Western rangelands are currently under severe threat from exotic annual grasses. To successfully manage rangelands that are either infested with or susceptible to exotic annual grasses, we must focus on increasing resilience to disturbance and resistance to exotic annual grass invasion. Here, we present a fuel-based model and research framework...
Crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum [L] Gaertm) has been seeded on more than 5 million hectares in western North America because it establishes more readily than native bunchgrasses. Currently, there is substantial interest in reestablishing native species in sagebrush steppe, but efforts to reintroduce native grasses into crested wheatgrass stands have...
African rue is a poisonous, perennial forb that readily invades salt-desert shrub and sagebrush-steppe rangelands. Information detailing options for integrated management of African rue is lacking. To date, a few studies have researched the efficacy of different herbicides for controlling African rue, but none have investigated integrated approaches to its...
Medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae [L.] Nevski), an exotic annual grass, is rapidly spreading and
causing ecological damage across the western United States. Because this exotic plant occupies vast areas and because
management resources are limited, it is critical that land managers prioritize where they direct treatment and monitoring
efforts. Identifying where...
Declining greater sage-grouse populations are causing concern for the future of this species across the western United States. Major
ecosystem issues, including exotic annual grass invasion and conifer encroachment, threaten vast acreages of sagebrush rangeland
and are primary threats to sage-grouse. We discuss types of problems facing sage-grouse habitat and...
Restoration of exotic annual grass-invaded rangelands is needed to improve ecosystem function and services.
Increasing plant species richness is generally believed to increase resistance to invasion and increase desired
vegetation. However, the effects of species richness and individual plant life forms in seed mixes used to restore
rangelands invaded by...
The spread of medusahead across the western United States has severe implications for a wide range of ecosystem
services. Medusahead invasion reduces biodiversity, wildlife habitat and forage production, and often leads to
increased fire frequency and restoration costs. Medusahead is problematic in the Intermountain West and California
Annual Grasslands. The...
Fire has largely been excluded from many mountain big sagebrush communities. Managers are reluctant to
reintroduce fire, especially in communities without significant conifer encroachment, because of the decline in sagebrush-associated
wildlife. Given this management direction, a better understanding of fire exclusion and burning effects is
needed. We compared burned to...
Monotypic stands of crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum [L] Gaertm. and Agropyron desertorum [Fisch.] Schult.), an
introduced grass, occupy vast expanses of the sagebrush steppe. Efforts to improve habitat for sagebrush-associated wildlife by
establishing a diverse community of native vegetation in crested wheatgrass stands have largely failed. Instead of concentrating
on...
Many exotic annual grasses are believed to increase wildfire frequency to the detriment of native vegetation
by increasing fine fuels and thus, creating a grass-fire cycle. However, information on differences in fuel characteristics
between invaded and non-invaded plant communities is lacking, or is based mainly on speculation and anecdotal evidence....