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Cost for managing an oak-grassland habitat

Cost for managing an oak-grassland habitat

What is the anticipated costs and what is currently budgeted for maintenance of the existing ‘8600’ acres of savanna/grass lands? Accounting data for the costs of this project (8,600)?

We project out our costs for programs such as timber and fire then submit a request for funding annually. This is done as one budget item. We do not break it down into such detail. As land managers we take into account our areas that need treatments and plan for those areas several years in advance. You can find more information about where we spend our funds in one of our “Questions from the Public” articles at https://landbetweenthelakes.us/where-does-the-money-go/.

Firefighters light a prescribed burn in the Buffalo Trail area.
Firefighters light a prescribed burn in the Buffalo Trail area. Prescribed burning is a land management tool used to improve and diversify habitat and reduce fuels such as leaf litter and tall grasses. November 2009

Our prescribed burning costs have been averaging around $20 per acre. Prescribed fires serve as a best management practice for maintenance of oak-grassland and open canopy acreage. Fire is one of the most economical ways to treat the landscape and reach our desired conditions in our Oak-Grassland Restoration Demonstration Areas. We have projected these areas to be burned on a 3-5 year rotation depending on weather and research needs.

Wild turkey dances in mating season
Turkeys strut their stuff as they enter into mating season in the Elk & Bison Prairie. Photo by Ray Stainfield May 2014

Timber harvesting also provides an economically efficient method to achieve the desired results in our Oak-Grassland Restoration Demonstration Areas. Because we use local master loggers who sell the timber for different wood products, harvesting also provides economic benefits to local communities. These costs vary depending on the site requirements and desired conditions.

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