This component of the Conservation Innovation Grants Summer Burning project evaluates the economic feasibility of using prescribed fire that exceeds the current Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) technical standards as a rangeland restoration practice on privately owned land in Texas. This study has four objectives: (1) Evaluate the economic effectiveness of using prescribed extreme burns as a rangeland restoration tool compared to other rangeland restoration strategies. (2) Provide economic research results that will facilitate a review of the technical standards, specification, and potential policy changes by the NRCS with respect to the use of prescribed extreme burning. (3) Assess economic effects of extreme fire when used in combination with other treatment practices over a 20 year planning horizon. (4) Through modeling, forecasting, and simulation assess the risk associated with the use of extreme prescribed fire, with respect to weather (rainfall) conditions. The research covers four contiguous counties in each of three eco-regions in Texas: Rolling Plains, Edwards Plateau, and the South Texas Plains. Focus group meetings with landowners and NRCS/Extension personnel were held in each region to obtain preliminary information including common rangeland uses, most problematic invasive brush species, and the most commonly used treatment methods and associated costs. The primary invasive species in each region include: Rolling Plains – Prickly Pear (Opuntia phaecantha); Edwards Plateau – Redberry and Ashe Juniper (Juniperus ashei Buchh. And J. pinchotii Sudw., respectively); South Texas Plains – Huisache (Acacia smallii Isely). Mesquite (Prosopis glandulsa Torr.) was identified as a common invasive brush species across all three regions. When extreme fire was compared to the most commonly used invasive brush treatments, assuming the treatment was instituted in year one, it was economically superior in all cases and feasible (Net Present Value > 0 and Benefit/Cost Ratio >1) in all but two cases. The inclusion of forecasted rainfall figures with the combination of using the most commonly used brush treatment with extreme fire proved to substantially reduce the risk of instituting the treatment regimes. The probability distribution of NPVs was significantly smaller when treatment practices were spread over ten years and parcels than when treatment was restricted to the first year and whole ranch.

This component of the Conservation Innovation Grants Summer Burning project evaluates the economic feasibility of using prescribed fire that exceeds the current Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) technical standards as a rangeland restoration practice on privately owned land in Texas. This study has four objectives: (1) Evaluate the economic effectiveness of using prescribed extreme burns as a rangeland restoration tool compared to other rangeland restoration strategies. (2) Provide economic research results that will facilitate a review of the technical standards, specification, and potential policy changes by the NRCS with respect to the use of prescribed extreme burning. (3) Assess economic effects of extreme fire when used in combination with other treatment practices over a 20 year planning horizon. (4) Through modeling, forecasting, and simulation assess the risk associated with the use of extreme prescribed fire, with respect to weather (rainfall) conditions. The research covers four contiguous counties in each of three eco-regions in Texas: Rolling Plains, Edwards Plateau, and the South Texas Plains. Focus group meetings with landowners and NRCS/Extension personnel were held in each region to obtain preliminary information including common rangeland uses, most problematic invasive brush species, and the most commonly used treatment methods and associated costs. The primary invasive species in each region include: Rolling Plains – Prickly Pear (Opuntia phaecantha); Edwards Plateau – Redberry and Ashe Juniper (Juniperus ashei Buchh. And J. pinchotii Sudw., respectively); South Texas Plains – Huisache (Acacia smallii Isely). Mesquite (Prosopis glandulsa Torr.) was identified as a common invasive brush species across all three regions. When extreme fire was compared to the most commonly used invasive brush treatments, assuming the treatment was instituted in year one, it was economically superior in all cases and feasible (Net Present Value > 0 and Benefit/Cost Ratio >1) in all but two cases. The inclusion of forecasted rainfall figures with the combination of using the most commonly used brush treatment with extreme fire proved to substantially reduce the risk of instituting the treatment regimes. The probability distribution of NPVs was significantly smaller when treatment practices were spread over ten years and parcels than when treatment was restricted to the first year and whole ranch.

Conceptual and theoretical advancements have been developed in recent years to break down the assumptions and traditional boundaries that establish seemingly independent disciplines, and the research outlined in this dissertation aspires to build on these advancements to provide innovative solutions to a broad array of modern problems in social-ecological. I used a variety of techniques to address challenges ranging from disconnections between theory and application, perceived versus realized roles of prescribed fire in resprouting shrublands, and the need for broader participation in research as part of undergraduate education. The chapters in this dissertation serve as a case-study approach across multiple scientific disciplines that overcome the traditions and assumptions that conflict with our ability to develop innovative solutions to modern social-ecological problems. First, I bridge theoretical and applied concepts by showing how recent theoretical advancements in resilience can be integrated into a predictive framework for environmental managers. Second, experimental data from multiple experiments were collected in two ecological regions of Texas to assess the potential for using extreme fire, in isolation and in combination with herbicide, as a novel intervention approach in resprouting shrublands of the southern Great Plains. The findings from these experiments demonstrate the importance of moving past traditional assumptions of when prescribed fire should be applied to demonstrate new patterns of woody plant responses to the applications of “more extreme” prescribed fires while not causing undesirable invasions by exotic grasses and exotic insects. Finally, I initiated a PhD instructed course on undergraduate research that sought to increase undergraduate participation while lowering the costs of conducting research. This chapter shows how traditional approaches of supporting undergraduate research are incapable of meeting the broader goals established by society and reveal a novel approach that can provide an additional pathway for supporting undergraduate student participation at large, research-based universities. Ultimately, this research suggests that our capacity to enhance services in social-ecological systems ultimately hinges upon the integration of theoretical and applied concepts that drive policy and governance and overcoming the assumptions and traditions that limit their integration.