Landowner willingness to participate in a Texas brush reduction program

Because most of Texas consists of privately owned land and the amount of brush cover on rangelands may affect off-site water yields, there has been increasing interest in publicly funded brush clearing programs aimed at increasing water yield. The Pedernales River was selected as I of 8 watersheds to determine the feasibility of implementing such a program. A survey questionnaire was mailed to 720 landowners in Blanco and Gillespie County (containing most of the Pedernales watershed) in June 2000 to identify factors that influence their interest in participating in a brush reduction program. The sample consisted of equal numbers of landowners with 4-20, 21-202, and > 202 ha of land. Fifty eight percent of the survey participants responded, 82% of whom answered questions about their willingness to enroll at least part of their land in a brush reduction program. Property size and income from wildlife were found to be significant positive determinants and level of satisfaction with brush a significant negative determinant of respondents' willingness to enroll. To optimize public investments, it may be preferable to maximize the area enrolled in a brush removal program by targeting larger landowners who appear to be willing to enroll larger portions of their land without requiring compensation that exceeds their net cost of enrollment. Because land in the Edwards Plateau is being subdivided and purchased by people who do not depend on land-based income and who may be more tolerant of brush, public funds required to encourage landowner participation may increase over time.