David Touchon, The Cibolo Land Manager
The “old brush pile” is quintessential Americana and no matter where you travel in our great state you will see many varieties of them. Every brush pile tells a story of conception, individuality, size, shape, style and personality. Scrounging through an old brush pile might render some vintage finds like old windows, vintage hinges, rustic boards and seasoned wood to glean information from the past. Not to mention the many critters inside.
The presence of brush piles offers a context of land usage, most commonly agricultural use in the form of hay production and crops. Many older brush piles across the landscape have been pushed into nonuse areas and have evolved into curious habitat centers for many types of native flora and fauna.
As the urban/rural interface moves into the wildland salient, so does development. Development efforts typically make “space” through the practice of removal. Removed items are typically mulched, reintroduced or transported off site. Obviously, the brush pile aesthetic does not meld into the residential/commercial usage theory, or should it?
Many out-of-production agriculture fields within the Urban/Rural interface offer many opportunities. Agricultural fields are generally larger in size, relatively flat/level and free from obstructions that might hinder machinery.
A common practice in certain areas is to establish a pile of brush and when the time is right, burn it. The presence of a brush pile upon the landscape might seem unkept but to what extent? Burning is an option but comes with a great deal of landowner liability in the form of wildfire. Site preparation, communication, wind, humidity, Burn Ban and time are careful considerations when you look at burning. Not to mention ground scaring.
The Institute for Irregular Land Management offers many creative brush solutions; here are a couple of ideas. Multiple diminutive piles instead of one large one; Long and low brush; piles to form partitions, Hugelkultur and woven hedges to name a few. Craft your management goals towards areas of protection with the wise distribution of brush.
Here at the Cibolo we have been doing quite a bit of linear brush delineation between certain ecotones on property. This placement will hopefully increase the numbers of certain grasses, birds, reptiles and small mammals, hence promoting multi-functionality and future research efforts. On one property, we are intentionally bringing in brush due to previous aggressive brush clearing efforts.
There is no secret recipe for your brush pile. Juniper is long lasting and incredibly durable; hardwoods tend to decompose but provides voids for habitation; China Berry is long lasting, while Ligustrum and Chinese Tallows typically melt into the landscape. Build your pile with precision and protect those areas that you are given. Each brush pile is a style of art which provides welcomed escape cover, overwintering shelter and quite often a home location to a variety of woodland creatures and much more! Everything is simply borrowed for just a while, and your legacy of care upon the land will last for others to marvel at.
See you in the field!
