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Resilience  of  crested  wheatgrass  stands  :  implica5ons  for  

rangeland  seedings  and  structural  diversity  

Thomas  Monaco,  Ecologist  

THE FORAGE AND RANGE RESEARCH LABORATORY Utah State University, Logan, Utah

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Presentation Outline

1. Background: What novel changes have occurred to upland and semiarid shrub ecosystems in the Great Basin?

3. Five-Year Field Experiment: Can crested wheatgrass stands be modified to favor greater diversity?

2. Case Study: Characteristics of shrublands historically seeded with crested wheatgrass.

Disturbance and reintroduction of species

Novel changes to Great Basin shrublands

Photo courtesy of Utah State Historical Society

Novel changes to Great Basin ecosystems:

1953 2011

Photos courtesy of Salt Lake BLM and Google Earth

Photos courtesy of Justin Williams

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Hull and Stewart (1948) Replacing cheatgrass by reseeding with perennial grass on southern Idaho ranges J. Amer. Soc. Agron. 40:694-703.

Early days of remediation: more novel changes imposed

Photo courtesy of Utah State Historical Society

Seeding extensive abandoned dry farms in Southern Idaho Shrub removal, later followed by seeding, associated with the Halogeton Act 1952-1953

Railing sagebrush – broadcast seeding 1940s

Entire valley successfully seeded with crested wheatgrass in 1940s

Photos courtesy of Utah State Historical Society

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Ecological processes

Competition Grazing/herbivory (Leonard, Monaco et al. 2008; Rayburn and Monaco 2011)

Seed limitation vs. competitive exclusion (Gunnell, Monaco et al. 2010)

Stand establishment (Monaco et al. 2012)

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How site history impacts impacts succession

(Morris, Monaco et al. in press)

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How site history impacts impacts succession

(Morris, Monaco et al. in press)

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Ecological site–based analysis

•  38 sagebrush sites

•  3 MLRA (Major land Resource Areas)

–  Snake River Plains (11) –  Owyhee High Plateau (25) –  Great Salt Lake Area (28)

•  15 different Ecological sites

11

25

28

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•  Community  composi-on  by  percent  cover  

MLRA  11                MLRA  25            MLRA  28  

Ecological site–based analysis

Vegetation characteristics

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Crested wheatgrass resilience

…suppression treatments were not effective and therefore did not improve restoration of native species in crested wheatgrass stands. Native species establishment may require subsequent management to favor persistence of native species and retard crested wheatgrass. (Fansler and Mangold 2011).

… crested wheatgrass recovered to similar cover percentages as untreated plots 2–3 yr after wheatgrass-reduction treatments. Effective wheatgrass control may require secondary treatments to reduce the seed bank and open stands to dominance by seeded native species (Hulet et al. 2010).

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Research Design/methods

Pre-treatment: 1 or 2 year - Mowing to prevent seed dispersal - Herbicide (glyphosate) to kill plants

Seeding: grasses, forbs, shrubs

Two sites in southern Idaho - duplicated in 2009 and 2010

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Research Design/methods

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Seeding (Fall 2009 and 2010)

Seeded species Bluebunch wheatgrass Squirreltail Yarrow Globemallow Sagebrush Rabbitbrush Shadscale

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Results

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Results

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Results

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Results

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Results

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Results

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Results

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Conclusions

1. Reducing seed dispersal was critical to reduce crested wheatgrass recovery

2. Herbicide applications improved seedling emergence and establishment

3. Due to mortality of seeded species over time, it may be necessary to seed again

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Thanks to collaborators

Kevin Gunnell, Christo Morris, Jamin Johanson

Black Pine Ranches (Lane Schumann)

Justin Williams, Sarahi Felix, Merilynn Hirsch