In recent weeks, I have been spending my mornings cut-stumping mesquite within the farm’s Landowner Incentive Program (LIP) project area, which will eventually be planted with native grasses and forbs. The removal of mesquite will allow for more effective coverage of herbicide applications in advance of the planting, as well as clearing the way for the planting itself. Kyra, our farm intern, assisted me during the first week, during which we identified efficient techniques for this process together.
Many of the individual plants in LIP had already been hit with one or two leaf-spray applications during the summers of 2018 and 2019, and if the treatment was completely successful on an individual plant and killed it, the stems and branches were leafless, pale, and brittle, and would easily crack and fall over when pressure was applied, such as with one’s foot. If the plant was not completely killed, or had not received a leaf-spray treatment, the stems were usually a darker brown and very pliable, often with visible green leaves. Unlike the completely dead plants, the remaining stumps of live individuals received an application of a solution of the appropriate woody herbicide mixed with diesel via a backpack sprayer immediately after the stems or branches were cut off just above the ground. Particular care was taken to ensure the cambium layer, a ring near the outer edge, was covered, as that is where the chemical will be absorbed into the root system to kill the rest of the plant and prevent resprouting. The majority of plants in the pasture we’ve so far covered had stems or branches that were small enough to cut down with large hand-held loppers, but plants with a trunk or branch larger than about two inches in diameter usually required a chainsaw for removal. All cut branches were picked up and placed into centralized piles as we worked across the pasture, so as to prevent them from becoming hazards for tires. Kyra and I cleared about 18 acres together, putting in about 33 hours combined, and I have since cleared another 16 acres with approximately 32 more to clear.
Not long ago, I drove to San Marcos with a small gooseneck trailer to pick up eight rolls of 6.25’x360’ 4 ounce-weight nonwoven geotextile (see photo). This material will be used in construction of the Partners Project walking trail, as an impediment for vegetation growing up through the trail and a sort of net to keep the finer pieces and particles of the crushed limestone aggregate from sinking into the soil underneath the trail and eroding away. Construction of the trail is expected to occur from late July into August, as I am finalizing aggregate delivery and equipment rental now. My first t’bench (photo included) will make its way out there afterwards. I’ve also included two photos of the Partners site as it currently exists, with the orange flags marking the proposed half-mile trail route, as well as a photo of some of our native Texas bluebells (Eustoma grandiflorum). The trail will be built and some structures added this summer, with the prescribed burn planned for this winter (structures will either be moved or the vegetation around them cleared in advance of the burn). The next step will be to observe which vegetation species sprout post-burn and in what densities, in order to determine if one or more applications of herbicide need to occur in advance of planting the native grasses and forbs.
This past week, in addition to cut-stumping, I assisted farm personnel in patching some of our barbed wire fencing at a wash-out, where water runoff over time had caused enough soil erosion to create a sizable gap between the bottom wire of the fence and the ground. We also built a 3-wire electric fence to reinforce one of the farm’s older sections of permanent fence separating the grazing pastures from each other. Participating in the construction of the hot wire fence was a new experience for me, and one I will remember for future fence work, as it is an important skill in the wildlife field as well as in agriculture. While cut-stumping and fence work are not particularly exciting tasks, especially in the summer heat, both are critical to habitat management efforts, and there is definitely something to be said for the satisfaction that comes with seeing immediate results as a product of one’s efforts.
In terms of recent wildlife sightings, most animals are staying well out of sight and out of the heat during the day, but between myself and Kyra, we have most notably seen a family of raccoons, a coyote, and a plethora of cicadas, grasshoppers, and praying mantis nymphs as of late. We also discovered a Northern mockingbird nest in the headgate of one of our cattle pen lanes (see photos), so we had to manage fly-tagging seven weaned calves in the lane instead, which was rather more difficult, but doable. Additionally, my dog encountered a skunk earlier this week on one of our evening walks. As one might expect, the skunk was not well pleased when my dog approached at speed to say hello, and I was not pleased when my dog returned to me in a strongly malodorous state. Luckily, the skunk, the dog, and my olfactory senses survived ultimately unharmed by the chance meeting.
Until next time,
Dani Miller
Wildlife Biologist
Stiles Farm Foundation
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Dani Miller
Wildlife Biologist
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Stiles Farm Foundation
5700 FM 1063
Thrall, TX 76578
C: 254-760-6176