Plant Pest Pressure: Striving to Tackle Conifer Encroachment
Terry Todd is working with NRCS, Southwest Montana Sagebrush Partnership, and Ruby Valley Conservation District to take on conifer encroachment to help reduce wildfires, increase water quantity for stream flows, create a better space for wildlife, and to grow more grass for his 500 cattle.
“I'm trying to improve the grasslands as I see it.”
A local cattleman who owns and manages property near Sheridan, Montana, Terry Todd is no stranger to working on the land in the beautiful Ruby Valley. By working with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Southwest Montana Sagebrush Partnership, and Ruby Valley Conservation District, he is taking on conifer encroachment to help reduce wildfires, increase water quantity for stream flows, create a better space for wildlife, and to grow more grass for his 500 cattle.
When Terry Todd bought his 7,000-acre property, he knew that the grass and soil were not doing too well due to the intrusion of junipers. “It’s nice country and I’ve tried to improve it the best I can with water and cross fences. The biggest thing I've done is the prescribed burning. As far as [helping] to generate income for me because, I'm a seller of grass, which is what all cattlemen are,” Terry said with a smirk.
Terry initially started doing prescribed burning to take control of the junipers and extremely overgrown sagebrush that were invading his land and consuming resources that would otherwise have gone toward sustaining the diverse and productive plant species of a healthy rangeland system. He later started receiving technical and financial assistance from NRCS and partnered with the Southwest Montana Sagebrush Partnership and Ruby Valley Conservation District to aid in conifer encroachment solutions.
Sara Leffingwell, NRCS district conservationist, said about the Targeted Implementation Plan (TIP) “The overall point of this project is to help reduce conifer encroachment. Because fire has been taken off the landscape, juniper and Douglas fir have spread and started encroaching on areas they normally wouldn't be and more into our range and sagebrush type landscapes. So, we're working on trying to help remove those to increase wildlife habitat in general.” Terry Todd’s project was a great fit into the larger-scale TIP, as both are addressing similar issues, so they started to work together.
“The NRCS has this conifer encroachment program. I think the reason they selected me is because the way my property is. There are several streams that flow down through it. And it’s just a lot of grasslands and there’s a lot of junipers sneaking up on us… you got too many trees. You need to go in there and then take the harvestable stuff and take whatever firewood you can get out of there. Give enough spacing so that you will open up the canopy so that the grasses will grow underneath,” he explained.
Juniper encroachment has been linked to decreased water quantities within a watershed. “By eliminating these junipers in the bottoms [of the draws], I would have to think that that would help keep more water in the stream,” Terry stated while pointing to the water and piles of tree debris waiting to be burned after thinning treatments.
“I'm trying to improve the grasslands as I see it. I think it's working. We were able to put another extra hundred animal units on it, “Terry exclaimed. He is already seeing results and reaping the rewards of addressing the issue of conifer encroachment.
Not only is Terry seeing beneficial outcomes for his cattle and monetary gains, but he’s also witnessing how the juniper thinned land is benefiting the wildlife. “I would say that you have a healthier elk population from doing this.” Terry continues, “We see grouse, elk, deer, antelope. So, it’s a benefit to everything I would say. I think it’s a win-win. It benefits a lot, not just yourself. And I think that’s fantastic.”
Terry Todd is one of 12 landowners that are part of the South Tobacco Roots Rangeland and Conifer Encroachment TIP that now covers 12,415 acres of successful program practices in Madison County. This project primarily addresses conifer encroachment into safe-steppe ecosystems, in the tributary watersheds of the Lower Ruby River and Madison River.
Partnerships and collaborations are vital in working on a huge undertaking such as conifer encroachment. Clayton Marxer, NRCS soil conversation technician, explains, “When we came up with this project, it opened the door for a lot of people to actually accomplish something that would make a big difference on their landscape. It's been really neat to be part of that.”
NRCS partnered with the Southwest Montana Sagebrush Partnership (SMSP), who helped to connect landowners with contractors who performed the treatment work. SMSP brought together the Bureau of Land Management and Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation to perform similar work on public lands adjacent to private land that NRCS had contracted. By coordinating with other agencies, SMSP was able to greatly contribute to the conifer encroachment work that NRCS has been accomplishing.
To learn more about NRCS conservation assistance, visit your local service center.