(N/A)
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
May 24, 2010
Project End Date
May 23, 2015
Grant Year
(N/A)
Program Code
[(N/A)]- (N/A)
Recipient Organization
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
750 AGRONOMY RD STE 2701
COLLEGE STATION,TX 77843-0001
Performing Department
Chillicothe-vernon TAMU Ag Res Cntr
Non Technical Summary
Woody plant invasion has increased on grasslands and rangelands worldwide in the last century. Distribution and density of mesquite and juniper are increasing at rapid rates and occupy over 70 million acres in Texas and Oklahoma alone. Woody plant infestation reduces herbaceous production, which reduces forage for livestock and increases soil erosion potential. In contrast to these negative effects, woody plant increases may be beneficial for wildlife habitat and ecosystem carbon sequestration, and may have potential for bioenergy uses. Mechanical and chemical treatment options to reduce cover or density of woody plants are increasingly expensive. As a result, there has been increased interest in the use of prescribed fire as a lower cost treatment for woody plant management. However, because fire only top-kills shrubs like mesquite, it must be applied on a repeated basis. Such a management plan is only possible if livestock grazing can be deferred regularly to grow enough herbaceous material to fuel fire. Another use of fire is as a maintenance treatment following a major investment in chemical or mechanical removal to help extend the life of the more costly initial treatment. While this omaintenanceo option is often mentioned, there is a lack of field data that documents effects of fire as a follow-up treatment. Harvesting woody plants on rangelands for bioenergy could serve a dual purpose in providing an alternative energy source as well as reducing the harmful effects of woody plants. The primary advantage of rangeland woody plants as bioenergy feedstocks is that they do not grow on land better suited for growing food or fiber and thus will not impact agricultural food markets as corn grain ethanol has done. Disadvantages include higher transport costs due to remote locations, and lower growth rates than dedicated cellulosic feedstocks. We plan to collaborate with other scientists to help develop small-scale gasification units for use in rural areas. We also plan to quantify rangeland woody plant biomass at large scales using remote sensing. We will collaborate with economists at the Vernon Center, at TAMU and elsewhere to develop economic and ecological budgets for rangeland shrub biomass to bioenergy systems. Our research objectives are to (1) determine the potential of woody plants on rangelands for bioenergy uses, and (2) develop sustainable technologies to manage woody plant encroachment on rangelands. The expected outcomes and impacts of our research is that we will make progress toward the development of a rangeland woody biomass bioenergy industry in Texas and surrounding states. This will improve rural economies by providing more jobs and increasing rangeland health which will increase productivity. In addition to bioenergy potential, we will develop more cost effective and sustainable woody plant management strategies that will improve rural economies through greater net incomes from rangelands, will increase diversity and stability of rangeland ecosystems, and will likely lead to greater carbon sequestration potential on healthier rangelands.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
1020799102010%
1020799107020%
1020799113010%
1210799107040%
1210799114010%
1220799107010%
Knowledge Area
102 - Soil, Plant, Water, Nutrient Relationships; 122 - Management and Control of Forest and Range Fires; 121 - Management of Range Resources;

Subject Of Investigation
0799 - Rangelands and grasslands, general;

Field Of Science
1130 - Entomology and acarology; 1070 - Ecology; 1140 - Weed science; 1020 - Physiology;
Goals / Objectives
Woody plant invasion has increased on grasslands and rangelands worldwide in the last century. Distribution and density of mesquite and juniper are increasing at rapid rates and occupy over 70 million acres in Texas and Oklahoma alone. Woody plant infestation reduces herbaceous production, which reduces forage for livestock and increases soil erosion potential. In contrast to these negative effects, woody plant increases may be beneficial for wildlife habitat and ecosystem carbon sequestration, and may have potential for bioenergy uses. Mechanical and chemical treatment options to reduce cover or density of woody plants have become increasingly expensive. As a result, there has been increased interest in the use of prescribed fire as a lower cost treatment for woody plant management. Results from our previous work has shown that fire alone, even when applied in summer, only top-kills woody species such as mesquite which then resprouts into a multi-stemmed and more competitive plant. Thus, fire must be applied on a repeated basis and livestock grazing must be deferred regularly to grow enough herbaceous material to fuel fire. Another use of fire is as a maintenance treatment following a major investment in chemical or mechanical removal to help extend the life of the more costly initial treatment. There is a lack of field data that documents effects of fire as a follow-up treatment. Harvesting woody plants on rangelands for bioenergy could serve a dual purpose in providing an alternative energy source as well as reducing the deleterious effects of woody plants. Cellulosic feedstock for bioenergy may assume a larger role as an alternative energy source in the future. The primary advantage of rangeland woody plants as bioenergy feedstocks is that they do not grow on land better suited for growing food or fiber and thus will not impact agricultural food markets as corn grain ethanol has done. Disadvantages include higher transport costs due to remote locations, and lower growth rates than dedicated cellulosic feedstocks. Objective 1 - Determine the potential of woody plants on rangelands for bioenergy uses by (a) determining biomass amount and distribution at regional scales, (b) developing small-scale woody biomass conversion technologies intended for rural uses, (c) quantifying the ecological consequences of harvesting woody plants by developing long-term carbon budgets, and (d) developing long-term economic, energy, and hydrological budgets. Objective 2 - Develop sustainable technologies to manage woody plant encroachment on rangelands by (a) using prescribed fire as a main treatment, (b) using prescribed fire as a follow-up treatment to chemical or mechanical treatments, and (c) using low-intensity fires and/or chemical treatments to convert woodland thickets to savannas.
Project Methods
Objective 1a -- Our work will focus on counties in north and central Texas that have rangelands dominated by mesquite and juniper. Within these counties, belt transects will be established and woody canopy and biomass data collected. Two-dimensional multispectral county-level color infrared (CIR) images will be obtained for selected counties. Rangeland areas on these images will be classified into woody and non-woody classes. Cover will be compared to the biomass in the belt transects and equations will be developed to link cover with biomass and predict biomass at larger scales. Regional woody biomass maps will then be combined with commercially available spatial data sets (road networks, etc.) to develop optimal locations of theoretical small-scale conversion facilities. Objective 1b -- We will work with combustion engineers at College Station for gasification studies. Physical and chemical properties will be determined for ground mesquite and juniper. Thermo-Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) will be used to determine required temperatures and rates of decomposition of cellulose, hemi-cellulose and lignin. A 10 kW batch-type, counter-current, fixed-bed gasification facility will be used for initial combustion and gasification tests of different-sized mesquite and juniper fragments. Energy inputs will be measured to develop energy yield ratios. Objective 1c - Long-term changes in herbaceous and woody biomass and soil carbon will be measured in areas where mesquite has been harvested and compared to non-harvest areas. A study area was established in 2006 at the Smith-Walker ranch near Vernon to conduct this study. Objective 1d -- We will work with economists at Vernon and College Station to determine economic benefit by combining current baseline economic data for a region and that generated by the added revenue from bioenergy. Baseline economic parameters necessary for predicting cost and benefit cash flows and capital investment costs will be predicted based on the size of the facilities required to harvest, process, and store biomass. Landowner factors incorporated will include wood feedstock sale and increases in livestock and wildlife income. Since biomass feedstock will likely come from numerous landowners surrounding a particular CF, the nature of long-term cooperative arrangements between these landowners and the conversion facility will be addressed. Objective 2a - Small plot studies on local ranches will continue to examine long-term effects of seasonality and frequency of fire on honey mesquite regrowth, herbaceous understory production and species composition and soil nutrient responses. Objective 2b - We will continue work to apply fire as a follow-up treatment to patches where mesquite was mechanically top-killed in 2002. In addition, we will continue a long-term study to quantify the effect of fire treatments following mechanical chaining for mesquite and pricklypear control. Objective 2c - We will continue to develop low-cost treatments that will convert mesquite thickets to savanna for multiple use needs. Plots were established in 2002 to evaluate effects of low rates of clopyralid for mesquite thicket-to-savanna development.

Progress 05/24/10 to 05/23/15

Outputs
Target Audience: Nothing Reported Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?During the 6 year Hatch project period from 2010-2015, Dr. Ansley's project produced 32 refereed journals articles, 4 refereed symposium proceedings, 17 invited presentations and 9 volunteer presentations. Dr. Ansley supervised one post-doctorate and 6 graduate students. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Our work focused on counties in north and central Texas that have rangelands dominated by mesquite and juniper. Within these counties, belt transects (5 x 30 m) were established and geo-referenced using GIS. Woody canopy cover, tree and stem density, tree height, basal stem density and diameter of each basal stem were measured. Some belt transects per species were completely harvested to determine actual standing mass. From these data, regression models were developed to predict standing woody biomass based on stem density, basal stem diameter and canopy area. Two-dimensional multispectral county-level color infrared (CIR) images were obtained from USDA-NRCS for selected counties. Rangeland areas on these images were classified into woody and non-woody classes. Cover was compared to the biomass in the belt transects and equations were developed to link cover with biomass and predict biomass at larger scales. Regional woody biomass maps were combined with commercially available spatial datasets (road networks, topography, water and power sources, urban areas, cropped areas, stream management zones, etc) to develop optimal locations of theoretical small-scale CFs. Long-term harvesting scenarios that incorporated woody plant regrowth and re-harvest frequency, percentage of woody plants left intact for wildlife habitat, ecologically sensitive no-harvest areas, etc. were developed to address long-term sustainability issues.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Thanapal, S.S.*, K. Annamalai, R.J. Ansley and D. Ranjan. 2015. Cofiring carbon dioxide torrified woody biomass with coal on emission characteristics. Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery. DOI10.1007/s13399-015-0166-6.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Jain, S.*, S. Ale, C.L. Munster, R.J. Ansley and J.R. Kiniry. 2015. Simulating the hydrologic impact of Arundo donax invasion on headwaters of the Nueces River in Texas. Hydrology 2: 134-147.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Ansley, R.J., B.A. Kramp and D.L. Jones. 2015. Honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) seedling responses to seasonal timing of fire and fireline intensity. Rangeland Ecology and Management 68: 194-203.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Chen, W.*, S. Thanapal, K. Annamalai and R.J. Ansley. 2015. Liquid yield from juniper and mesquite bio-fuel gasification. International Journal of Energy Research 39: 621-633.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Ansley, R.J., S.C. Park and T. Wang. 2015. Energy Development and Ecosystems: Implications of Biofuels Production on Rangeland Resources. Invited presentation and Abstr., Proc. Soc. Range Manage., 68th Ann. Meeting, Feb. 2015, Sacramento, CA.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: McDonald, A., and R.J. Ansley. 2015. Grass response to brush and brush management in Texas. County Agent meeting, 23Nov15, Fort Stockton, TX.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Ansley, R.J. 2015. Dealing with brush encroachment due to drought. USDA-NRCS Drought Mitigation Workshop, 04Aug15, Henrietta, TX.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Ansley, R.J. 2015. Ecological processes  what drives Texas ecosystems? 2015 Rancher Roundtable: Facilitating the Use of Prescribed Fire through Grazing Management. 13May15, Abilene, TX.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Ansley, R.J. 2015. Overview of the Texas A&M Regents Award process. Vernon Rotary Club, 17Mar15, Vernon, TX.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Ansley, R.J. 2015. Tipping points for juniper and mesquite control: canopy cover and forage production. 2015 Southwest Beef Symposium, 15Jan15, Amarillo, TX.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Ansley, R.J. 2013. Brush management according to Clint Eastwood. Invited presentation (no abstract), BEEF 2015 Rangeland Resource Management Short Course, Potter County AgriLife Extension Office, 20June13, Amarillo, TX.


Progress 10/01/13 to 09/30/14

Outputs
Target Audience: Ranchers, Rural landowners, Conservation agencies (NRCS, etc.); conservation groups (Nature Conservancy, etc.); professional scientific societies (Society for Range Management, etc.); land resource and agricultural businesses (John Deere, Inc., etc); college and university students. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Graduate students Siva Sankar Thanapal, PhD, TEES, Texas A&M Univ. (graduated May 2014). Shailee Jain, M.S. Candidate, BAEN Dept., Texas A&M Univ. (graduated December 2014). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Made 2 presentations and published one lay-oriented article. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Continue to address the objectives listed through continued or new field studies, laboratory analysis, data interpretation, publications and dissemination of results.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1: Mesquite standing mass in dense stands in north Texas was determined to be 6-15 tons per acre. Regrowth of mesquite following harvest will attained 20-25 kg dry wt/tree in 7 years. Heartwood formation begins at 6-7 years regrowth. Regressions between canopy area and standing biomass of key woody plants such as mesquite and juniper have been developed to quantify woody biomass on rangelands using aerial images and remote semsing classification. Root mass increases under long-term irrigation as well as long-term rain sheltering. Objective 2: Long-term effects of summer fires enhanced C4 midgrass production relative to other grass functional groups in mixed grass communities. Combinations of low intensity fires and low rates of clopyralid herbicides have been found to be ideal treatments for rapid conversion of mesquite thickets to savanna physiognomy. Clopyralid as part of a new product Sendero (Dow AgroSciences) appears to effectively reduce mesquite densities without harming other shrubs needed for wildlife habitat. Objective 3: Mesquite reduced production of C4 midgrasses when canopy cover exceeded 20% but did not when cover was less than 20%. Cool-season C3 midgrasses were only slightly unaffected by increasing mesquite cover. Grass recovery following mesquite harvest followed a pattern of first increasing cool-season C3 midgrasses, then C4 warm-season midgrasses became more dominant by 4 years post-harvest. However, by 7 years of mesquite regrowth, significant suppression of grass growth occurred.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Ansley, R.J., T.W. Boutton and P.W. Jacoby. 2014. Changes in root biomass and distribution following long-term rainfall manipulation in a mixed grass savanna in the southern Great Plains. Rangeland Ecology and Management 67: 206-218.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Wang, T., S.C. Park, R.J. Ansley and S. Amosson. 2014. Economic and greenhouse gas efficiency of honey mesquite relative to other energy feedstocks for bioenergy uses in the Southern Great Plains. BioEnergy Research (DOI: 10.1007/s12155-014-9475-z), 13 pages.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Cho, J., S.C. Park, R.J. Ansley, S-C. Choi, M. Mirik and T. Kim. 2014. Economic feasibility of mesquite biomass for electricity production: projections of long-term sustainability of two harvest options. BioEnergy Research 7 (DOI: 10.1007/s12155-014-9447-3), 10 pages.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Mirik, M., R. J. Ansley, K. Steddom, C.M. Rush, G.J. Michels, Jr., F. Workneh, S. Cui and N.C. Elliott. 2014. High spectral and spatial resolution hyperspectral imagery for quantifying Russian wheat aphid infestation in wheat using the constrained energy minimization classifier. Journal of Applied Remote Sensing 8 (DOI: 10.1117/1.JRS.8.083661), 14 pages.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Thanapal, S.S., W. Chen, K. Annamalai, N. Carlin, R.J. Ansley and D. Ranjan. 2014. Carbon dioxide torrefaction of woody biomass. Energy & Fuels 28: 1147-1157.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Teague, W.R., S.L. Dowhower, R.J. Ansley, S.A. Baker, J.A. Waggoner and R.D. Ransom. 2014. Influence of increasing Prosopis glandulosa on herbaceous diversity and composition on two soils in southern mixed-grass prairie. Arid Land Research and Management 28: 216-231.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Chen, W., S.S. Thanapal, K. Annamalai, R.J. Ansley and M. Mirik. 2013. Updraft gasification of mesquite fuel using air-stream and CO2-O2 mixture. Energy & Fuels 27: 7460-7469
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Ansley, R.J., M. Mirik, X.B. Wu, and C.B. Heaton. 2013. Woody cover and grass production in a mesquite savanna: geospatial relationships and precipitation. Rangeland Ecology and Management 66: 621-633
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Jariel, D.M., R.J. Ansley, B.A. Kramp and D.L. Jones. 2014. Soil chemical responses to fire seasonality and frequency in a Texas grassland. Pages 98-109 In: C.N. Jacques and T.W. Grovenburg, Proceedings 23rd North American Prairie Conference, Celebrating Our Prairie Heritage, August 2012, Manitoba, Winnepeg, CA. The Great Plains Natural Science Society, Brookings, SD. 127 pp.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Ansley, R.J., and M. Mirik. 2014. Fire temperature dynamics during winter and summer prescribed fires in mesquite savanna. Abstr. In: Proc. Soc. Range Manage., 67th Ann. Meeting, 11Feb14, Orlando, FL.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Mirik, M., and R.J. Ansley. 2014. Evaluating aerial imagery for mapping of cholla cactus (Opuntia imbricate) on a semi-arid rangeland region. Abstr. In: Proc. Soc. Range Manage., 67th Ann. Meeting, 11Feb14, Orlando, FL.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Ledbetter, K., S.C. Park, R.J. Ansley and S. Amosson. 2014. AgriLife Research study: mesquite a complimentary biofuel feedstock. Texas AgriLife Today, 01Aug14, 2 pp.


Progress 01/01/13 to 09/30/13

Outputs
Target Audience: Ranchers, Rural landowners, Conservation agencies (NRCS, etc.); conservation groups (Nature Conservancy, etc.); professional scientific societies (Society for Range Management, etc.); land resource and agricultural businesses (John Deere, Inc., etc); college and university students. Partner organizations - Smith-Walker Ranch, Vernon, TX; R.A. Brown Ranch, Throckmorton, TX; W.T. Waggoner Estate, Vernon, TX; Tarleton State University, Stephenville, TX; Oklahoma State University, Stillwater; USDA-NRCS, Vernon, TX; John Deere Corp, Renewables Division, Moline, IL; Biomass Energy Resources, Inc., Dallas; The Earth Partners, LLC, Wisconsin; Brush Unlimited, Altus, OK. Collaborators and Contacts - Kalyan Annamalai, TEES, Texas A&M Univ.; Tom Boutton, Ecosystems Science & Mgt Dept., Texas A&M Univ.; Sorin Popescu, Ecosystems Science & Mgt Dept., Texas A&M Univ.; Bill Pinchak, Texas AgriLife Research, Vernon, TX; Humberto Perotto-Baldivieso, Cranfield Univ., England; Carlos Kunst, Instituto Nacional de technologia Agropecuaria (INTA), Santiago del Estero, Argentina. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Training or Professional Development - Graduate students Wie Chen, TEES, Texas A&M Univ.; Siva Sankar Thanapal, TEES, Texas A&M Univ.; Shailee Jain, M.S. Candidate, BAEN Dept., Texas A&M University. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Made 5 presentations and published one lay-oriented article. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Continue to address the objectives listed through continued or new field studies, laboratory analysis, data interpretation, publications and dissemination of results.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1: Mesquite standing mass in dense stands in north Texas was determined to be 6-15 tons per acre. Regrowth of mesquite following harvest will attained 16-20 kg dry wt/tree in 6 years. Heartwood formation begins at 6-7 years regrowth. Mass of 14 year old regrowth is the same as 33 year old undisturbed trees. Regressions between canopy area and standing biomass of key woody plants such as mesquite and juniper have been developed to quantify woody biomass on rangelands using aerial images and remote semsing classification. Objective 2: Long-term effects of summer fires enhanced C4 midgrass production relative to other grass functional groups in mixed grass communities. Combinations of low intensity fires and low rates of clopyralid herbicides have been found to be ideal treatments for rapid conversion of mesquite thickets to savanna physiognomy. Clopyralid as part of a new product Sendero (Dow AgroSciences) appears to effectively reduce mesquite densities without harming other shrubs needed for wildlife habitat. Objective 3: Mesquite reduced production of C4 midgrasses when canopy cover exceeded 20% but did not when cover was less than 20%. Cool-season C3 midgrasses were only slightly unaffected by increasing mesquite cover. Grass recovery following mesquite harvest followed a pattern of first increasing cool-season C3 midgrasses, then C4 warm-season midgrasses became more dominant by 4 years post-harvest. However, by 7 years of mesquite regrowth, suppression of grass growth occurred.

Publications

  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Mirik, M., R.J. Ansley, and B. Surber. 2013. Individual tree and plot level mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) biomass estimation using aerial imagery. Abstr. In: Proc. Soc. Range Manage., 66th Ann. Meeting, Feb13, Oklahoma City, OK.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Mirik, M., R. J. Ansley, J.A. Price, F. Workneh, and C.M. Rush. 2013. Remote monitoring of wheat streak mosaic progression using sub-pixel classification of Landsat 5 TM imagery for site specific disease management in winter wheat. Advances in Remote Sensing 2: 16-28.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Ledbetter, K. and R.J. Ansley. 2013. Sendero herbicide tested in brush sculpting study. Texas AgriLife Today, October 2013, 2 pp.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2013 Citation: Ansley, R.J., M. Mirik, X.B. Wu, and C.B. Heaton. 2013. Woody cover and grass production in a mesquite savanna: geospatial relationships and precipitation. Rangeland Ecology and Management (in press; Nov. issue).
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Chen, W., S.S. Thanapal, K. Annamalai and R.J. Ansley and M. Mirik. 2013. Co-gasification of mesquite and coal blend in an updraft fixed bed gasifier. Journal of Sustainable Bioenergy Systems 3: 234-241.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Mirik, M., S. Chaudhuri, B. Surber, S. Ale, and R. J. Ansley. 2013. Evaluating biomass of juniper trees (Juniperus pinchotii) from imagery-derived canopy area determined using the support vector machine classifier. Advances in Remote Sensing 2: 181-192.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Mirik, M., S. Chaudhuri, B. Surber, S. Ale and R. J. Ansley. 2013. Detection of two intermixed invasive woody species using color infrared aerial imagery and the support vector machine classifier. Journal of Applied Remote Sensing 7 (DOI: 10.1117/1.JRS.7.073588), 13 pages.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Mirik, M., R. J. Ansley, K. Steddom, D.C. Jones, C.M. Rush, G.J. Michels, Jr., and N.C. Elliott. 2013. Remote detection of a noxious weed (musk thistle: Carduus nutans) using airborne hyperspectral imagery and support vector machine classifier. Remote Sensing 5: 612-630.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Chen, W., S.S. Thanapal, K. Annamalai, R.J. Ansley and M. Mirik. 2013. Updraft fixed bed gasification of juniper fuel using air-stream mixture. Abstr. In: Proc. ASME, 4-7Jun13, San Antonio, TX.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Ansley, R.J., M. Mirik, and B. Surber. 2013. Herbaceous community dynamics following above-ground harvest of mesquite trees. Abstr. In: Proc. Soc. Range Manage., 66th Ann. Meeting, Feb13, Oklahoma City, OK.


Progress 01/01/12 to 12/31/12

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Long-term objectives are to (1) determine the potential of woody plants on rangelands for bioenergy uses, (2) develop sustainable technologies to manage woody plants on rangelands, and (3) quantify the ecological impact of woody plant encroachment in grasslands. Objective 1: Mesquite standing mass in dense stands in north Texas was 6-15 tons per acre. Regrowth of mesquite following harvest will attained 14 kg dry wt/tree in 5 years. Regrowth mesquite have nearly twice the total mass as undisturbed mesquite of the same height. Mass of 14 year old regrowth is the same as 33 year old undisturbed trees. Heartwood formation begins at 6-8 years regrowth. Regressions between canopy area and standing biomass of key woody plants such as mesquite and juniper have been developed. Progress has been made on using aerial images to quantify woody biomass on rangelands. We have quantified woody biomass on 20 counties in Texas. We have recently published a paper that outlines the delivered costs of woody plants on rangelands for bioenergy purposes. The first manuscript on gasification of mesquite and juniper wood was published. Objective 2: Long-term effects of summer fires enhanced C4 midgrass basal cover relative to other grass functional groups in mixed grass communities. Summer fires were more effective than winter fires for reducing mesquite and prickly pear cover. Combinations of low intensity fires and low rates of clopyralid herbicides have been found to be ideal treatments for rapid conversion of mesquite thickets to savanna physiognomy. Objective 3: Mesquite reduced production of C4 midgrasses when canopy cover exceeded 20% but did not when cover was less than 20%. Cool-season C3 midgrasses were only slightly unaffected by increasing mesquite cover. Grass recovery following mesquite harvest followed a pattern of first increasing cool-season C3 midgrasses, then C4 warm-season midgrasses became more dominant by 4 years post-harvest. These grasses remained non-existent in mesquite dominated controls. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals - Jim Ansley, Project leader, has addressed all aspects of the project including experimental design, execution, data collection, analysis, progress reports and journal publications. Dr. Mustafa Mirik, Associate Research Scientist, assisted with data collection, sample processing, statistical analysis and publications. Two graduate students established research plots, collected data and prepared manuscripts. Partner organizations - Smith-Walker Ranch, Vernon, TX; R.A. Brown Ranch, Throckmorton, TX; W.T. Waggoner Estate, Vernon, TX; Tarleton State University, Stephenville, TX; Oklahoma State University, Stillwater; USDA-NRCS, Vernon, TX; John Deere Corp, Renewables Division, Moline, IL; Biomass Energy Resources, Inc., Dallas; The Earth Partners, LLC, Wisconsin; Brush Unlimited, Altus, OK. Collaborators and Contacts - Kalyan Annamalai, TEES, Texas A&M Univ.; Tom Boutton, Ecosystems Science & Mgt Dept., Texas A&M Univ.; Sorin Popescu, Ecosystems Science & Mgt Dept., Texas A&M Univ.; Charles Hart, Texas AgriLife Extension, Stephenville, TX; Bill Pinchak, Texas AgriLife Research, Vernon, TX; Humberto Perotto-Baldivieso, Cranfield Univ., England; Carlos Kunst, Instituto Nacional de technologia Agropecuaria (INTA), Santiago del Estero, Argentina;. Training or Professional Development - Graduate students Wie Chen, TEES, Texas A&M Univ.; Nian-Wei Ku, MS candidate, Ecosystems Science & Mgt Dept., Texas A&M Univ.; Dustin Eseltine, TEES, Texas A&M Univ.; Siva Shankar, TEES, Texas A&M Univ. TARGET AUDIENCES: Ranchers, Rural landowners, Conservation agencies (NRCS, etc.); conservation groups (Nature Conservancy, etc.); professional scientific societies (Society for Range Management, etc.); land resource and agricultural businesses (John Deere, Inc., etc); college and university students. Efforts (presentations): Ansley, R.J. 2012. The potential of rangeland shrubs for bio-energy uses. Invited presentation (no abstract), Roscoe ISD STEM Program Conference, 22Oct12, Roscoe, TX. Ansley, R.J. 2012. Combining fire and herbicides. Invited Webinar presentation (no abstract), Texas AgriLife Extension Natural Resources Webinar Series, 05Apr12, College Station, TX. Ansley, R.J. 2012. Mesquite invasion and when to do something about it. Invited presentation (no abstract), Dow AgroSciences Press Conference, 29Mar12, Ft. Worth, TX. Other Efforts: Ansley, R.J. 2012. Taught two sections of Introduction to Biology Course at Vernon College, Vernon, TX in Spring 2012 semester. Ansley, R.J. 2012. Taught two sections of Introduction to Biology Course at Vernon College, Vernon, TX in Fall 2012 semester. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Commitments by private cooperators and breakdowns in equipment owned by private cooperators limited ability to implement mesquite biomass harvesting treatments.

Impacts
Woody plant biomass regrowth data and development of a method for quantifying woody biomass on large land areas are important steps toward formalizing plans for the economical utilization of rangeland shrubs for bio-energy purposes. Woody plant management information will provide less-expensive and more ecologically sustainable alternatives for reducing deleterious effects of woody plant encroachment on rangelands. Applied technology will allow resource managers and landowners to improve rangelands and/or minimize negative impacts of human use of the resource. A basic understanding of the ecological dynamics of woody plant and grass interactions, both in terms of production and species composition, will aid in developing more realistic management plans that are based on projected increases in forage following woody plant control. Recovery is limited until there is a species composition shift along with increased production.

Publications

  • Mirik, M., and R.J. Ansley. 2012. Utility of satellite and aerial images for quantification of canopy cover and infilling rates of the invasive woody species honey mesquite on rangeland. Remote Sensing 4: 1947-1962.
  • Park, S.C., R.J. Ansley, M. Mirik and M.A. Maindrault. 2012. Delivered biomass costs of honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) for bioenergy uses in south-central USA. BioEnergy Research 5: 989-1001.
  • Chen, W., K. Annamalai, R.J. Ansley and M. Mirik. 2012. Updraft fixed bed gasification of mesquite and juniper wood samples. Energy 41: 454-461.
  • Ku, N-W., S. Popescu, R.J. Ansley, and H. Perotto-Baldivieso. 2012. Assessment of available rangeland woody plant biomass with a terrestrial Lidar system. Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing 78: 349-361.
  • Ansley, R.J., M. Mirik, B. Surber and S.C. Park. 2012. Canopy area and aboveground biomass of redberry juniper (Juniperus pinchotii Sudw.) trees. Rangeland Ecology and Management 65: 189-195.
  • Mirik, M., R.J. Ansley, G.J. Michels, and N.C. Elliott. 2012. Spectral vegetation indices selected for quantifying Russian wheat aphid (Diuraphis noxia) feeding damage in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Precision Agriculture: DOI 10.1007/s11119-012-9264-7. 16 pages.
  • Mirik, M., and R.J. Ansley. 2012. Comparison of ground-measured and image-classified mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) canopy cover. Rangeland Ecology and Management 65: 85-95.
  • Chen, W., K. Annamalai and R.J. Ansley. 2012. Updraft co-gasification of mesquite biomass and coal. Proceedings: ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition IMECE2012-89848, November 9-15, 2012, Houston, TX. 9 pp.
  • Chen, W., S.S. Thanapal, K. Annamalai and R.J. Ansley. 2012. Comparative evaluation of CO2-O2 and air (N2-O2) gasification of agricultural biomass fuels. Proceedings: ASME Turbo Expo 2012: Power for Land, Sea and Air, GT2012-69324, July 11-15, 2012, Copenhagen, Denmark. 12 pp.
  • Ansley, R.J. and C.R. Hart. 2012. Drivers of vegetation change on Texas rangelands. Texas AgriLife Extension Publication No. L-5534. 6 pp.
  • Ledbetter, K., S.E. Park and R.J. Ansley. 2012. AgriLife research study estimates costs of mesquite biomass delivered for bioenergy uses. Texas AgriLife Today, 25Jun12, 4 pp.
  • Ledbetter, K., and R.J. Ansley. 2012. Gasification may convert mesquite and juniper wood to a usable bioenergy. Texas AgriLife Today, 05Jun12, 4 pp.
  • Workneh, F., M. Mirik, A. Rashed, P.B. Hamm, R.J. Ansley and C.M. Rush. 2012. Potato zebra chip in the Pacific Northwest: impact and probable psyliid source scenarios. Abstr. In: Proc. Annual Meeting American Phytopathological Society, 4-8Aug12, Providence, RI.


Progress 01/01/11 to 12/31/11

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Long-term objectives are to (1) determine the potential of woody plants on rangelands for bioenergy uses, (2) develop sustainable technologies to manage woody plants on rangelands, and (3) quantify the ecological impact of woody plant encroachment in grasslands. Objective 1: Mesquite standing mass in dense stands in north Texas was 6-15 tons per acre. Regrowth of mesquite following harvest will attain this biomass level within 10 years. Regrowth mesquite have nearly twice the total mass as undisturbed mesquite of the same height. Mass of 14 year old regrowth is the same as 33 year old undisturbed trees. Heartwood formation begins at 8 years regrowth. Regressions between canopy area and standing biomass of key woody plants such as mesquite and juniper have been developed. Progress has been made on using aerial images to quantify woody biomass on rangelands. We have quantified woody biomass on 20 counties in Texas. We have recently submitted a paper that outlines the harvesting costs of woody plants on rangelands for bioenergy purposes. Objective 2: Economically important grasses such as sideoats grama, Texas wintergrass and buffalograss recovered from summer fires within 1-3 years post-fire. Long-term effects of summer fires enhanced C4 midgrass basal cover relative to other grass functional groups in mixed grass communities. Summer fires were more effective than winter fires for reducing mesquite and prickly pear cover. Combinations of low intensity fires and low rates of clopyralid herbicides have been found to be ideal treatments for rapid conversion of mesquite thickets to savanna physiognomy. Some foliage is reduced but remaining foliage exerts apical dominance and limits basal resprouting. Objective 3: Mesquite reduced production of C4 midgrasses when canopy cover exceeded 20% but did not when cover was less than 20%. Cool-season C3 midgrasses were unaffected by increasing mesquite cover. Following the complete aboveground harvest of mesquite, grass production initially increased, but only from mid-seral grasses. It took five years before upper seral grasses such as C4 mid-grasses began to appear. These grasses remained non-existent in mesquite dominated controls. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals - Jim Ansley, Project leader, has addressed all aspects of the project including experimental design, execution, data collection, analysis, progress reports and journal publications. Dr. Mustafa Mirik, Associate Research Scientist, assisted with data collection, sample processing, statistical analysis and publications. Three graduate students established research plots, collected data and prepared manuscripts. Partner organizations - Smith-Walker Ranch, Vernon, TX; R.A. Brown Ranch, Throckmorton, TX; W.T. Waggoner Estate, Vernon, TX; Tarleton State University, Stephenville, TX; Oklahoma State University, Stillwater; USDA-NRCS, Vernon, TX; John Deere Corp, Renewables Division, Moline, IL; Biomass Energy Resources, Inc., Dallas; The Earth Partners, LLC, Wisconsin; Brush Unlimited, Altus, OK. Collaborators and Contacts - Kalyan Annamalai, TEES, Texas A&M Univ.; Tom Boutton, Ecosystems Science & Mgt Dept., Texas A&M Univ.; Sorin Popescu, Ecosystems Science & Mgt Dept., Texas A&M Univ.; Charles Hart, Texas AgriLife Extension, Stephenville, TX; Bill Pinchak, Texas AgriLife Research, Vernon, TX; Humberto Perotto-Baldivieso, Cranfield Univ., England; Carlos Kunst, Instituto Nacional de technologia Agropecuaria (INTA), Santiago del Estero, Argentina;. Training or Professional Development - Graduate students Wie Chen, TEES, Texas A&M Univ.; Nian-Wei Ku, MS candidate, Ecosystems Science & Mgt Dept., Texas A&M Univ.; Dustin Eseltine, TEES, Texas A&M Univ.; Siva Shankar, TEES, Texas A&M Univ. TARGET AUDIENCES: Ranchers, Rural landowners, Conservation agencies (NRCS, etc.); conservation groups (Nature Conservancy, etc.); professional scientific societies (Society for Range Management, etc.); land resource and agricultural businesses (John Deere, Inc., etc); college and university students. Efforts (presentations): Ansley, R.J. 2011. Patch burning and grazing. Invited presentation (no abstract), Texas Parks & Wildlife Matador Wildlife Management Area, 05Apr11, Paducah, TX. Ansley, R.J. 2011. Overview of brush management research progress. Invited presentation (no abstract), USDA-NRCS, 26May11, Vernon, TX. Ansley, R.J. 2011. Summary of woody encroachment in the southern Great Plains and current research directions for the rangeland woody plant research program at Vernon. Presentation (no abstract) to Danish Farmer Tour Group, 19Oct11, Vernon, TX. Other Efforts: Ansley, R.J. 2011. Taught two sections of Introduction to Biology Course at Vernon College, Vernon, TX in Fall 2011 semester (61 total lectures). Ansley, R.J. 2011. Sponsored Mr. Marc Maindrault, a Masters level graduate intern from Bordeaux University, France during the summer (June-August) 2011. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Commitments by private cooperators and breakdowns in equipment owned by private cooperators limited ability to implement mesquite biomass harvesting treatments.

Impacts
Woody plant biomass regrowth data, development of a harvesting machine for rangeland woody plants and development of a method for quantifying woody biomass on large land areas are important steps toward formalizing plans for the economical utilization of rangeland shrubs for bio-energy purposes. Woody plant management information will provide less-expensive and more ecologically sustainable alternatives for reducing deleterious effects of woody plant encroachment on rangelands. Applied technology will allow resource managers and landowners to improve rangelands and/or minimize negative impacts of human use of the resource. A basic understanding of the ecological dynamics of woody plant and grass interactions, both in terms of production and species composition, will aid in developing more realistic management plans that are based on projected increases in forage following woody plant control. Recovery is limited until there is a species composition shift along with increased production.

Publications

  • Mirik, M., D.C. Jones, J. Price, F. Workneh, R.J. Ansley, and C.M. Rush. 2011. Satellite remote sensing of wheat infected by Wheat streak mosaic virus. Plant Disease 95: 4-12.
  • Ansley, R.J. 2011. Effect of fire on rangeland carbon sequestration. Abstract, Society for Range Management, 63rd Ann. Meeting, 11 Feb. 2010, Denver, CO.


Progress 01/01/10 to 12/31/10

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Long-term objectives are to (1) determine the potential of woody plants on rangelands for bioenergy uses, (2) develop sustainable technologies to manage woody plants on rangelands, and (3) quantify the ecological impact of woody plant encroachment in grasslands. Objective 1: Mesquite standing mass in dense stands in north Texas was 6-15 tons per acre. Regrowth of mesquite following harvest will attain this biomass level within 10 years. Regrowth mesquite have nearly twice the total mass as undisturbed mesquite of the same height. Mass of 14 year old regrowth is the same as 33 year old undisturbed trees. Heartwood formation begins at 8 years regrowth. Objective 2: Economically important grasses such as sideoats grama, Texas wintergrass and buffalograss recovered from summer fires within 1-3 years post-fire. Long-term effects of summer fires enhanced C4 midgrass basal cover relative to other grass functional groups in mixed grass communities. Summer fires were more effective than winter fires for reducing prickly pear cover. Summer fire 2 years after chaining mesquite greatly reduced pricklypear infestation and restored C4 midgrasses. Objective 3: Mesquite reduced production of C4 midgrasses when canopy cover exceeded 20% but did not when cover was less than 20%. Cool-season C3 midgrasses were unaffected by increasing mesquite cover. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals - Jim Ansley, Project leader, has addressed all aspects of the project including experimental design, execution, data collection, analysis, progress reports and journal publications. Dr. Mustafa Mirik, Associate Research Scientist, assisted with data collection, sample processing, statistical analysis and publications. Three graduate students established research plots, collected data and prepared manuscripts. Partner organizations - Smith-Walker Ranch, Vernon, TX; R.A. Brown Ranch, Throckmorton, TX; W.T. Waggoner Estate, Vernon, TX; Tarleton State University, Stephenville, TX; Cameron University College of Agriculture, Lawton, OK; Oklahoma State University, Stillwater; USDA-NRCS, Vernon, TX; John Deere Corp, Renewables Division, Moline, IL; Biomass Energy Resources, Inc., Dallas; Mesquite Fuels & Agriculture, Inc., Dallas, TX; Brush Unlimited, Altus, OK; W.W. Welding, Altus, OK. Collaborators and Contacts - Tom Boutton, Ecosystems Science & Mgt Dept., Texas A&M Univ.; Sorin Popescu, Ecosystems Science & Mgt Dept., Texas A&M Univ.; Kalyan Annamalai, TEES, Texas A&M Univ.; Humberto Perotto-Baldivieso, Cranfield Univ., England; Carlos Kunst, Instituto Nacional de technologia Agropecuaria (INTA), Santiago del Estero, Argentina. Training or Professional Development - Graduate students Wie Chen, TEES, Texas A&M Univ.; Nian-Wei Ku, MS candidate, Ecosystems Science & Mgt Dept., Texas A&M Univ.; Kurt Huffman, MS candidate, Ecosystems Science & Mgt Dept., Texas A&M Univ.; Fred Schrank, MS candidate, Tarleton State University. TARGET AUDIENCES: Ranchers, Rural landowners, Conservation agencies (NRCS); Conservation groups (Nature Conservancy); Society for Range Management; Efforts - Gave 4 presentations (all invitational) at regional and national meetings and workshops: Ansley, R.J. 2010. Effect of fire on rangeland carbon sequestration. Invited presentation and abstract, Society for Range Management, 63rd Ann. Meeting, 11 Feb. 2010, Denver, CO. Ansley, R.J. 2009. Prescribed burning, brush sculpting, and mesquite bio-fuels use. Invited presentation (no abstract), Briscoe County Cotton Field Day & Fall Agriculture Meeting, 13Oct09, Silverton, TX. Ansley, R.J. 2009. Effects of seasonal fires on rangeland vegetation. Invited presentation (no abstract), Field Day on JA Ranch, 23Oct09, Paloduro, TX. Ansley, R.J. 2010. Using mesquite for bioenergy. Invited presentation (no abstract), Rura PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Major Changes: Commitments by private cooperators and breakdowns in equipment owned by private cooperators limited ability to implement mesquite biomass harvesting treatments.

Impacts
Woody plant biomass regrowth data and development of a harvester for rangeland woody plants are important steps toward the utilization of rangeland shrubs for bio-energy purposes. Woody plant management information will provide less-expensive and more ecologically sustainable alternatives for reducing deleterious effects of woody plant encroachment on rangelands. Applied technology will allow resource managers and landowners to improve rangelands and/or minimize negative impacts of human use of the resource.

Publications

  • Ansley, R.J., M. Mirik, and M.J. Castellano. 2010. Structural biomass partitioning in regrowth and undisturbed mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa): implications for bioenergy uses. Global Change Biology Bioenergy 2:26-36.
  • Ansley, R.J., W.R. Teague, W.E. Pinchak, B.A. Kramp, and K. Barnett. 2010. Integrated grazing and prescribed fire restoration strategies in a mesquite savanna: II. Fire behavior and mesquite landscape cover responses. Rangeland Ecology and Management 63: 286-297.
  • Ansley, R.J., T.W. Boutton, M. Mirik, M.J. Castellano, and B.A. Kramp. 2010. Restoration of C4 grasses with seasonal fires in a C3/C4 grassland invaded by Prosopis glandulosa, a fire-resistant shrub. Applied Vegetation Science 13: 520-530.
  • Pinchak, W.E., W.R. Teague, R.J. Ansley, J.A. Waggoner and S.L. Dowhower. 2010. Integrated grazing and prescribed fire restoration strategies in a mesquite savanna: III. Ranch-scale cow-calf production responses. Rangeland Ecology and Management 63: 298-307.
  • Teague, W.R., S.L. Dowhower, R.J. Ansley, W.E. Pinchak, and J.A. Waggoner. 2010. Integrated grazing and prescribed fire restoration strategies in a mesquite savanna: I. Vegetation responses. Rangeland Ecology and Management 63: 275-285.
  • Teague, W.R., S.L. Dowhower, S.A. Baker, U.P. Kreuter, R.J. Ansley, D.M. Conover, and J.A. Waggoner. 2010. Soil and herbaceous plant responses to summer patch burns under continuous and rotational grazing. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 137: 113-123.
  • Hollister, E.B., C.W. Schadt, A.V. Palumbo, R.J. Ansley, and T.W. Boutton. 2010. Structural and functional diversity of soil bacterial and fungal communities following woody plant encroachment in the southern Great Plains. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 42: 1816-1824.
  • Ansley, R.J. 2010. Effect of fire on rangeland carbon sequestration. Invited presentation and abstract, Society for Range Management, 63rd Ann. Meeting, 11 Feb. 2010, Denver, CO.
  • Ledbetter, K., and R.J. Ansley. 2010. Prescribed burns may need to include both summer and winter fires. Texas AgriLife News, November 5, 2010.


Progress 01/01/09 to 12/31/09

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Objectives are to (1) develop sustainable technologies to reduce or manage woody plant encroachment on rangelands, (2) determine the potential of woody plants on rangelands for bioenergy, and (3) quantify the ecological impact of woody plant encroachment on rangelands. Objective 1: Summer season fires were more effective than winter fires for mesquite suppression in C3/C4 mixed grass communities but not in C4 grass communities dominated by tobosagrass. Economically important grasses such as sideoats grama, Texas wintergrass and buffalograss recovered from summer fires within 1-3 years post-fire. Long-term effects of summer fires enhanced C4 midgrass basal cover relative to other grass functional groups in mixed grass communities. Summer fires were more effective than winter fires for reducing prickly pear cover. Summer fire 2 years after chaining mesquite greatly reduced pricklypear infestation and restored C4 midgrasses. Objective 2: Mesquite standing mass in dense stands in north Texas was 6-15 tons per acre. Regrowth of mesquite following harvest will attain this biomass level within 10 years. Regrowth mesquite have nearly twice the total mass as undisturbed mesquite of the same height. Mass of 14 year old regrowth is the same as 33 year old undisturbed trees. Heartwood formation begins at 8 years regrowth. Objective 3: Mesquite reduced production of C4 midgrasses when canopy cover exceeded 20 percent but did not when cover was less than 20 percent. Cool-season C3 grasses were unaffected by increasing mesquite cover. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals - Jim Ansley, Project leader, has addressed all aspects of the project including experimental design, execution, data collection, analysis, progress reports and journal publications. Dr. Mustafa Mirik, Associate Research Scientist, assisted with data collection, sample processing, statistical analysis and publications. Three graduate students established research plots, collected data and prepared manuscripts. Partner organizations - Smith-Walker Ranch, Vernon, TX; R.A. Brown Ranch, Throckmorton, TX; W.T. Waggoner Estate, Vernon, TX; Tarleton State University, Stephenville, TX; Cameron University College of Agriculture, Lawton, OK; USDA-NRCS, Vernon, TX; Brush Unlimited, Altus, OK; W.W. Welding, Altus, OK; John Deere Corp, Renewables Division, Moline, IL; Mesquite Fuels Inc., Hamlin, TX. Collaborators and Contacts - Tom Boutton, Ecosystems Science and Management Department, Texas A&M University; Sorin Popescu, Ecosystems Science and Management Department, Texas A&M University; Humberto Perotto, Adjunct Faculty, Ecosystems Science and Management Department, Texas A&M University, currently residing in La Paz, Bolivia; Carlos Kunst, Instituto Nacional de technologia Agropecuaria (INTA), Santiago del Estero, Argentina. Training or Professional Development - Graduate students Nian-Wei Ku, MS candidate; Fred Schrank, MS candidate; Kurt Huffman, MS candidate. TARGET AUDIENCES: Ranchers, Rural landowners, Conservation agencies (NRCS); conservation groups (Nature Conservancy); Society for Range Management PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Major Changes: Weather conditions prevented implementing prescribed burn treatments; commitments by private cooperators and breakdowns in equipment owned by private cooperators limited ability to implement mesquite bioharvesting treatments.

Impacts
Information will provide less-expensive and more ecologically sustainable alternatives for reducing the deleterious effect of woody plant encroachment on rangelands and restoring degraded rangeland sites. Data collected will increase understanding of the consequences of management decisions. Applied technology will allow resource managers and landowners to improve rangelands and/or minimize negative impacts of human use of the resource. Woody plant biomass regrowth data and development of a harvester for rangeland woody plants are important steps toward the utilization of rangeland shrubs for bio-energy purposes.

Publications

  • Mirik, M., R.J. Ansley, J. Michels Jr., and N. Elliott 2009. Grain yield and biomass reduction in winter wheat caused by the Russian wheat aphid feeding. Southwestern Entomologist 34: 131-139.
  • Ansley, R.J., M. Mirik, and R.L. Stanford. 2009. Ecological responses following harvest of mesquite for bioenergy uses. Abstr. In: Proc. Soc. Range Manage., 62nd Ann. Meeting, 10Feb09, Albuquerque, NM.
  • Nian-Wei Ku, S. Popescu, and R.J. Ansley. 2009. Using ground based and airborne lidar remote sensing to assess biomass availability of rangeland woody plants for bioenergy uses. Abstr. In: Proc. Ann. Amer. Soc. Photogrammetry and Remote Sens. Conf., 11Mar09, Baltimore, MD.


Progress 01/01/08 to 12/31/08

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Objectives are to (1) develop sustainable technologies to reduce or manage woody plant encroachment on rangelands, (2) determine the potential of woody plants on rangelands for biofuel, and (3) quantify the ecological impact of woody plant encroachment on rangelands. Objective 1: Summer season fires were more effective than winter fires for mesquite suppression in C3/C4 mixed grass communities but not in C4 grass communities dominated by tobosagrass. Economically important grasses such as sideoats grama, Texas wintergrass and buffalograss recovered from summer fires within 1-3 years post-fire. Summer fires were more effective than winter fires for prickly pear cactus mortality. Annual broomweed increased after summer fire but not after winter fire. Winter fire 4 years after chaining enhanced restoration of juniper-dominated rangelands by increasing herbage production but not cover. Summer fire 2 years after chaining mesquite greatly reduced pricklypear infestation and restored C4 midgrasses. Objective 2: Mesquite standing mass in dense stands in north Texas was 6-15 tons per acre. Regrowth of mesquite following harvest will attain this biomass level within 10 years in north Texas. A mechanical harvester for mesquite trees was constructed and tested. Objective 3: Mesquite reduced production of C4 midgrasses when canopy cover exceeded 20% but did not when cover was less than 20%. Cool-season C3 grasses were unaffected by increasing mesquite cover. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals - Jim Ansley, Project leader, has addressed all aspects of the project including experimental design, execution, data collection, analysis, progress reports and journal publications. Drs. Mustafa Mirik, Research Scientist, and Roy Stanford, Research Associate, assisted with data collection, sample processing, statistical analysis and publications. Two temporary workers assisted with data collection and sample processing. Two graduate students established research plots and collected data. Partner organizations - Smith-Walker Ranch, Vernon, TX; R.A. Brown Ranch, Throckmorton, TX; Cameron University College of Agriculture, Lawton, OK; Tarleton State University, Stephenville, TX; State Energy Conservation Office (SECO), Austin, TX; USDA-NRCS, Vernon, TX; USDA-NRCS, Hollis, OK; USDA-NRCS, Mangum, OK; Brush Unlimited, Altus, OK; W.W. Welding, Altus, OK; W.T. Waggoner Estate, Vernon, TX; Dow AgroSciences, Indianapolis, IN. Collaborators and Contacts - Tom Boutton, Ecosystems Science and Management Department, Texas A&M University; Sorin Popescu, Ecosystems Science and Management Department, Texas A&M University; Carlos Kunst, Instituto Nacional de technologia Agropecuaria (INTA), Santiago del Estero, Argentina. Training or Professional Development - Graduate students Nian-Wei Ku, MS candidate; Fred Schrank, MS candidate TARGET AUDIENCES: Ranchers, Rural landowners, Conservation agencies (NRCS); conservation groups (Nature Conservancy); Society for Range Management; Efforts - Gave 11 presentations (9 invitational) at numerous regional and national meetings and workshops: Ansley, R.J., and R.L. Stanford. 2008. Contrasting low and high input strategies for harvesting mesquite for bioenergy feedstocks. Invited presentation, Biofuels Symposium, Society for Range Manage. 61st Ann. Meeting, 29Jan08, Louisville, KY. Ansley, R.J. 2008. Mesquite as a potential bioenergy source. Presentation, Society for Range Manage. 61st Ann. Meeting, 30Jan08, Louisville, KY. Ansley, R.J. 2008. Potential of range shrubs for bioenergy: wishful thinking versus reality. Invited presentation, Texoma Farm and Ranch Show, 15Feb08, Wichita Falls, TX. Ansley, R.J. 2008. Realistic perspectives on cellulosic biofuels in west Texas. Invited presentation, Big Country Resource Conservation & Development Area, Inc. meeting, 11Mar08, Sweetwater, TX. Ansley, R.J. and R.L. Stanford. 2008. Mesquite: plague or renewable biofuel resource? Invited presentation, Texas AgriLife Crops Field Day, 10Apr08, Chillicothe, TX. Ansley, R.J. 2008. Bioenergy and mesquite. Invited presentation, Rotary Club of Vernon, 03Jun08, Vernon, TX. Ansley, R.J. 2008. Brush management considerations. Invited presentation, Buck Creek Field Day, 24Jun08, Wellington, TX. Ansley, R.J. 2008. Bioenergy from shrubs on Texas rangelands. Poster presentation, 2nd Ann. Chevron Technical Ventures/as AgriLife Research Bioenergy Meeting, 14Jul08, College Station, TX. Ansley, R.J. 2008. Potential of range shrubs for biofuels. Invited presentation, High Plains Brush Management Symposium, 15Oct08, Clarendon, TX. Ansley, R.J. 2008. Using fire and herbicides for vertical brush sculpting. Invited presentation, Brush Sculpting Symposium, 23Oct08, Snyder, TX. Ansley, R.J. 2008. Effects of seasonal fires on vegetation. Invited presentation, Prescribed Burning Symposium, 16Dec08, Henrietta, TX. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Weather conditions prevented implementing prescribed burn treatments; commitments by private cooperators and breakdowns in equipment owned by private cooperators limited ability to implement mesquite bioharvesting treatments.

Impacts
Information will provide less-expensive and more ecologically sustainable alternatives for reducing the deleterious effect of woody plant encroachment on rangelands and restoring degraded rangeland sites. Data collected will increase understanding of the consequences of management decisions. Applied technology will allow resource managers and landowners to improve rangelands and/or minimize negative impacts of human use of the resource. Woody plant biomass regrowth data and development of a harvester for rangeland woody plants are important steps toward the utilization of rangeland shrubs for bio-energy purposes.

Publications

  • Ansley, R.J., W.E. Pinchak and D.L. Jones. 2008. Mesquite, tobosagrass and common broomweed responses to summer and winter season fires. Rangeland Ecology and Management 61: 588-597.
  • Ansley, R.J. and H.T. Wiedemann. 2008. Reversing the woodland steady state: vegetation responses during restoration of juniper-dominated grasslands with chaining and fire. Pages 272-290 In: O.W. Van Auken (editor), Western North American Juniperus Communities: A Dynamic Vegetation Type, Ecological Studies Volume 196, Springer, New York, 311 pp.
  • Stanford, R.L., R.J. Ansley and D. Ransom. 2008. Physiognomic and population characteristics of common broomweed growing in cleared and woody landscapes. Rangeland Ecology and Management 61: 561-565.
  • Harris, W.H., T.W. Boutton, and R.J. Ansley. 2008. Plant community and soil microbial responses to fire and clipping in a southern mixed grassland. Rangeland Ecology and Management 61: 580-587.
  • Simmons, M.T., S.R. Archer, W.R. Teague and R.J. Ansley. 2008. Tree (Prosopis glandulosa) effects on grass growth: an experimental assessment of above- and belowground interactions in a temperate savanna. J. Arid Environments 72: 314-325.
  • Teague, W.R., R.J. Ansley, W.E. Pinchak, S.L. Dowhower, S.A. Gerrard, J.A. Waggoner and R.D. Ransom. 2008. Interannual herbaceous biomass response to increasing honey mesquite cover on two soils. Rangeland Ecology and Management 61: 496-508.
  • Teague, W.R., W.E. Grant, U.P. Kreuter, H. Diaz-Solis, S. Dube, M.M. Kothmann, W.E. Pinchak and R.J. Ansley. 2008. An ecological economic simulation model for assessing fire and grazing management effects on mesquite rangelands in Texas. Ecological Economics 64: 611-624.
  • Ansley, R.J., and D. Rollins (editors). 2008. Proceedings: Brush Sculpting- A Decade Later, October 23-24, Snyder and Roby, TX, Texas AgriLife Extension Misc. Pub., TAES-San Angelo. 51 pp.
  • Ansley, R.J., and R.L. Stanford. 2008. Contrasting low and high input strategies for harvesting mesquite for bioenergy feedstocks. Abstr. In: Proc. Soc. Range Manage. 61st Ann. Meeting, 29 Jan. 2008, Louisville, KY.
  • Ansley, R.J. 2008. Mesquite as a potential bioenergy source. Abstr. In: Proc. Soc. Range Manage. 61st Ann. Meeting, 30 Jan. 2008, Louisville, KY.
  • Ansley, R.J. 2008. Using fire and herbicides for vertical brush sculpting. Pages 32-35 In: R.J. Ansley and D. Rollins (eds), Proceedings: Brush Sculpting- A Decade Later, 23-24 Oct. 2008, Snyder, TX, Texas AgriLife Extension Misc. Pub., TAES-San Angelo. 51 pp.
  • Ansley, R.J. 2008. Low intensity fire prescriptions for brush sculpting. Pages 49-51 In: R.J. Ansley and D. Rollins (eds), Proceedings: Brush Sculpting- A Decade Later, 23-24 Oct. 2008, Snyder, TX, Texas AgriLife Extension Misc. Pub., TAES-San Angelo. 51 pp.


Progress 01/01/07 to 12/31/07

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Objectives are to (1) develop sustainable technologies to reduce or manage woody plant encroachment on rangelands, (2) determine the potential of woody plants on rangelands for biofuel, and (3) quantify the ecological impact of woody plant encroachment on rangelands. Objective 1: Summer season fires were more effective than winter fires for mesquite suppression and prickly pear cactus mortality. Economically important grasses such as sideoats grama, Texas wintergrass and buffalograss recovered from summer fires within 1-3 years post-fire. Repeated summer fires enhanced soil total C and N and black carbon content and may thus enhance C sequestration. Repeated winter fires did not change soil C and N. Native rangeland treated with clopyralid + triclopyr for mesquite control maintained higher herbage production than untreated areas up to 20 years after treatment. Application of low rates of clopyralid converted mesquite thickets to savannas and increased herbaceous production, but did not increase herbaceous species diversity. Application of fire 4 years after chaining enhanced herbaceous restoration of juniper-dominated rangelands by increasing herbage production but not herbage cover in north Texas. Objective 2: Mesquite standing mass in moderately dense stands was 6-15 tons per acre. Regrowth of mesquite following harvest will attain this biomass level within 10 years in north Texas. A mechanical harvester for mesquite trees was constructed and tested. Objective 3: Mesquite reduced production of C4 midgrasses when canopy cover exceeded 20% but did not when cover was less than 20%. Cool-season C3 grasses were unaffected by increasing mesquite cover. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals - Jim Ansley, Project leader, has addressed all aspects of the project including experimental design, execution, data collection, analysis, progress reports and journal publications. Dr. Roy Stanford, Research Associate has assisted with data collection, sample processing and statistical analysis and publications. Ed Rhodes, Research Associate, has assisted with data collection and sample processing. Four temporary workers assisted with data collection and sample processing. Partner organizations - Cameron University College of Agriculture, Lawton, OK; W.T. Waggoner Estate, Vernon, TX; Smith-Walker Ranch, Vernon, TX; R.A. Brown Ranch, Throckmorton, TX; Dow AgroSciences, Indianapolis, IN; State Energy Conservation Office (SECO), Austin, TX; USDA-NRCS, Vernon, TX; USDA-NRCS, Hollis, OK; USDA-NRCS, Mangum, OK; Brush Unlimited, Altus, OK; W.W. Welding, Altus, OK. Collaborators and Contacts - Tom Boutton, Ecosystems Science and Management Department, Texas A&M University; Ben Wu, Ecosystems Science and Management Department, Texas A&M University; Carlos Kunst, Instituto Nacional de technologia Agropecuaria (INTA), Santiago del Estero, Argentina. Training or Professional Development - Graduate students Wylie Harris, PhD candidate; Emily Hollister, PhD candidate; Gave several presentations to landowners at Texas County Extension meetings and civic groups. TARGET AUDIENCES: Ranchers, Rural landowners, Conservation agencies (NRCS); conservation groups (Nature Conservancy); Society for Range Management. Efforts - Gave 11 invited presentations at Texas County Extension meetings and workshops; Gave an invited presentation at the Noble Foundation, Ardmore, OK, ranchers in Argentina and local civic groups: Fuhlendorf, S.D., R.J. Ansley, C.A. Taylor, D.M. Engle, J. Weir and T. Bidwell. 2007. Fire ecology of the southern Great Plains. Invited presentation at Soc. For Range Manage., 60th Ann. Meeting, Reno, NV, Feb 07; Ansley, R.J. 2007. Biomass from mesquite and other hardwoods. Presentation at District 7 County Agent Training Session, 29Mar07, Texas A&M Research Center, San Angelo, TX; Ansley, R.J., R.L. Stanford, and E.C. Rhodes. 2007. Biofuels from a woody invader in grasslands, mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa). Invited presentation at Symposium: Biofuels from Rangelands - Boon or Bane, Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting, 09 Aug 07, San Jose, CA; Ansley, R.J. 2007. Potential of mesquite as a bio-fuel. Presentation at Kiwanis Club of Vernon, 30Aug07, Vernon, TX; Ansley, R.J. 2007. Mesquite as an alternative fuel source. Presentation at Oklahoma Section Society for Range Management Annual Meeting, 13Sep07, Ardmore, OK; Ansley, R.J. 2007. History of brush management in Texas. Invited presentation at Instituto Nacional de Technologia Agropecuaria (INTA) Field Day for Brush Management, 02 Oct 07, City of Frias, Province of Santiago del Estero, Argentina; Ansley, R.J. 2007. History of brush management in Texas and use of low intensity fires for mesquite savanna development. Invited presentation at Brush Management Workshop, 30th Congreso Argentino de Produccion Animal - La produccion Animal: un pilar del Desarrollo Nacional, 04 Oct 07, City of Santiago del Estero, Argentina; Ansley, R.J. 2007. History of brush management in Texas. Invited presentation at INTA Field Day on Brush Management, 05 Oct 07, Malbran, Province of Santiago del Estero, Argentina; Ansley, R.J. 2007. Experiences during recent brush management trip to Argentina. Presentation on KVWC 1420 AM Radio, 19Oct07, Vernon, TX; Ansley, R.J. 2007. Mesquite as an alternative fuel source. Presentation at County Extension Meeting, "Ranching in the 21st Century" 26Oct07, Sonora, TX; Ansley, R.J. 2007. Ethanol production with mesquite. Presentation at Rolling Plains District 3 County Commissioners Court Conference, 01Nov07, Vernon, TX. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Major Changes: Weather conditions prevented implementing prescribed burn treatments; commitments by private cooperators and breakdowns in equipment owned by private cooperators limited ability to implement treatments.

Impacts
Information will provide less-expensive and more ecologically sustainable alternatives for reducing the deleterious effect of woody plant encroachment on rangelands and restoring degraded rangeland sites. Data collected will increase understanding of the consequences of management decisions. Applied technology will allow resource managers and landowners to improve rangelands and/or minimize negative impacts of human use of the resource. Woody plant biomass regrowth data development of a harvester for rangeland woody plants are important steps toward the utilization of mesquite and other rangeland shrubs for bio-energy purposes.

Publications

  • Ansley, R.J., and M.J. Castellano. 2007. Texas wintergrass and buffalograss response to seasonal fires and clipping. Rangeland Ecology and Management 60: 154-164.
  • Ansley, R.J., and M.J. Castellano. 2007. Prickly pear cactus responses to summer and winter fires. Rangeland Ecology and Management 60: 244-252.
  • Simmons, M.T., S.R. Archer, R.J. Ansley and W.R. Teague. 2007. Grass effects on tree (Prosopis glandulosa) growth in a temperate savanna. J. Arid Environments 69:212-227.
  • Castellano, M.J., and R.J. Ansley. 2007. Fire season and grazing differentially effect temporal stability and drought resilience of three perennial grass functional groups. J. Arid Environments 69:375-384.
  • Ansley, R.J., W.E. Pinchak, and W.R. Teague. 2007. Mesquite cover responses in rotational grazing/prescribed fire management systems: landscape assessment using aerial images. Pages 73 to 78 In: R.E. Sosebee, D.B. Wester, C.M. Britton, E.D. McArthur, S.G. Kitchen (comp.), Proceedings: 13th Wildland Shrub Symposium - Shrubland Dynamics: Fire and Water, 12-14 August 2004, Lubbock, TX. Proc RMRS-P-47. Fort Collins, CO, USDA, For. Serv. Rocky Mtn. Res. Sta. 173 p.
  • Ansley, R.J., T.W. Boutton, and P.W. Jacoby. 2007. Mesquite root distribution and water use efficiency in response to long-term soil moisture manipulations. Pages 96 to 103 In: R.E. Sosebee, D.B. Wester, C.M. Britton, E.D. McArthur, S.G. Kitchen (comp.), Proceedings: 13th Wildland Shrub Symposium - Shrubland Dynamics: Fire and Water, 12-14 August 2004, Lubbock, TX. Proc RMRS-P-47. Fort Collins, CO, USDA, For. Serv. Rocky Mtn. Res. Sta. 173 p.
  • Ansley, R.J., R.L. Stanford, and E.C. Rhodes. 2007. Biofuels from a woody invader in grasslands, mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa). Abstract In: Symposium: Biofuels from Rangelands - Boon or Bane, Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting, 09 Aug 07, San Jose, CA.


Progress 01/01/06 to 12/31/06

Outputs
Objectives are to (1) develop sustainable technologies to reduce or manage woody plant encroachment on rangelands, (2) determine the potential of woody plants on rangelands for biofuel, and (3) quantify the ecological impact of woody plant encroachment on rangelands. Objective 1: Repeated summer fires suppressed mesquite and killed prickly pear cactus. Economically important warm-season grasses recovered within 1-3 years post-fire. Repeated summer fires enhanced soil total C and N and black carbon content and may enhance C sequestration. Repeated winter fires did not change soil C and N. Areas treated with clopyralid + triclopyr for mesquite control maintained higher herbage production than untreated areas 20 years after treatment. Application of low rates of clopyralid converted mesquite thickets to savannas and increased herbaceous production, but did not increase herbaceous species diversity. Application of fire 4 years after chaining enhanced herbaceous restoration of juniper-dominated rangelands in north Texas. Objective 2: Mesquite standing mass in moderately dense stands (200-300 plants per acre) was 8-10 tons per acre. Regrowth of mesquite following harvest will attain this biomass level within 10 years in north Texas. A mechanical harvester for mesquite trees was constructed and tested. Objective 3: Mesquite reduced production of warm-season midgrasses when canopy cover exceeded 20% but did not when cover was less than 20%. Cool-season perennial grasses were largely unaffected by increasing mesquite cover.

Impacts
Information will provide less-expensive and more ecologically sustainable alternatives for managing rangeland dominated by woody plants. Data collected will increase understanding of basic ecological processes on rangeland and an understanding of the consequences of management decisions. Applied technology will allow resource managers and landowners to improve rangelands and/or minimize negative impacts of human use of the resource. Biomass data will generate a potential industry that utilizes mesquite biomass for biofuel purposes.

Publications

  • Ansley, R.J., Wiedemann, H.T., Castellano, M.J. and Slosser, J.E. 2006. Herbaceous restoration of juniper-dominated grasslands with chaining and fire. Rangeland Ecology and Management 59: 171-178.
  • Ansley, R.J., Castellano, M.J. and Pinchak, W.E. 2006. Sideoats grama growth responses to seasonal fires and clipping. Rangeland Ecology and Management 59: 258-266.
  • Hughes, R.F., Archer, S.R., Asner, G.P., Wessman, C.A., McMurtry, C., Nelson, J. and Ansley, R.J. 2006. Changes in aboveground primary production and carbon and nitrogen pools accompanying woody encroachment in a temperate savanna. Global Change Biology 12: 1733-1747.
  • Wiedemann, H.T., Slosser, J.E., and Ansley, R.J. 2005. Tabanus abactor Philip responses to chaining and burning redberry juniper stands. Southwestern Entomologist 30: 203-214 (Published in December 2005 -was not included in the 2005 CRIS report).
  • Ansley, R.J., Boutton, T.W. and Skjemstad, J.O. 2006. Soil organic carbon and black carbon storage and dynamics under different fire regimes in a temperate mixed-grass savanna. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 20, GB3006, doi: 10.1029/2005GB002670. 11 pages.
  • Ansley, R.J. and Castellano, M.J. 2006 Strategies for savanna restoration in the southern Great Plains: Effects of fire and herbicides. Restoration Ecology 14: 420-427.
  • Dai, X., Boutton, T.W., Hailemichael, M., Ansley, R.J. and Jessup, K.E. 2006. Soil carbon and nitrogen storage in response to fire in a temperate mixed-grass savanna. J. Environmental Quality 35: 1620-1628.
  • Amdor, B.A., Slosser, J.E., Idol, G.B., Parajulee, M.N., Pinchak, W.E., Ansley, R.J., and Owens, M.K. 2006. Population dynamics and response to mesquite pod supplementation for Algarobius bottimeri and Mimosestes amicus. Southwestern Entomologist 31: 103-112.
  • Ansley, R.J. and Castellano, M.J. 2006. Impact of shrub regrowth fiollowing seasonal fires on herbaceous vegetation. Abstr. In: Proc. Soc. Range Manage., 59th Ann. Meeting, Feb. 2006, Vancouver, B.C.
  • Hollister, E.B., Boutton, T.W., and Ansley, R.J. 2006. Land use and land cover changes in termperate savannas: impact of woody encroachment and prescribed burning on soil carbon pools and flux rates. Abstr. In: Proc. Soil Science Soc. Amer. Meeting, Indianapolis, IN.


Progress 01/01/05 to 12/31/05

Outputs
Objectives are to (1) develop sustainable technologies to reduce or manage woody plant encroachment on rangelands, (2) determine the potential of woody plants on rangelands for biomass-to-energy conversion, (3) quantify carbon fluxes, carbon sequestration and herbaceous vegetation responses to woody plant management strategies, and (4) develop an understanding of the ecological impact of woody plant encroachment on rangelands. Objective 1: Recent studies indicate repeated summer fires suppressed mesquite and killed prickly pear cactus (Opuntia) but key C4 grasses recovered within 3 years post-fire. Areas treated with clopyralid + triclopyr for mesquite control maintained higher herbage production than untreated areas 20 years after treatment. Low intensity fires and/or low rates of clopyralid herbicide facilitated conversion of mesquite thickets to savanna and increased herbage production. Objective 2: Current projections indicate it is economical to harvest mesquite biomass for ethanol conversion. Harvest studies indicate biomass in moderately dense stands of mesquite in north Texas is 8-10 tons per acre and regrowth following harvest will attain this biomass level within 10 years. Ethanol yield from mesquite biomass was determined to be 200 gallons per ton of mesquite wood and projected energy yield/energy expended ratio is 1.7. Objective 3: Increased carbon gain in rangeland ecosystems in first growing season following fire for woody plant control offsets the carbon lost to the atmosphere from initial combustion. Repeated fires did not reduce soil organic C. Objective 4: Mesquite reduced herbaceous production when canopy cover exceeded 20% but did not when cover was less than 20%.

Impacts
Information will provide less-expensive and more ecologically sustainable alternatives for managing rangeland dominated by woody plants. Data collected will increase understanding of basic ecological processes on rangeland and an understanding of the consequences of management decisions. Applied technology will allow resource managers and landowners to improve rangelands and/or minimize negative impacts of human use of the resource. Biomass data will generate a potential industry that utilizes mesquite biomass for energy purposes.

Publications

  • Castellano, M. J. and Ansley, R.J. 2005. Effects of seasonal fires on the temporal stability of herbaceous production in a mesquite-encroached grassland. Abstr. In: Proc. Tall Timbers 23rd Fire Ecology Conference, Oct. 2005, Bartlesville, OK.
  • Hollister, E. B., Boutton, T.W. and Ansley, R.J. 2005. Carbon dynamics of temperate savannas: effects of prescribed fire on microbial activity and potential carbon mineralization. Abstr. In: Proc. Soc. Range Manage., 58th Ann. Meeting, Feb. 2005, Ft. Worth, TX.
  • Ansley, R. J., and Rasmussen, G.A. 2005. Managing native invasive juniper species using fire. Weed Technology 19: 517-522.
  • Dai, X., Boutton, T.W., Glaser, B., Ansley, R.J. and Zech, W. 2005. Black carbon in a temperate mixed-grass savanna. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 37: 1879-1881.
  • Ansley, R. J. 2005. Summer fire effects on southern Great Plains vegetation. Pages 255-272 In: C.G. Brown and D. Rollins (eds), Proceedings: Fire as a Tool for Managing Wildlife Habitats in Texas, Kerrville, Texas, September 14-16, 2005, Texas Cooperative Extension, San Angelo, TX.
  • Ansley, R. J. 2005. How much of a water thief is mesquite? The Cattleman 92 (No. 1): 20-32 (June 2005 Issue).
  • McGinty, A., Ansley, J., Cadenhead, J.F., Hamilton, W., Hanselka, W.C., Hart, C. and Ueckert, D.N. 2005. Chemical weed and brush control suggestions for rangeland. Texas Cooperative Extension, Bulletin 1466, College Station, TX, 30 pp.
  • Ansley, R. J and Castellano, M.J. 2005. Effects of summer season fires on woody, succulent and graminoid vegetation in southern mixed-prairie ecosystems. Abstr. In: Proc. Tall Timbers 23rd Fire Ecology Conference, Oct. 2005, Bartlesville, OK.


Progress 01/01/04 to 12/31/04

Outputs
Objectives are to (1) develop sustainable technologies to reduce woody plant encroachment on rangelands, (2) develop strategies to convert mesquite thickets to savanna for multiple use needs, (3) determine the potential of woody plants on rangelands for biomass-to-energy conversion, (4) quantify carbon fluxes, carbon sequestration and herbaceous vegetation responses to woody plant management strategies involving prescribed fire, herbicidal control or woody biomass harvesting, and (5) develop an understanding of the ecological impact of woody plant encroachment on rangelands. Objective 1: Repeated summer fires suppress mesquite and kill prickly pear cactus (Opuntia) but do not harm key C4 grass species or reduce soil C. Areas treated with clopyralid + triclopyr for mesquite control maintained higher herbage production than untreated areas 20 years after treatment. Objective 2: Low intensity fires and low rates of clopyralid herbicide facilitated conversion of mesquite thickets to savanna. Herbage yield in mesquite savanna was no different than in open grassland areas. Objective 3: Current projections indicate it is economical to harvest mesquite biomass for ethanol conversion. Typical mesquite biomass in north Texas is 8-10 tons per acre. Ethanol yield from mesquite biomass is 200 gallons per ton of mesquite wood. Objective 4: Increased carbon gain in rangeland ecosystems in first growing season following fire for woody plant control offsets the carbon lost to the atmosphere from initial combustion. Objective 5: Mesquite reduces herbaceous production when canopy cover exceeds 20% but does not when cover is less than 20%.

Impacts
Information will provide less-expensive and more ecologically sustainable alternatives for managing rangeland dominated by woody plants. Data collected will increase understanding of basic ecological processes on rangeland and an understanding of the consequences of management decisions. Applied technology will allow resource managers and landowners to improve rangelands and/or minimize negative impacts of human use of the resource. Biomass data will generate a potential industry that utilizes mesquite biomass for energy purposes.

Publications

  • Ansley, R.J., Teague, W.R., Pinchak, W.E., Kramp, B.A. and Jones, D.L. 2004. Long-term grass yields following chemical control of honey mesquite. Journal of Range Management 57: 49-57.
  • Pinchak, W.E., Tolleson, D.R., McCloy, M., Hunt, L.J., Gill, R.J., Ansley, R.J. and Bevers, S.J. 2004. Morbidity impacts on productivity and profitability of stocker cattle grazing in the Southern Plains. Journal of Animal Science 82:2773-2779.
  • Ansley, R.J., and Taylor, C.A. 2005. What's next? - the future of fire as a tool for managing brush. Chapter 16, Pages 200-210, In: W.T. Hamilton, A. McGinty, D.N. Ueckert, C.W. Hanselka and M.R. Lee (editors), Brush Management - Past, Present and Future, Texas A&M Univ. Press, College Station (In press).
  • Ansley, R.J. 2004. Mesquite root distribution following prolonged soil moisture manipulations. Abstract In: Proc. Soc. Range Manage., 57th Ann. Meeting, Feb. 2004, Salt Lake City, UT.
  • Ansley, R.J. 2004. Rangeland woody plants as renewable biomass for energy needs. Abstract In: Proc. Sun Grant Initiative Conf., June 2004, Oklahoma City, OK.
  • Ansley, R.J., Wiedemann, H.T., and Slosser, J.E.. 2004. Reversing the woodland steady state: vegetation responses during restoration of juniper-dominated grasslands with chaining and fire. Abstract In: Symposium: Juniperus Woodlands - Biology and Ecology, Southwestern Assoc. Naturalists, San Antonio, TX, April 2004.
  • Ansley, R.J., Teague, W.R., and Pinchak, W.E. 2004. Mesquite cover responses in rotational grazing/prescribed fire management systems: landscape assessment using aerial images. Abstract In: R. Sosebee (ed.) Proc. Thirteenth Wildland Shrub Symposium - Shrubland Dynamics: Fire and Water, August 2004, Lubbock, TX.
  • Ansley, R.J., Jacoby, P.W. and Boutton, T.W.. 2004. Mesquite root distribution and water use efficiency in response to long-term soil moisture manipulations. Abstract In: R. Sosebee (ed.) Proc. Thirteenth Wildland Shrub Symposium - Shrubland Dynamics: Fire and Water, August 2004, Lubbock, TX.


Progress 01/01/03 to 12/31/03

Outputs
Objectives are to (1) determine the potential of prescribed fire and herbicides to manage rangeland ecosystems invaded by woody plants, (2) integrate fire with grazing strategies for sustainable management of rangelands infested with woody plants, (3) quantify ecological functions in mixed woody plant/grass systems, and (4) develop methods of limiting woody plant encroachment by retarding distribution of woody plant seeds. Objective 1: Low-intensity fires are suitable to manage for mesquite (Prosopis) savanna. Repeated summer fires suppress mesquite and kill prickly pear cactus (Opuntia). Repeated summer fires increased soil pH and reduced soil Mn, but did not change soil total C, total N, or P. Repeated summer fires combined with grazing reduced productivity of C3 grasses but summer fires alone did not. Low intensity fires and low rates of clopyralid herbicide facilitated conversion of mesquite thickets to savanna. Areas treated with clopyralid for mesquite control maintained higher herbage production than untreated areas 20 years after treatment. Due to these results, application of clopyralid was determined to be economical. Objective 2: Sustainable management of mesquite with winter fires was possible using an 8 pasture, 1 herd rotational grazing system. Objective 3: Mesquite reduced herbaceous production when mesquite canopy cover exceeded 30%. Mesquite encroachment has progressed at about a 1% per year rate of increase in the last century. Objective 4: Numerous animal types harvest mesquite seeds, but most rapid predation occurred when beans were available to cattle.

Impacts
Information will provide less-expensive and more ecologically sustainable alternatives for managing rangeland dominated by woody plants. Data collected will increase understanding of basic ecological processes on rangeland and an understanding of the consequences of management decisions. Applied technology will allow resource managers and landowners to improve rangelands and/or minimize negative impacts of human use of the resource.

Publications

  • Ansley, R.J., Kramp, B.A. and Jones, D.L. 2003. Converting mesquite thickets to savanna through foliage modification with clopyralid. Journal of Range Management 56: 72-80.
  • Heaton, C.B., Wu, X.B. and Ansley, R.J. 2003. Vegetation patterns in mesquite savanna and long-term herbicide treatment effects. Journal of Range Management 56: 627-633.
  • Asner, G.P., Archer, S.R., Hughes, R.F., Ansley, R.J. and Wessman, C.A. 2003. Net changes in regional woody vegetation cover and carbon storage in Texas drylands, 1937-1999. Global Change Biology 9: 316-335.
  • Martin, R.E., Asner, G.P., Ansley, R.J., and Mosier, A.R. 2003. Effects of woody vegetation encroachment on soil nitrogen oxide emissions in a temperate savanna. Ecological Applications 13: 897-910.
  • Malinowski, D.P., Hopkins, A.A., Pinchak, W.E., Sij, J.W. and Ansley, R.J. 2003. Productivity and survival of defoliated wheatgrasses in the Rolling Plains of Texas. Agronomy Journal 95: 614-626.
  • Teague, W.R., Kreuter, U., Ansley, R.J., and McGrann, J. 2003. Economics of fire as a follow-up to herbicide treatment of mesquite. Pages 1973-1975 In: Proceedings: 7th International Rangeland Congress, Soc. Range Manage., South Africa, July 2003.
  • Ansley, R.J., Owens, M.K., Pinchak, W.E., Kramp, B.A., Jones, D.L. and Slosser, J.E. 2003. Predation of mesquite seeds by cattle and wildlife. Abstr. In: Proc. Soc. Range Manage., 56th Ann. Meeting, Feb. 2003, Casper, WY.
  • Ansley, R.J., Owens, M.K., Pinchak, W.E., Kramp, B.A., Jones, D.L. and Slosser, J.E. 2003. Effects of weathering and insect predation on mesquite pods and seeds. Abstr. In: Proc. Soc. Range Manage., 56th Ann. Meeting, Feb. 2003, Casper, WY.
  • Ansley, R.J., and Rasmussen, G.A. 2003. Managing native invasive native juniper species using fire. Use of Fire to Control Invasive Plants Workshop, Symposium on Invasive Plants in Natural and Managed Systems (IPNAMS): Linking Science and Management, 7th International Conference, Ecology and Management of Alien Plant Invasions (EMAPI), Ecological Society of America, 04 Nov. 2003, Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
  • Harris, W.N., Boutton, T.W. and Ansley, R.J. 2003. Soil carbon and nitrogen cycling in subhumid temperate grasslands: effects of seasonal fire and simulated grazing. In: Abstracts, Ecological Soc. America Ann. Meeting, August 2003.
  • Owens,M.K., Cooper, R.M., Ansley, R.J., Pinchak, W.E., and Slosser, J.E. 2003. Mesquite seed longevity under field conditions. Abstr. In: Proc. Soc. Range Manage., 56th Ann. Meeting, Feb. 2003, Casper, WY.


Progress 01/01/02 to 12/31/02

Outputs
Objectives are to (1) determine the potential of prescribed fire in management of rangeland ecosystems, (2) integrate fire with grazing strategies for sustainable management of rangelands infested with woody plants, (3) quantify ecological processes within mixed shrub/grass ecosystems, including shrub effects on herbaceous production and water yield, and (4) develop methods of limiting woody plant encroachment by retarding distribution of woody plant seeds. Low-intensity fires (Obj. 1) are suitable to manage for mesquite (Prosopis) savanna. Repeated summer fires suppress mesquite and kill prickly pear cactus (Opuntia), but shift the herbaceous community toward a cool-season grass dominance. Repeated summer fires increased soil pH and reduced soil Mn, but did not change soil total C, total N, or P. Carbon flux studies indicated the amount of C lost to the atmosphere during combustion in prescribed fires on mesquite rangeland is recovered during the first growing season after fire through enhanced CO2 uptake from photosynthesis. Sustainable management of mesquite with fire (Obj. 2) was possible using an 8 pasture, 1 herd rotational grazing system. Mesquite reduced herbaceous production (Obj. 3) when mesquite canopy cover exceeded 30%. Numerous animal types harvest mesquite seeds (Obj. 4), but most rapid predation occurred when beans were available to cattle.

Impacts
Information will provide less-expensive and more ecologically sustainable alternatives for managing rangeland dominated by woody plants. Data collected will increase understanding of basic ecological processes on rangeland and an understanding of the consequences of management decisions. Applied technology will allow resource managers and landowners to improve rangelands and/or minimize negative impacts of human use of the resource.

Publications

  • Ansley,R.J., Pinchak, W.E., Owens, M.K., Kramp, B.A. and Slosser, J.E. 2002. Predation of mesquite seeds by livestock and wildlife. Pages 43-44, In: W.E. Pinchak (ed.), Wheat/Stocker Cattle Field Day Report, TAES-Vernon Center Tech. Rep. 2002-08, Vernon, TX, 49 pp.
  • Teague, W.R., Ansley, R.J., McGrann, J.M. and Pinchak, W.E. 2001. Developing sustainable grazing management strategies for mesquite rangeland. Pages 493-502 In: Proceedings: First National Conference on Grazing Lands - Heightening the Awareness of the Economic and Environmental benefits of Grazing Lands, Las Vegas, Nevada, 5-8.
  • Payson, T.E., Ansley, R.J., Brown, J.K, Gottfried, G.J., Haase, S.M., Harrington, M.G., Narog, M.G., Sackett, S.S. and Wilson, R.C. 2000. Fire in western shrubland, woodland and grassland ecosystems. Chap. 6, pp 121-159, In: J.K. Brown and J.K. Smith (eds), Wildland Fire in Ecosystems: Effects on Flora, Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-42-vol 2. USDA Forest Serv., Rocky Mtn. Res. Sta., 257 pp.
  • Ansley, R.J., Boutton, T.W. and Kramp, B.A. 2002. Biogeochemical responses to fire seasonality and frequency in a temperate mixed-grass savanna: storage and dynamics of soil carbon and nitrogen. Symposium on Carbon Storage and Dynamics. Abst. In: Soil Science Soc. Amer. Annual Meeting, 13 Nov. 2002, Indianapolis, IN.
  • Ansley, R.J. 2002. Managing mesquite savanna with prescribed fire. Abstr. In: Proc. Soc. Range Manage., 55th Ann. Meeting, Feb. 2002, Kansas City, MO.
  • Ansley, R.J., Kramp, B.A., and Jones, D.L.. 2002. Effect of seasonal fires on prickly pear cactus. Abstr. In: Proc. Soc. Range Manage., 55th Ann. Meeting, Feb. 2002, Kansas City, MO.
  • Pinchak, W.E., Teague, W.R., Ansley, R.J.,Waggoner, J.A. and McGrann, J. 2002. Cow-calf performance under rotational and prescribed burning in the southern plains. Abstr. In: Proc. Soc. Range Manage., 55th Ann. Meeting, Feb. 2002, Kansas City, MO.
  • Teague, W.R., Ansley, R.J., Kreuter, U.P., Pinchak, W.E., and McGrann, J.M. 2002. Economics of managing mesquite in north Texas: a sensitivity analysis. Abstr. In: Proc. Soc. Range Manage., 55th Ann. Meeting, Feb. 2002, Kansas City, MO.
  • Teague, W.R., Dowhower, S.L., Pinchak, W.E. and Ansley, R.J. 2002. Grazing patch dynamics under different grazing management in large, heterogeneous paddocks. Abstr. In: Proc. Soc. Range Manage., 55th Ann. Meeting, Feb. 2002, Kansas City, MO.
  • Teague, W.R., Ansley, R.J., Pinchak, W.E., and McGrann, J.M. 2002. Grazing systems, fire and brush control - the Waggoner Kite study. Abst. In: Proc. Soc. Range Manage., 55th Ann. Meeting, Feb. 2002, Kansas City, MO.
  • Harris, W.N., Boutton, T.W. and Ansley, R.J. 2002. Soil respiration and microbial biomass in subhumid temperate grassland: role of fire and simulated grazing. In: Abstracts, Ecological Society of America Ann. Meeting, August 2002, Tucson, AZ.
  • Boutton, T.W., Ansley, R.J., and Skjemstadt, J.O. 2002. Biogeochemical responses to fire seasonality and frequency in a temperate mixed-grass savanna: charcoal carbon. In: Abstracts, Soil Science Soc. Amer., November 2002, Indianapolis, IN.
  • Ansley, R.J., Dugas, W.A., Heuer, M.L. and Kramp, B.A. 2002. Bowen ratio/energy balance and scaled leaf measurements of CO2 flux over burned Prosopis savanna. Ecological Applications 12: 948-961.
  • Teague, W.R., Ansley, R.J., Kreuter, U.P., McGrann, J.M. and Pinchak, W.E. 2001. Fire vs. herbicide - the economics of herbicides and prescribed fire are compared in managing mesquite. Rangelands 23: 9-14.


Progress 01/01/01 to 12/31/01

Outputs
Objectives are to (1) determine the potential of prescribed fire to manage rangeland ecosystems, (2) integrate fire with grazing strategies for sustainable management of rangelands infested with woody plants, (3) quantify ecological processes within mixed shrub/grass ecosystems, including shrub effects on herbaceous production and water yield, and (4) develop methods of limiting woody plant encroachment by retarding distribution of woody plant seeds. Low-intensity fires (Obj. 1) are suitable to manage for mesquite (Prosopis) savanna. Repeated summer fires suppress mesquite and kill prickly pear cactus (Opuntia), but shift the herbaceous community toward a cool-season grass dominance. Repeated summer fires increased soil pH, and calcium, but did not reduce total carbon or nitrogen. Sustainable management of woody plants with fire (Obj. 2) was possible using an 8 pasture-1 herd rotational grazing system. Mesquite reduced herbaceous production (Obj. 3) when mesquite canopy cover exceeded 30%. Bean predation studies (Obj. 4) indicated that numerous animal types harvest mesquite seeds but most rapid predation occurred when beans were available to cattle.

Impacts
Information will provide less-expensive and more ecologically sustainable alternatives for managing rangeland. Data collected will increase understanding of basic ecological processes on rangeland. Applied technology will allow resource managers and landowners to improve rangelands and/or minimize negative impacts of human use of the resource.

Publications

  • Ansley, R.J., Wu, X.B. and Kramp, B.A. 2001. Observation: long-term increases in mesquite canopy in north Texas. Journal of Range Management 54: 171-176.
  • Dowhower, S.L., Teague, W.R., Ansley, R.J., and Pinchak, W.E. 2001. Dry-weight-rank method assessment in heterogenous communities. Journal of Range Management 54: 71-76.
  • Teague, W.R., Ansley, R.J., Kreuter, U.P., McGrann,J.M. and Pinchak, W.E. 2001. Economics of managing mesquite with prescribed fire or root-killing herbicides: a sensitivity analysis. Journal of Range Management 54: 553-560.
  • Martin, R. E., Asner, G.P., Ansley, R.J., and Mosier, A.R. 2000. Effects of woody encroachment on soil nitrogen oxide gas emissions in a Texas rangeland savanna. Abstr. In: Proc. American Geophysical Union Annual Meeting, December 2000, San Francisco, CA.
  • Ansley, R.J., Teague, W.R. and Pinchak, W.E. 2001. Determining the relation between mesquite cover and herbaceous production in north Texas. Abstr. In: Proc. Soc. Range Manage., 54th Ann. Meeting, Feb. 2001, Kailua-Kona, HA (p. 13).
  • Ansley, R.J., Kramp, B.A., Nelson, J. and Wallace, J. 2001. Long-term forage responses to mesquite herbicide treatments. Abstr. In: Proc. Soc. Range Manage., 54th Ann. Meeting, Feb. 2001, Kailua-Kona, HA (p.12).
  • Ansley, R.J., and Kramp, B.A. 2001. Cover responses of a cool and a warm-season grass to seasonal fires and clipping in a mesquite savanna. Abstr. In: Proc. Soc. Range Manage., 54th Ann. Meeting, Feb..2001, Kailua-Kona, HA (p. 11).
  • Pinchak, W.E., Showers, S.E., Ansley, R.J., Owens, M.K., Slosser, J.E., Scott, C.J. and Teague, W.R. 2001. Mesquite seed excretion patterns by cattle under rotational and continuous grazing and fire. Abstr. In: Proc. Soc. Range Manage., 54th Ann. Meeting, Feb..2001, Kailua-Kona, HA (p. 309).
  • Showers, S.E., Pinchak, W.E., Ansley, R.J., Owens, M.K., Slosser, J.E., Scott, C.J. and Teague, W.R. 2001. Effects of weathering and aphid beetle damage on mesquite pod nutritive value. Abstr. In: Proc. Soc. Range Manage., 54th Ann. Meeting, Feb..2001, Kailua-Kona, HA (p. 368).
  • Heaton, C.B., Wu, X.B. and Ansley, R.J. 2001. Effects of disturbance regimes on spatial patterns of vegetation in a mesquite savanna. In: Abstracts, Ecological Society of America Ann. Meeting, August 2001, Madison, Wisconsin.


Progress 01/01/00 to 12/31/00

Outputs
Objectives of the project are to (1) determine the potential of prescribed fire to manage mesquite, (2) integrate fire with grazing strategies for sustainable management of mesquite, (3) quantify processes relating to seed ecology and recruitment of mesquite, and (4) quantify ecological processes within mixed shrub/grass ecosystems, including shrub effects on water yield and forage production. Fire (Obj. 1) is suitable for mesquite suppression either as repeated, high intensity fires to maximize suppression, or as low-intensity fires to develop and maintain mesquite savanna from woodland thickets. Effects of repeated burning and defoliation from clipping shift cool-season midgrass (Texas wintergrass) communities to warm-season shortgrass (buffalograss) dominance. Buffalograss appears tolerant of any type of fire and clipping. Sustainable management of mesquite using fire (Obj. 2) was possible using an 8 pasture, 1 herd rotation but difficult with a 4-pasture, 1 herd because pasture size was too large to defer prior to burning in the latter. In mesquite seed studies (Obj. 3) summer fires killed many more seedlings (70 percent) than winter fires (30 percent). A mesquite bean predation study indicated that numerous animal types harvest mesquite beans but the most rapid predation rate occurred in treatments with beans available to cattle. Mesquite reduced forage production (Obj. 4) substantially when mesquite cover exceeded 30 percent. Treatment life of the herbicide clopyralid which root-kills mesquite was determined to be greater than 20 years, making this treatment economically feasible.

Impacts
Information will provide less-expensive and more ecologically sustainable alternatives for managing rangeland. Data collected will increase understanding of basic ecological processes on rangeland. Applied technology will allow resource managers and landowners to either improve rangelands or minimize negative effects of human use of the resource.

Publications

  • Ansley, R.J., McMullen, S.M., Pinchak, W.E., Conner, J.R. and Teague, W.R. 2000. Longevity of top-killing and root-killing mesquite herbicides: Forage production and mesquite recruitment in areas treated 10 and 20 years ago. In: Abstracts, Society for Range Manage. 53nd Annual Meeting, Boise, ID, Feb. 2000 (page 44).
  • Ansley, R.J., Dugas, W.A. and Kramp, B.A. 2000. CO2 flux in burned and unburned Prosopis savanna: comparing Bowen Ratio and leaf chamber photosynthesis. In: Abstracts, Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting, Snowbird, UT, August 2000 (page 243).
  • Huddle, J.A., Ansley, R.J. and Bordovsky, D. 2000. Revegetation of saline pond shorelines in a semi-arid environment: plant survival and growth responses. In: Abstracts, Society for Range Manage. 53nd Annual Meeting, Boise, ID, Feb. 2000 (page 46).
  • Hubbard, J.A., Archer,S.R., Boutton, T.W. and Ansley, R.J. 2000. Effects of fire and simulated grazing on fine root dynamics and soil respiration in a mixed grass prairie. In: Abstracts, Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting, Snowbird, UT, August 2000 (page 289).


Progress 01/01/99 to 12/31/99

Outputs
Objectives of the project are to (1) develop sustainable, fire-based systems to manage mesquite savanna, (2) develop grazing strategies which facilitate accumulation of herbaceous fuel for prescribed fires to manage mesquite (The Kite Camp Project), (3) quantify ecological processes within mixed shrub/grass ecosystems, including mesquite-grass competitive interactions, and determine long-term economics of mesquite treatments, and (4) quantify processes related to mesquite seed distribution and develop seed-based strategies for limiting mesquite encroachment by limiting seed distribution. Fire (Obj. 1) appears suitable for mesquite suppression either as repeated, high intensity fires to maximize suppression, or as low-intensity fires to develop and maintain mesquite savanna from woodland thickets. Effects of repeated burning and defoliation shifted cool-season mid-grass communities to warm-season shortgrass dominance, and warm-season mid-grass communities to cool-season mid-grass dominance. Fire and soil studies indicate that repeated summer fires (2 fires in 3 years) increased soil pH, exchangeable calcium, and extractable iron, but did not significantly reduce total carbon or nitrogen. CO2 flux studies indicate greater CO2 uptake on burned sites when compared to unburned mesquite/grass sites in wet years but the opposite trend was found during a drought year. Droughts in 1996 and 1998 limited the number of fires conducted on the Kite Camp rotational grazing and fire study (Obj. 2) but results from the last 5 years suggest fire can be implemented more easily in a 8 pasture-1 herd system than in a 4 pasture-1 herd system. Forage studies (Obj. 3) indicated that forage production was greater in plots treated 20 years ago with mesquite root-killing herbicide treatments than in untreated control plots. Seed ecology studies (Obj. 4) indicated winter fires conducted within 9 months following mesquite seedling emergence killed nearly 40% of the seedlings. Studies to determine the fate of mesquite beans and seeds from predation by insects, wildlife and cattle were initiated in 1999.

Impacts
Information will provide less-expensive and more ecologically sustainable alternatives for managing rangeland. Data collected will increase understanding of basic ecological processes on rangeland. Applied technology will allow resource managers and landowners to either improve rangelands or minimize negative effects of human use of the resource.

Publications

  • Ansley, R.J., Jones, D.L., Tunnell, T.R., Kramp, B.A. and Jacoby, P.W. 1998. Honey mesquite canopy responses to single winter fires: relation to fine fuel, weather and fire temperature. International Journal of Wildland Fire 8: 241-252.
  • Ansley, R.J. and Kramp, B.A. 1998. Effect of climate and grass cover on mesquite seedling establishment. Texas Tech Univ. Res. Highlights - Range, Wildlife and Fisheries Manage. 29: 12.
  • Kramp, B., Ansley, J., and Tunnell, T. 1998. The effect of prescribed fire on mesquite seedlings. Texas Tech Univ. Res. Highlights - Range, Wildlife and Fisheries Manage. 29: 13.
  • Teague, W.R., Ansley, R.J., McGrann, J.M., and Pinchak, W.E. 1999. Developing sustainable management strategies for mesquite rangeland. Rev. Arg. Prod. Anim. 19: 37-46.
  • Ansley, R.J., Kramp, B.A., and Pinchak, W.E. 1999. Forage production of cool- and warm-season grasses in response to repeated seasonal fires and clipping in north Texas. In: Abstracts, Society for Range Manage. 52nd Annual Meeting, Omaha, NE, February 1999 (page 3).
  • Kramp, B.A., and Ansley, R.J. 1999. Herbaceous species composition responses to repeated winter or summer fires in north Texas. In: Abstracts, Society for Range Manage. 52nd Annual Meeting, Omaha, NE, February 1999 (page 41).
  • Dowhower, S.L., Teague, W.R. and Ansley, R.J. 1999. Angle cover class (ACC): A new technique for estimating brush quantities in association with herbaceous understory In: Abstracts, Society for Range Manage. 52nd Annual Meeting, Omaha, NE, February 1999 (page 17).
  • Hubbard, J.A., Archer, S.R., Boutton, T.W., and Ansley, R.J. 1999. Interactive effects of fire and grazing on plant productivity and soil respiration. In: Abstracts, Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA.
  • Simmons, M., Archer, S.R., Teague, W.R., and Ansley, R.J. 1999. Edaphic mediation of grass influence on tree growth in a north Texas savanna. In: Abstracts, Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA.


Progress 01/01/98 to 12/31/98

Outputs
Objectives of the project are to (1) quantify ecological effects of fire on rangeland vegetation and soils, (2) determine the potential of prescribed fire or fire integrated with other treatments to manage mesquite, (3) quantify processes relating to mesquite seed ecology and develop methods to limit mesquite encroachment by limiting seed distribution, (4) quantify ecological processes within mixed shrub/grass ecosystems, including shrub effects on water yield and forage production. Fire appears suitable for mesquite suppression either as repeated, high intensity fires to maximize suppression, or as low-intensity fires to develop and maintain mesquite savanna from woodland thickets. Preliminary evaluation suggests 3 fires in 5 years are beginning to yield higher mesquite mortality than found with less frequent burning, but mortalities remain less than 20%. Effects of repeated burning and defoliation from clipping appear to shift cool-season midgrass (Texas wintergrass) communities to warm season shortgrass (buffalograss) dominance, and warm-season midgrass (sideoats grama) communities to Texas wintergrass dominance. Mesquite seedling studies indicate 42% of cattle or deer fecal sites that were initially observed as having emerging mesquite (from animal ingestion of mesquite beans) eventually produced at least one established mesquite plant. Winter fires (February-March) conducted within 9 months following mesquite seedling emergence killed nearly 40% of the seedlings. Fire and soil studies indicate that repeated summer fires (2 fires in 3 years) increased soil pH, exchangeable calcium, and extractable iron, but did not significantly reduce total carbon or nitrogen.

Impacts
(N/A)

Publications

  • Ansley, R.J., Trevino, B.A. and Jacoby, B.W. 1998. Intraspecific competition in honey mesquite: leaf and whole plant responses. Journal of Range Management 51:345-352.
  • Kramp, B.A., Ansley, R.J. and Tunnell, T.R. 1998. Survival of mesquite seedlings emerging from cattle and wildlife feces in a semi-arid grassland. The Southwestern Naturalist 43:300-312.
  • Ansley, R.J, and Jacoby, P.W. 1998. Manipulation of fire intensity to achieve mesquite management goals in north Texas. Pages 195-204 In: T.L. Pruden and L.A. Brennan (eds). Fire in Ecosystem Management: Shifting the Paradigm from Suppression to Prescription. Tall Timbers Fire Ecology Conference Proceedings, No. 20. Tall Timbers Research Station, Tallahassee, FL.
  • Ansley, R.J., Jones, D.L., Tunnell, T.R., Kramp, B.K. and Jacoby, P. W. 1998. Honey mesquite canopy responses to single winter fires: relation to fine fuel, weather and fire temperature. International Journal of Wildland Fire Vol. 8 (In Press, December 1998).
  • Teague, R., Borchardt, R., Ansley, R., Pinchak, B., Cox, J., Foy, J. and McGrann, J. 1997. Sustainable management strategies for mesquite rangeland: the Waggoner Kite project. Rangelands 19:4-8.
  • Ansley, J., Kramp, B., Tunnell, T. and Jones, D. 1997. Relating weather conditions during fires to mesquite topkill. Texas Tech University Research Highlights - Range, Wildlife and Fisheries Management 28: 14.
  • Ansley, J., D. Jones, T. Tunnell, B. Pinchak and R. Teague. 1997. The cost of burning medium-sized pastures for mesquite control: data from the Kite Camp study. Texas Tech University Research Highlights - Range, Wildlife and Fisheries Management 28: 13.
  • Kramp, B., Ansley, J. and Tunnell, T. 1997. Effect of grass competition folowing fire on growth and survival of mesquite seedlings. Texas Tech University Research Highlights - Range, Wildlife and Fisheries Management 28: 13.


Progress 01/01/97 to 12/31/97

Outputs
Frequency, seasonality and intensity of prescribed fires were evaluated for potential to convert honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) woodlands to grasslands or savannas. Repeated fires, summer fires or high-intensity fires were more effective at topkilling mesquite than either single-winter or low-intensity fires. No treatment caused more than 5% mortality. Summer fires reduced sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) growth more than winter fires, and a full growing season of rest was required for sideoats to recover from summer fires. Low-intensity fires conducted during winter show promise for converting mesquite woodlands to savannas. This treatment topkilled smaller mesquite, yet preserved apical dominance in older, taller trees. One pasture-scale prescribed fire was conducted on the Kite Camp fire/grazing study area as part of the USDA-NRI grant. In seedling ecology studies, 42% of cattle fecal sites that had emerging mesquite seedlings produced at least one established plant two years after the seedlings were first observed. We hypothesize that management of mesquite seeds will ultimately be the only sustainable solution to limit mesquite encroachment on rangelands. Studies were conducted on water use of salt-tolerant plants along shorelines of brine lakes developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Impacts
(N/A)

Publications

  • ANSLEY, R.J., KRAMP. B.A., and MOORE, T.R. 1997. Development and management of mesquite savanna using low intensity prescribed fires. pp 155-161, In: J. Greenlee (ed.), Proceedings: First Conf. on Fire Effects on Threatened and Endanagered Species and Habitats. Coeur d'Alene, ID, 13-15 November 1995. International Association of Wildland Fire, Fairfield, WA, 343 pp.
  • ANSLEY, R.J., HUDDLE, J.A. and KRAMP. B.A. 1997. Mesquite ecologoy, pp 21-26, In: D. Rollins, D.N. Ueckert, and C.G. Brown (eds.), Proceedings: Brush Sculptors Symposium 1997, 21-22 August, Uvalde, TX and 17-18 September, Abilene, TX, Texas Agric. Exp. Sta. Misc. Pub., San Angelo, TX, 150 pp.
  • ANSLEY, R.J., HUDDLE, J.A., and KRAMP, B.A. 1997. Using fire for sculpting brush. pp 99-108, In: D. Rollins, D.N. Ueckert, and C.G. Brown (eds.), Proceedings: Brush Sculptors Symposium 1997, 21-22 August, Uvalde, TX and 17-18 September, Abilene, TX, Texas Agric. Exp. Sta. Pub., San Angelo, TX, 150 pp.
  • OWENS, M.K. and ANSLEY, R.J. 1997. Ecophysiology and growth of Ashe and redberry Juniper. Chap. 3, pp 19-31, In: C.A. Taylor (ed.), Proceedings: Juniper Symposium 1997, 10 Jan 97, TAES-San Angelo Res. Sta. Tech. Rep. 97-1, San Angelo, TX.
  • ANSLEY, R.J., KRAMP, B.A., PINCHAK, W.E. and TUNNELL, T.R. 1997. Growth of C3 and C4 grasses following repeated summer and winter fires and clipping. Abstr. In: Proc. Soc. Range Manage., 50th Ann. Meeting, Rapid City, SD (p 61).]
  • PINCHAK, W.E., TOLLESON, D.R., ANSLEY, R.J., and KRAMP, B.A. 1997. Crude protein dynamics of mid-grass prairie grasses after repeated summer and winter fires. Abstr. In: Proc. Soc. Range Manage., 50th Ann. Meeting, Rapid City, SD (p 68).
  • HUDDLE, J.A., ANSLEY, R.J. and COX, J. 1997. Ecophysiology of salt tolerant plants along shores of saline and freshwater ponds. Abstr. In: Proc. Ecol. Soc. of Amer. Ann. Meeting, Albuquerque, NM, August, 1997.


Progress 01/01/96 to 12/30/96

Outputs
Frequency, seasonality and intensity of prescribed fires were evaluated for potential to convert honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) woodlands to grasslands or savannas. Repeated fires, summer fires or high intensity fires were more effective than single, winter or low intensity fires, respectively, at topkilling mesquite. No treatment caused more than 5% mortality. Summer fires reduced sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) growth more than winter fires, and a full growing season of rest was required for sideoats to recover from summer fires. Low intensity fires conducted during winter show promise for converting mesquite woodlands to savannas. This treatment topkilled smaller mesquite, yet preserved apical dominance in older, taller trees. Five pasture-scale prescribed fires were conducted on the Kite Camp fire/grazing study area as part of the USDA-NRI grant. Physiological studies indicated redberry juniper (Juniperus pinchotii) leaf photosynthesis and transpiration were 5 to 7 times lower than mesquite. However, whole plant leaf area was much greater in juniper and water use per tree was similar in each species. Juniper leaf gas exchange was similar throughout the year with no seasonal patterns. Therefore, annual water use per tree was greater in juniper than mesquite. In seedling studies 42% of cattle dung sites that had emerging mesquite seedlings produced at least one established plant.

Impacts
(N/A)

Publications

  • Ansley, R.J., Kramp, B.A. and Jones, D.L. 1995. Response of honey mesquite to single and repeated summer fires. pp. 13-14 In: 1995 Texas Tech Univ. Res. High.
  • Pinchak, W.E., R.J. Gill, S.J. Bevers, L.J. Hunt, D.R. Tolleson, and R.J. Ansley. 1995. Shipping stress impacts on production... pp 113-118 In: Beef Cattle Res. in Texas, 1995. Texas Agric. Exp. Sta. Misc. Pub., Coll, Sta., TX.
  • Ansley, R.J., Kramp, B.A. and Moore, T.L. 199-. Development and management of mesquite savanna using low intensity prescribed fires. Proc., First Conf. on Fire Effects on Threatened and Endangered Species. Coeur d'Alene, ID, (In Press).
  • Ansley, R.J., D.L. Jones, T.R. Tunnell, B.A. Kramp and P.W. Jacoby. 1 99-. Honey mesquite canopy responses to single winter fires....Int. J. Wildland Fire (accepted Nov. 1996).
  • Ansley, R.J., B.A. Trevino and P.W. Jacoby. 199-. Intraspecific competition in honey mesquite: leaf and whole plant responses. J. Range Manage. (accepted Nov. 1996).
  • Ansley, R.J., D.L. Jones, and B.A. Kramp. 1996. Use of different intensity fires to convert Prosopis woodlands to grasslands or savannas. pp 13-14 In: Proc.: 5th Int. Rangeland Congr., Soc. Range Manage., Salt Lake.
  • Ansley, R.J., J.F. Cadenhead, and B.A. Kramp. 1996. Mesquite savanna: a brush management option. Cattleman 82: 10-12 (April 1996 Issue).


Progress 01/01/95 to 12/30/95

Outputs
Prescribed burning to topkill honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) was more effective when conducted in late-summer than in winter months. Whole plant mortality was not affected by the fire treatments and all topkilled mesquite basal sprouted. Topkilling treatments reduced mesquite competition with grasses but did not facilitate conversion of woodland to grassland because mesquite densities were not reduced. Summer fires reduced sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) growth more than winter fires and increased Texas wintergrass (Stipa leucotricha) density over warm-season grasses. Low intensity fires in winter or summer facilitated development of mesquite savannas from thickets. These treatments reduced mesquite foliage but limited complete topkill and basal sprouting. Foliage reductions of up to 60 percent of preburn levels were attained without stimulating sprouting. Low intensity fires were conducted in mornings and evenings when humidity was high and air temperatures low. Physiology studies indicated burn sites had greater CO2 uptake than unburned mesquite stands for most of the growing season following a burn. Photosynthetis rates of redberry juniper (Juniperus pinchotii) were lower than mesquite or tobosagrass (Hilaria mutica) from May to October. Juniper photosynthesis was similar throughout the year.

Impacts
(N/A)

Publications

  • Ansley, R.J., B.A. Kramp and D.L. Jones. 1996. Development and management of mesquite savanna using low intensity prescribed fires. In: Proc. Symp. Fire Effects on Threatened and Endangered Species and Habitats (in-press).
  • Ansley, R.J., D.L. Jones and B.A. Kramp. 1995. Use of different intensity fires to convert Prosopis woodlands to grasslands or savannas. Abstr., pg 3, In: Proc. 5th Interntl. Rangeland Congr., Salt Lake City, UT.
  • Ansley, R.J., B.A. Kramp and D.L. Jones. 1995. Development and management of mesquite savanna using low intensity prescribed fires. Abstr. p39, In: Proc. Symp. Fire Effects on Threatened and Endangered Species and Habitats, Coeur d'Alene.
  • Ansley, R.J., W.E. Pinchak, and D.N. Ueckert. 1995. Changes in redberry juniper distribution in northwest Texas. Rangelands 17: 49-53.
  • Ansley, J and D. Lucia. 1994. Relation of fine fuel to fire temperature and effect on mesquite. p 11 In: 1994 - Texas Tech Univ. Res. Highlights Vol. 25, Lubbock.
  • Ansley, R.J., D.L. Jones and B.A. Kramp. 1995. Use of different intensity fires to convert Prosopis woodlands to grasslands or savannas. Proc. 5th Interntl. Rangeland Congr., Salt Lake City, UT (in-press).


Progress 01/01/94 to 12/30/94

Outputs
Prescribed burning to topkill honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) and shift mesquite woodland to grassland was more effective when conducted during late summer than winter months. A positive relationship was found between fine fuel quantity and peak fire temperature during winter fires. Peak temperature was similar under all measured fuel quantities during summer fires. Summer fires reduced sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) growth more than winter fires, but had little effect on Texas wintergrass (Stipa leucotrica) and buffalograss (Buchloe dactyloides). Simulated grazing following summer fires further limited sideoats grama recovery. Some Texas wintergrass was replaced by buffalograss when simulated grazing followed winter fires. Low intensity fires conducted at night during winter were suitable for converting mesquite woodland to savanna. This treatment reduced mesquite foliage area but did not stimulate basal sprouting. Physiological studies indicated redberry juniper (Juniperus pinchotii) leaf photosynthesis was lower than mesquite or tobosagrass (Hilaria mutica) from May to October. Mesquite photosynthesis was greater than the other species during late summer and fall. Soil nitrogen was greater beneath mesquite and redberry juniper canopies than in interspaces between plants.

Impacts
(N/A)

Publications

  • ANSLEY, R.J., W.A. DUGAS, M.L. HEUER, and B.A. TREVINO. 1994. Stem flow and porometer measurements of transpiration from honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa Torr) trees. J. Experimental Botany 45: 847-856.
  • ANSLEY, R.J., W.E. PINCHAK, and D.N. UECKERT. 1995. Changes in redberry juniper distribution in northwest Texas (1948 to 1982). Rangelands (accepted).
  • UECKERT, D.N., S.G. WHISENANT, and R.J. ANSLEY. 1994. Biology and ecology of redberry juniper. Chap. 3, pages 25-29, In: C.A. Taylor (ed) Proceedings: Juniper Symposium 1994, 14 April, TAES-Sonora Res. Sta. Tech. Rep. 94-2, 80 pp.
  • ANSLEY, R.J., P.W. JACOBY, D.R. LUCIA, and D. JONES. 1994. Effect of summer and winter fires and fire frequency on honey mesquite mortality. Abstr. In: Proc. Soc. Range Manage., 47th Ann. Meeting, Colo. Spgs., CO (pg. 3).
  • ANSLEY, R.J., D.R. LUCIA, and P.W. JACOBY. 1994. Use of video tape to quantify flame length of rangeland fires. Abstr. In: Proc. Soc. Range Manage., 47th Ann. Meeting, Colo. Spgs, CO (pg. 58).
  • JACOBY, P.W., R.J. ANSLEY, and D.R. LUCIA. 1994. Comparing summer and winter burns through time-temperature data. Abstr. In: Proc. Soc. Range Manage., 47th Ann. Meeting, Colorado Springs, CO (pg. 25).
  • TEAGUE, R., J. ANSLEY and B. PINCHAK. 1994. Reviving the Rolling Plains rangelands. TAES-Vernon RES. Sta. Pamphlet, 6 pp.