Brush Busting: Reclaiming and Maintaining Grasslands on the Central Coast

Brush encroachment on Central Coast rangelands threatens native grassland ecosystems, reduces biodiversity, increases wildfire risk, and diminishes the agricultural productivity that supports local ranching communities. While brush control is essential for maintaining healthy rangelands, the costs of effective management often exceed what traditional livestock operations can sustain, creating a barrier to implementing necessary stewardship practices. Invasive brush species compete with native grasses, reduce forage quality, fragment wildlife habitat, and create dense fuel loads that intensify wildfire behavior. With growing recognition of the ecological and economic importance of grassland conservation, there are tools available for brush management, from traditional mechanical and chemical methods to innovative targeted grazing strategies.

Goal: To improve brush management capacity on the Central Coast by improving attendees' understanding of effective control methods, ecological benefits, and practical implementation strategies for maintaining healthy grassland ecosystems.

Objectives:

• Attendees will understand the ecological and economic value of brush control, including benefits to biodiversity, fire risk reduction, forage production, and rangeland productivity.
• Attendees will learn about brush management methods including mechanical control, herbicide applications, targeted goat grazing, and strategic cattle grazing systems.
• Attendees will understand brush response patterns following wildfire events and opportunities for strategic post-fire management.
• Attendees will gain practical knowledge about regulatory requirements, funding sources, and community support strategies needed to implement successful brush control programs on Central Coast rangelands

This event is hosted by the Central Coast Rangeland Coalition. For more information visit: https://ucanr.edu/site/central-coast-rangeland-coalition/coalition-meetings-documents