Restoration of Sagebrush in Crested Wheatgrass Communities: Longer-Term Evaluation in Northern Great Basin |
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| Institution: | 1. Lead Scientist, US Department of Agriculture (USDA)–Agricultural Research Service, Burns, OR 97720, USA;2. Research Leader, US Department of Agriculture (USDA)–Agricultural Research Service, Burns, OR 97720, USA;3. Scientists, US Department of Agriculture (USDA)–Agricultural Research Service, Burns, OR 97720, USA;1. Research Geneticist, US Department of Agriculture (USDA)?Forest Service (FS), Rocky Mountain Research Station, Boise, ID 83702, USA;2. Research Biologist, USDA-FS, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Boise, ID 83702, USA;3. Habitat Restoration Coordinator, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Ephraim, UT 84627, USA;4. Watershed Program Director, Utah Department of Natural Resources, Salt Lake City, UT 84114, USA;1. Plant Physiologist, Northwest Watershed Research Center, US Department of Agriculture (USDA)?Agriculture Research Service (ARS), Boise, ID 83712, USA;2. Associate Professor, Department of Geography, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA;3. Professor, Department of Environment and Society, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA;4. Supervisory Research Ecologist, US Geological Survey Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Boise, ID 83706, USA;5. Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Geography, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA;6. Rangeland Management Specialist, Range and Pasture Research Unit, Woodward, OK 73801, USA;7. Professor, Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA;8. Biological Science Technician, Northwest Watershed Research Center, US Department of Agriculture (USDA)?Agriculture Research Service (ARS), Boise, ID 83712, USA;9. Graduate Student, Department of Environment and Society, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA;1. Plant Sciences Technician, USDA-ARS, Northwest Watershed Research Center, Boise, ID 83702, USA;2. Plant Physiologist, USDA-ARS, Northwest Watershed Research Center, Boise, ID 83702, USA;3. Professor, Department of Geosciences, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA;4. Geneticist, USDA-ARS National Laboratory for Genetic Resources Preservation, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA;5. Rangeland Management Specialist, USDA-ARS, Rangeland and Pasture Research Unit, Woodward, OK 73801, USA;6. Research Hydraulic Engineer, USDA-ARS, Northwest Watershed Research Center, Boise, ID 83702, USA;1. USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center, Burns, OR 97720, USA;2. Department of Animal and Rangeland Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA;3. Unaffiliated, Denver, CO 80210, USA |
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| Abstract: | Crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum L] Gaertm. and Agropyron desertorum Fisch.] Schult.), an introduced bunchgrass, has been seeded on millions of hectares of sagebrush steppe. It can establish near-monocultures; therefore, reestablishing native vegetation in these communities is often a restoration goal. Efforts to restore native vegetation assemblages by controlling crested wheatgrass and seeding diverse species mixes have largely failed. Restoring sagebrush, largely through planting seedlings, has shown promise in short-term studies but has not been evaluated over longer timeframes. We investigated the reestablishment of Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata spp. wyomingensis Beetle & A. Young] S.L. Welsh) in crested wheatgrass communities, where it had been broadcast seeded (seeded) or planted as seedlings (planted) across varying levels of crested wheatgrass control with a herbicide (glyphosate) for up to 9 yr post seeding/planting. Planting sagebrush seedlings in crested wheatgrass stands resulted in full recovery of sagebrush density and increasing sagebrush cover over time. Broadcast seeding failed to establish any sagebrush, except at the highest levels of crested wheatgrass control. Reducing crested wheatgrass did not influence density, cover, or size of sagebrush in the planted treatment, and therefore, crested wheatgrass control is probably unnecessary when using sagebrush seedlings. Herbaceous cover and density were generally less in the planted treatment, probably as a result of increased competition from sagebrush. This trade-off between sagebrush and herbaceous vegetation should be considered when developing plans for restoring sagebrush steppe. Our results suggest that planting sagebrush seedlings can increase the compositional and structural diversity in near-monocultures of crested wheatgrass and thereby improve habitat for sagebrush-associated wildlife. Planting native shrub seedlings may be a method to increase diversity in other monotypic stands of introduced grasses. |
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