Herbicide Treatment of Western Honey Mesquite in Texas Grasslands

Land managers from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) are working to restore grassland habitat through the removal of western honey mesquite surrounding Calamity Creek of the Elephant Mountain Wildlife Management Area (EMWMA). They implemented two herbicide treatment plans through Individual Plant Treatment (IPT) and aerial application. A total of 418 acres were treated by aerial application, and over 90 acres were treated with IPT using backpack/ATV sprayers. Monitoring results showed that areas treated with the Sendero/Remedy mix had a 45-70% honey mesquite mortality rate and a 98% one-year canopy reduction. Grass cover increased from 7% to 30% one year after the herbicide treatments.