Cost of Controlling Maturing Western Juniper Trees

Abstract

A cost evaluation was conducted of four alternatives for improvements on maturing western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) woodlands. The alternatives were: (a) the use of picloram (4-amino-3,5,6-trichloropicolinic acid) to kill the trees with no further treatment, with a total cost of $78/ha ($31/acre); (b) picloram with sufficient limbing and/or removal of trees to allow passage of a rangeland drill for seeding at a cost of $448/ha ($179/acre); (c) mechanical clearing and burning of the trees at a cost of $595/ha ($237/acre); and (d) wood harvesting and slash disposal at a cost of $2,080/ha ($832/acre). The picloram and limb, mechanical, and wood-harvesting treatments provide mechanically seedable sites, but of considerably different quality in terms of ease of seeding and chances of seedling establishment. The mechanical treatment requires a large capital investment, while the wood-harvesting treatment requires a large amount of labor. Based on equivalent energy values, the wood-harvesting operation would produce a profit for the landowner who could afford to invest the labor. For a specific woodland, a combination of treatments would be most cost effective.