The Ongoing Work of Healing the Land

When restoration began, one the first steps was removing cattle from the property so native grasses could recover. Even so, an overabundant whitetail deer population continued to limit the return of forbs and woody species. Today deer browse is managed through high fencing and selective harvesting.

Prescribed burns are a cornerstone of prairie restoration. They mimic the natural fires that once controlled woody plant encroachment, release nutrients, promote native grasses and increase the diversity of the land. In early 1990s, we were among the first Hill Country ranches to use prescribed fire as a restoration tool, and we have continued the practice ever since. In 2011 we conducted our first public burn demonstration.

Ongoing management of non-native invasive species is a critical part of our restoration work. Aggressive grasses such as KR bluestem, Johnsongrass, and Bermuda grass along with low-palatability native grasses such as three-awn and poverty dropseed often dominate over-grazed Central Texas ranchlands. Woody invasives like chinaberry, Chinese tallow and privet also compete with native species. Through years of prescribed fire, localized herbicide treatments, and manual clearing these invasives have been steadily reduced, allowing the native grasses, forbs, and woody species to gradually reclaim their space.