Bradford Wilcox is professor in the Department of Ecology and Conservation at Texas A&M University. His work is at the interface of ecology and hydrology in grasslands, woodlands and savannas. He has worked extensively across on rangelands across United States including Texas, New Mexico, Idaho and across the Great Plains. He is particularly interested in understanding how runoff, streamflow, and groundwater recharge is altered by vegetation change on drylands. In addition, he has led a number of interdisciplinary teams focusing on understanding and managing woody plant encroachment on rangelands.
Woody plant encroachment is a global phenomena where by grasslands and savannas are converted to shrublands and woodlands. This transformation has many implications for ecosystem services from rangelands including forage production, biodiversity and alterations in the water and biogeochemical cycles. This presentation will summarize our current understanding of how woody plant encroachment alters streamflows and groundwater recharge across the Great Plains of the United States. In addition, Dr. Wilcox will describe emerging management strategies that may prove effecting in managing woody plant encroachment and maintaining more open savannas. These management strategies include the synergistic application of prescribed fire and mixed animal grazing using pyric herbivore.
