The research conducted by a team from Texas Tech University utilized UAV flights to collect data and display how honey mesquite and yellow bluestem spread, potentially giving landowners a way to control the species population.
In Texas, mesquite trees are as common as football, thunderstorms and hot summer nights. It is a staple of outdoor cooking and prevalent in almost every part of the state.
But, for land managers, the spread of honey mesquite, a native and prevalent species, is an issue, as is the non-native yellow bluestem, a grass species native to eastern Europe and Asia that has been spreading throughout the southern U.S. over the last few decades. Together, these two species are a threat to maintaining rangeland diversity and productivity.
Controlling these two species, however, has been difficult. Hopefully, thanks to research by a team from Texas Tech University's Department of Natural Resources Management (NRM), rangeland managers may now have a method to get a leg up on controlling the spread of honey mesquite and yellow bluestem.
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Image via Texas Tech University
