1. THE FORAGE AND RANGE RESEARCH LABORATORY
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THE FORAGE AND RANGE
RESEARCH LABORATORY
Utah State University, Logan, Utah
Resilience
of
crested
wheatgrass
stands
:
implica5ons
for
rangeland
seedings
and
structural
diversity
Thomas
Monaco,
Ecologist

2. THE FORAGE AND RANGE RESEARCH LABORATORY
Presentation Outline
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1. Background: What novel changes have occurred to upland
and semiarid shrub ecosystems in the Great Basin?
2. Case Study: Characteristics of shrublands historically seeded
with crested wheatgrass.
3. Five-Year Field Experiment: Can crested wheatgrass
stands be modified to favor greater diversity?
Disturbance and reintroduction of species

3. Photo courtesy of Utah State Historical Society
Novel changes to Great Basin shrublands

4. 1953
Novel changes to Great Basin ecosystems:
2011
Photos courtesy of Salt Lake BLM and Google Earth
Photos courtesy of Justin Williams

5. THE FORAGE AND RANGE RESEARCH LABORATORY
Early days of remediation: more novel changes imposed
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Photo courtesy of Utah State Historical Society
Hull and Stewart (1948) Replacing cheatgrass by reseeding with perennial grass on southern
Idaho ranges J. Amer. Soc. Agron. 40:694-703.

6. 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

7. THE FORAGE AND RANGE RESEARCH LABORATORY
Ecological processes
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Seed limitation vs. competitive exclusion
(Gunnell, Monaco et al. 2010)
Competition
Grazing/herbivory
(Leonard, Monaco et al. 2008; Rayburn and Monaco 2011)
Stand establishment
(Monaco et al. 2012)

8. THE FORAGE AND RANGE RESEARCH LABORATORY
How site history impacts impacts succession
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(Morris, Monaco et al. in press)

9. THE FORAGE AND RANGE RESEARCH LABORATORY
How site history impacts impacts succession
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(Morris, Monaco et al. in press)

10. THE FORAGE AND RANGE RESEARCH LABORATORY
Ecological site–based analysis
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•
38 sagebrush sites
•
3 MLRA (Major land Resource
Areas)
– Snake River Plains (11)
– Owyhee High Plateau (25)
– Great Salt Lake Area (28)
•
11
25
15 different Ecological sites
28

11. THE FORAGE AND RANGE RESEARCH LABORATORY
Ecological site–based analysis
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• Community
composi-on
by
percent
cover
MLRA
11
MLRA
25
MLRA
28

12. Vegetation
characteristics

13. THE FORAGE AND RANGE RESEARCH LABORATORY
Crested wheatgrass resilience
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…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 wheatgrassreduction 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).

14. THE FORAGE AND RANGE RESEARCH LABORATORY
Research Design/methods
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Two sites in southern Idaho
- duplicated in 2009 and 2010
Pre-treatment: 1 or 2 year
- Mowing to prevent seed dispersal
- Herbicide (glyphosate) to kill plants
Seeding: grasses, forbs, shrubs

15. THE FORAGE AND RANGE RESEARCH LABORATORY
Research Design/methods
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16. THE FORAGE AND RANGE RESEARCH LABORATORY
Seeding (Fall 2009 and 2010)
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Seeded species
Bluebunch wheatgrass
Squirreltail
Yarrow
Globemallow
Sagebrush
Rabbitbrush
Shadscale

17. THE FORAGE AND RANGE RESEARCH LABORATORY
Results
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18. THE FORAGE AND RANGE RESEARCH LABORATORY
Results
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19. THE FORAGE AND RANGE RESEARCH LABORATORY
Results
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20. THE FORAGE AND RANGE RESEARCH LABORATORY
Results
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21. THE FORAGE AND RANGE RESEARCH LABORATORY
Results
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22. THE FORAGE AND RANGE RESEARCH LABORATORY
Results
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23. THE FORAGE AND RANGE RESEARCH LABORATORY
Results
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24. THE FORAGE AND RANGE RESEARCH LABORATORY
Conclusions
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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

25. THE FORAGE AND RANGE RESEARCH LABORATORY
Thanks to collaborators
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Black Pine Ranches (Lane Schumann)
Justin Williams, Sarahi Felix, Merilynn Hirsch
Kevin Gunnell, Christo Morris, Jamin Johanson