Shrub Control to Restore a Coastal Prairie Ecosystem

Researchers from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley partnered with The Peregrine Fund and USFWS to evaluate grassland management strategies that address honey mesquite and huisache shrub encroachment in the Bahia Grande coastal prairie, with the goal of protecting the habitats for endangered falcon populations. The most effective strategy, although the most expensive, consisted of mechanical treatment, herbicide application, and prescribed fire. Following a mechanical treatment, prescribed fire cleared debris from the soil and increased recovery rates for gulf cordgrass, whereas herbicide applied two years after the mechanical and prescribed fire treatments effectively prevent resprouting shrubs.