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Oak brush control

More than one million acres of Colorado rangeland is infected with oak brush. The application of proper brush control and management practices could have a tremendous economic impact on the areas involved.

oak bush test area

Numerous chemicals and combinations of chemicals have been used with limited success to control Gambel Oak. Those which show the most promise have been placed on the restricted use list because residues could have a detrimental effect on the environment.

Mechanical treatment such as roller chopping will give temporary improved forage yields for cattle. Sprouting will occur following mechanical application for eliminating mature oak brush. Within a few years the sprouts can present a more serious problem than the original stand of mature oak.

goats eating oak brush

Goats have been used effectively to control the new growth of oak brush by keeping the sprouts defoliated. A field, mechanically treated in 1964, was grazed by goats five consecutive years beginning in 1968. Only an occasional small sprout could be found on the treated area in 1987.

pasture grazed by goats

A 400 acre pasture chained in 1973 and 1976 was grazed by 1000 Angora goats during 1983 to 1985. Approximately 50% of the sprouts were killed on the grazed area. Cattle numbers were decreased about 10% during the three-year period goats were in the pasture. Diet studies have shown goats prefer leaves and new growth of the oak brush over grass. As long as oak sprouts were plentiful the goats diet will exceed 90% oak leaves and sprouts.

San Juan Basin Research Center

Research at the Old Fort provided many opportunities for graduate student research projects at Colorado State University. Over 40 MS theses and Ph.D. dissertations have been written on data collected at the Old Fort (San Juan Basin Research Center), and over 200 scientific papers and popular articles have been published.

In June 2010, Colorado State University closed the San Juan Basin Research Center at the Hesperus location.

View historical research records

Reach out about a new project

Please contact us to inquire about a new project at the Old Fort.

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The Old Fort

18683 CO-140
Hesperus, CO 81326
 oldfortathesperus@fortlewis.edu
 970-385-4574

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Land Acknowledgement 

We acknowledge the land that the Old Fort is situated upon is the ancestral land and territory of the Nuuchiu (Ute) people who were forcibly removed by the United States Government. We also acknowledge that this land is connected to the communal and ceremonial spaces of the Jicarilla Abache (Apache), Pueblos of New Mexico, Hopi Sinom (Hopi), and Diné (Navajo) Nations.

The Old Fort and Fort Lewis College are committed to reconciling their history as a federal Indian Boarding School from 1892 to 1909.

Learn more about reconciliation

 

FLC Statement

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The Old Fort is owned by the Colorado State Land Board and managed by Fort Lewis College.


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