Weed removal and native plant restoration is a high priority at Priday Ranch. The property has a significant history of livestock grazing, farming, and invasive grasses that impact native plant communities. Our goal is to improve native plant communities and decrease invasive weed populations. In 2021, the Land Trust began a long-term effort to convert former agricultural fields back to native habitat. Major milestones include:

• 2021: Our first phase involved working to restore 18 acres in three fields. Our approach included extensive ground preparation including tilling and repeated weed management prior to planting. We then planted native grass seed in fall/winter. All three of these fields experienced excellent native grass germination and establishment. We continue to watch these fields mature and we control weeds in these fields.
• 2023: The Land Trust targeted 12 acres in two fields for restoration. This time we tried a “no till” approach in a nine-acre field prior to seeding with native plants. Unfortunately, the no-till approach was not sufficient to control the weeds and the native seed was outcompeted by weeds the following spring. The second three-acre field was extensively prepped similar to the 2021 fields. Weather conditions did not allow us to plant this field until late spring, leading to slower germination and more weed management.
• 2024: The Land Trust replanted the nine-acre seeding from 2023 that failed to establish, plus planted an additional 11.5 acres in two fields. Learn more.
• 2025: The Cram Fire burns ~60% of Priday Ranch (3,158 acres). Some of the previously restored agricultural fields burned in the fire while others did not. Luckily, all of the restored fields that burned experienced low-level burn intensity. The newly established native grasses that burned demonstrated green-up and vigorous growth just a few weeks after the fire. We seeded one new 5.5 acre field this year, and we added more native seed to several of our previously planted fields that have been slower to establish. 

Learn more:

• About Priday Ranch
• About weed management at Land Trust Preserves