Goats, Shears, Fire And Teamwork: The Recipe Saving Oklahoma’s Grazing Lands

Ranchers Fight Woody Encroachment In The Great Plains

Seven decades. That’s how long Oklahoma State University Extension has been monitoring and researching woody encroachment on the state’s grasslands. During that time, eastern redcedar trees have increased by more than 200 percent in some areas.

The trees’ takeover of valuable grazing lands is alarming. These woody shrubs reduce profits for agricultural landowners when they outcompete native grasses that feed livestock. They also reduce the amount of water available and diminish wildlife habitat.

This unwanted invasion has sparked action from counties, conservation groups and ranchers alike to remove them from Oklahoma’s prairies. And while the mode of action for tackling encroaching redcedars has evolved a bit over the past seven decades, the goal remains the same: keep grasslands covered in grass. 

Prescribed Fire: The Old Standby

Scott Westrup and his wife, Connie, ranch in Freedom, Oklahoma. Nearly 30 years ago Westrup and his father worked alongside progressive ranchers in Kansas who used prescribed burns to control the spread of eastern redcedar. The Westrups brought this practice south to their ranch and have successfully used it to keep troublesome trees confined to draws and canyons.

Unfortunately, Westrup, like so many others across the Great Plains, is dealing with a multi-year drought. He has de-emphasized fire due to the increased hazard and instead incorporated other methods to fight woody encroachment.

For example, Westrup has a full lineup of mechanical tactics to battle encroachment when redcedar are still young, ranging from shearing to pulling to mowing the seedlings. For larger trees, he says it’s important to burn the cleared trees after they’ve been cut. Fire kills any seeds, which prevents the regrowth of new trees down the road.
“Where stands are thick, a fire alone won’t get you a good kill, so it takes both cutting and burning. You’ve got to have both tools,” Westrup explains. 

Early Adoption Leads To Quick Results

Westrup was one of the first ranchers in Oklahoma to enroll in the Great Plains Grassland Initiative when it launched in 2021. The GPGI is part of Working Lands for Wildlife, led by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. The GPGI’s goal is to help landowners remove encroaching trees to re-create tree-free, seed-free prairies that are more profitable for ranchers and more productive for wildlife.

“It’s kind of a new way to attack an old problem,” said Westrup. “I like the idea of cleaning up your ground, seeing success and then continuing to go at the tree infestation.”
Westrup appreciates the collaborative, cross-boundary aspect of GPGI because he believes that neighbors across county and state lines need to work together to fight woody encroachment.

“We’re trying to fight back. And this program is helping us to meet that enemy as it’s coming at us,” Westrup explains. 

New Partners For New Solutions

Laura Goodman, a rangeland extension specialist with Oklahoma State University Extension, is excited to be working with GPGI and the NRCS to solve problems facing Great Plains ranchers. “We’re learning a lot from each other and it’s been a fantastic experience,” Goodman says.

This trifecta – GPGI, NRCS and OSU Extension – are working together to provide information to landowners in Oklahoma on novel approaches for controlling woody encroachment and brush growth. 

One of these approaches is patch grazing, where landowners burn a portion of pasture and allow livestock to access that portion shortly after the nutritious new grass grows back. This helps ranchers stockpile forage in areas where livestock aren’t grazing, letting native grasses grow until they are needed. 

Another profitable strategy that enables landowners to keep woody species from re-sprouting on grasslands is to graze multiple species. Goats are gaining traction in the Great Plains because they will eat brush and woody perennials, leaving more valuable grass for cattle. Plus, raising and selling goat kids can be lucrative for ranchers.

This kind of “thinking outside the box” in Oklahoma braids grasslands, wildlife and livestock together into a cohesive system that is both sustainable and profitable. 

“The thing that gets me the most excited about working with the GPGI is the partnership,” says Goodman. “A concerted effort with all of us working together toward the same goal is something that is unique. I think it’s going to make this a really successful program across the Great Plains.”