Describes several natural resource challenges facing the Trinity River basin and how different land uses can affect water resources.

2. What is land use?
 How the land is managed, whether it is for
agriculture, wildlife, industry, timber, or
urbanization

3. What is land cover?
 Land cover refers to the biological or
physical features on the land
 Crop fields, native rangeland, improved
pasture, lakes, forests, pavement

6. 2006 NLCD Land Use/Land Cover
Cropland (< 1%)
Forest (20%)
Developed: High (<1%)
Developed: Low (5%)
Grassland (8%)
Wetlands (21%)
Open Water (2%)
Pasture/Hay (42%)

8. Factors That Affect Land Use
 Population growth
 For every 1,000
new residents,
Texas loses 149
acres
 In top 50 growth
counties, 270
acres are lost for
every 1,000 new
residents
Texas’ top 25 growth counties from 1997-
2007

9. Factors That Affect Land Use
 Agricultural economic
uncertainty
 Drought
 Supply and Demand
 Estate Taxes
October 11,
2011

10. Factors That Affect Land Use
 Increasing land
values leads to
greater
fragmentation
 Dividing up of
land into smaller
patches
 More landowners
= Different
management
perspectives

11. No Fragmentation

12. Fragmentation

13. Fragmentation
 5,000 new properties in the 1-100 size class
 Resulting problems
 Loss of sustainable wildlife habitat
 Reduced agricultural productivity

14. Fragmentation
 Reduced economic sustainability for landowners

15. Fragmentation in the Trinity?
 71,600 acres
added to 1-100
size class
 140,500 acres
added to 2000+
size class
 More evidence of
consolidation than
fragmentation in
the middle Trinity

16. Fragmentation in the Trinity?
 Fragmentation more
severe north of
Houston and
moderate north of
D/FW
 Significant
consolidation in the
middle basin
 How about your
area?

17. Trinity Basin Land Use Trends
 Loss of 257,000
acres of native
rangeland
 Gain of 334,000
acres of non-native
pasture
 Loss of 231,000
acres of cropland
 Gain of 82,000
acres in wildlife

23. Land Use Effects on Water
 Surface runoff = 24%
 Infiltration = 75%
 Wildlife habitat!
Bunchgrasses Sodgrasses
 Surface runoff = 45%
 Infiltration = 54%
 Fertilizers?

24. Land Use Effects on Water
 Maintain vegetation in riparian areas
 Reduces erosion, benefits water and wildlife

25. Land Use Effects on Water
 Riparian soils can hold more water and greater forage
production can be periodically grazed

26. Land Use Effects on Water
 Roots anchor soil and reduce flood damage

27. Land Use Effects on Water
 Less erosion = Less sediment filling lakes

28. Land Management Tool - TRIMS
 TRIMS

29. Conservation Easement

30. Wildlife Management Associations
 Landowners working
together under
guidance of a biologist
 Large area under
same general
management
 Lessens the effect of
fragmentation
 10 in middle basin for
95,000 acres

31. Texas Land Trends
 IRNR