Restoring Native Grasslands

By: K. Brian Hays, Matthew Wagner, Fred Smeins and R. Neal Wilkins

The native grasslands of Texas have been steadily disappearing since the arrival of the first settlers. With urban development and the conversion of land to row crops and pastures of non-native grasses, only about 96 million of the original 148 million acres of native grasslands remain. Much of the remaining grassland area has been degraded by overgrazing and the encroachment of brush.

Benefits of native grasslands include:

Wildlife habitat
Recreation
Livestock forage
Erosion control
Healthy watersheds
Low maintenance
Nutrient cycling
Sustainability

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