Cost of Controlling Maturing Western Juniper Trees

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Abstract
A cost evaluation was conducted of 4 alternatives for improvements [for rangeland browse] on maturing western juniper (J. occidentalis) woodlands. The alternatives were: 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); picloram with sufficient limbing and/or removal of trees to allow passage of a rangeland drill for seedling at a cost of $448/ha ($179/acre); mechanical clearing and burning of the trees at cost of $595/ha ($237/acre); and wood harvesting and slash disposal at a cost of .apprx. 2080/ha ($832/acre). The picloram and limb, mechanical, and wood-harvesting treatment provide mechanically seedable sites, but of considerably different quality in terms of ease of seedling 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.

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