Land Craftsmanship

The most essential "tool" of land management is the knowledge, ingenuity and dedication of the owner as guided by stewardship ethics.

Article by STEVE NELLE

Land management is a complex hybrid discipline. Like many other crafts, it is both an art and a science and each of these approaches is needed for lasting success. As with other trades, there is a set of tools which are used to accomplish specific tasks and purposes.

Craftsmen in any trade or profession do not just reach into the box and start using the first tool they find; they thoughtfully select the best tool for each step of the process. Because good land management is a complicated endeavor, selecting the right tool is usually not a simple or straightforward decision. There will usually be multiple tools that can be used for a given situation, but choosing the right tool for the specific application is an important first step and will increase the likelihood of success and cost effectiveness.

Aldo Leopold espoused five broad kinds of tools and said that the creative and purposeful use of these tools is the essence of land and wildlife management. He also reminded us that these same tools can cause damage when improperly used.

Our tools today are more numerous, more complex and more powerful than in Leopold’s day but the basic principles are the same. Any tool can be used skillfully in the right situation for a beneficial purpose, or it can be used without forethought and skill and result in damage. The more powerful the tool, the more good it can do, and conversely the more harm it can do; skillful application is even more important now than it was in Leopold’s day.

Instead of just the “axe,” we now have dozens of kinds of advanced equipment, a myriad of specialized attachments and numerous effective herbicides to manipulate woody plants. Each has its own particular advantages and disadvantages.

In addition to the basic “plow” for farming and planting, we now have countless tillage implements, aerators, precision planters, no-till drills, cultipackers, keyline plowing techniques and many variations of each.

The “cow” in Leopold’s day represented only the most rudimentary form of grazing management. He could not begin to fathom the sophisticated and creative forms of grazing that are now used to restore ranges and manage habitat.

In Leopold’s generation “fire” was a crude tool; burning by prescription with good weather forecasting and the knowledge of fire behavior was unknown. Thanks to pioneers such as Dr. Henry Wright and others, burning has now become a powerful, predictable and effective tool for land management when used the right way in the right situation.

The “gun” is still a primary tool to manipulate animal numbers (and to generate revenue), but we now have additional methods of population management for both game animals and pests. Hunting is not only about recreation, tradition or bringing home meat—it is also a necessary form of habitat and herd management in many cases.

We should not get into arguments about which tools and methods are best. Each tool is good when properly used, but we must realize that even good tools used in the wrong way result in a bad outcome. Just like any other craft, the hands that guide the tools and the mind that guides the hands are more critical to success than the actual tools.

In 1868, a London periodical contained this observation: "Give a boy a hammer and chisel and at once he begins to hack away the doorposts, shutters and window frames.” Nearly a century later an American philosopher proposed the law of the hammer: “Give a small boy a hammer, and he will find that everything he encounters needs pounding." Having observed two sons and five grandsons grow up, I can confirm that this law is true.

The modern version of the law varies only slightly: “If your only tool is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” The law of the hammer is a cognitive bias that involves an over-reliance on a favorite and familiar tool even when its use is not constructive.

Land managers are sometimes guilty of this error of over-using a favorite tool even where it is not the best choice.

Photo by Preston Irwin, NRCS

When properly planned and carried out, prescribed burning can be a good tool to accomplish several beneficial purposes.

Photo by Steve Nelle

Livestock grazing can be an exceptional wildlife habitat management tool when properly done, and it also generates income.

Photo by Preston Irwin, NRCS

Chopping or aerating can be used to renovate browse, improve accessibility or prepare a seedbed.

Photo by Preston Irwin, NRCS

Many newer kinds of tools and equipment are used now that were not available in Leopold's day. (Photo by Preston Irwin, NRCS)

Photo by eeter Aerial Spraying

Aerial spraying has become more effective in recent years with the advent of new herbicides and reduced side effects. For example, some managers have over-emphasized the use of fire, or rotational grazing or brush control as their tool of choice, pushing a given practice beyond its practical limits.

There are no silver bullet practices in land management, and there is no Leatherman type of tool that does everything. There are many tools, techniques and methods, each requiring a set of skills for proficient and successful use.

Closely related to the law of the hammer is the law of professional distortion which is the tendency to look at things only from the point of view of one's own area of expertise rather than from a broader perspective. It is the same thing as tunnel vision.

Confirmation bias is another law of behavior that hinders our use of unfamiliar or new methods and techniques. This is the predisposition to adhere too strongly to what we already believe without acknowledging possible flaws and limitations or acknowledging that there may be better ways. It is the same thing as operating in a rut—what we have always done we will always continue to do.

The application of these three laws is clear: Learn the benefits and proper use of many different tools, not just your favorites; learn to step back and view things with a wide angle, multifaceted perspective; and learn not to trust too strongly in what you have been trained and programmed to believe.

Perhaps the only “tool” that works every time is that combination of knowledge, ingenuity, hard work and perseverance. When guided by responsible stewardship ethics this is the tool that best ensures that true land craftsmanship will take place.

One of the worst mistakes that can be made is to simplify land management into a set of rigid steps and practices. Land management is not a formulistic science or a paint-by-number kind of art. What works for one landowner may or may not work for his neighbor and what works for one set of conditions will not necessarily work well under different conditions.

With any use of any tool in any trade one of the main things is to monitor the results to determine whether it achieved the

SOME NEWER TOOLS, TECHNIQUES AND TECHNOLOGIES AVAILABLE TO LANDOWNERS

Hydraulic shears Track hoe excavators Forestry mulchers Roller chopper / aerator Contour and keyline ripping Selective herbicides Pre-emergent herbicides Solar pumps Plastic pipe Moist soil management Slash blankets Grazing and browsing exclosures Precision farming Reduced till farming Cover crop innovations Irrigation innovations High fences High density planned grazing Temporary electric fencing Virtual livestock fencing Animal impact Patch-burn grazing Diagnostic testing Veterinary advances Trail cameras Drones Helicopter Advanced satellite imagery Remote sensing technology GPS technology GIS applications Computers and software applications Conservation easements Financial incentive programs MLDP and TTT permitting

Photo by Preston Irwin, NRCS

Individual plant treatment has become a popular way to control lighter infestations of brush before they become a problem.

Photo by Steve Nelle

Raking is the preferred way to manage pricklypear for some landowners and can also be used as seedbed preparation.

Photo by Steve Nelle

High deer populations in many areas require aggressive harvest as a tool for habitat and herd management. stated purpose or whether it needs to be modified or curtailed. Monitoring can be quantifiable and measurable or it can be subjective or a mix of both.

When describing our management, too often we merely cite which practices have been carried out but we do not elaborate on the specific results accomplished. Without some kind of formal or informal monitoring, we will not know if our efforts and expense are accomplishing the desired outcome or if they are a poor use of time and money.

Here are some examples of relevant monitoring: What percentage of root kill was achieved from aerial spraying after two years, and what were the side effects on forbs and desirable shrubs? Did the prescribed burn result in at least a 75 percent reduction in pricklypear, and how long did it take to restore the grass and litter cover? Was the re-seeding effort successful in improving plant diversity, forage production and wildlife habitat, and was it worth the cost? Is the grazing management resulting in greater plant density and less bare ground over time?

Monitoring may reveal that our methods are working and should be continued. Or it may reveal that our management is not working well enough or is not cost effective and should be adjusted. Sometimes the best use of a tool is to know when to lay it aside and select another strategy.

Within any guild of craftsmen there are various levels of proficiency and experience. Those who are in the early stages of a new trade are called apprentice. With training, practice and close supervision these beginners learn to do some of the basic things, and they gain confidence and the desire to learn more.

After a successful apprenticeship, they advance to the journeyman stage and gradually gain the ability to carry out most routine tasks on their own and do them well. After some years of proven ability as a journeyman, they are finally certified as a master level craftsman.

The master craftsman has gained not just the technical skills and years of experience, but also the wisdom of the trade—the things not taught in school or learned from a book. These are the true artisans in the world of land and wildlife management who have gained insights and sagacity.

They are highly respected and have earned the trust of others. These are not usually the ones who speak the loudest or who claim to have all the answers—they often possess that rare combination of humility and ability that garners confidence but not arrogance.

Within TWA there are numerous master level land craftsmen as well as many others who are working to enhance their abilities and knowledge of the land. No matter our own level of proficiency, we can each make it our goal to boost our understanding of the land and how to manage it skillfully with the tools available to us. The use of tools does not necessarily make us a land steward, but all good land stewards learn how to use the right tools for the right situation and do it with skill and effectiveness.