Estimation Of Future Native Grass Seed Demand For Restoring Oil And Gas-Energy Sprawl In West Texas, Usa

Adequate native grass seed supply is a fundamental requirement for restoring disturbances associated with oil and gas production in West Texas. Knowing the amount and cost of native seed needed would be useful to oil and gas operators, seed producers, and conservation planners. We used projections of potential land impacts from oil and gas development, typical seeding rates, and current market prices to estimate the native grass seed supplies necessary and seed cost for low, medium, and high potential land-alteration scenarios. We estimate that at least 1.0% of the land area in the region has already been altered by oil and gas production, and that an additional 0.6-4.0% will be impacted by oil and gas pad or pipeline construction by 2050. Native seed supply between 112,000-600,000 kg (247,000-1,330,000 lbs.) of pure live seed (PLS) of native grasses valued between US $10-57 million will be needed for restoration to occur on all sites. These estimates provide targets for collaborative efforts focused on developing restoration seed source capacity through partnerships between seed source developers, the seed-production industry, practitioners, and energy producers. Our estimates also illustrate potential cost-savings for energy developers if land impacts can be minimized.