Medusahead [Taeniatherum caput-medusae (L.) Nevski], a non-native, winter-annual grass (Poaceae), has
invaded rangelands throughout the western USA. Medusahead is an aggressive competitor that crowds out native plants
and reduces forage for wildlife and livestock. Sulfometuron methyl is a sulfonylurea herbicide used to control medusahead,
but its effect on non-target native...
The objectives of this study were to evaluate environmental
factors influencing use of several plant communities by cattle, elk
and deer; determine under story production by plant species and the
amount utilized by cattle, elk and deer in certain plant communities;
evaluate the interactions of range use between cattle, elk...
The objective of this study was to quantify understory vegetation response to overstory manipulation of Blue Mountain eco-region forest. Forty nine ecological land units, including differing successional stages (sapling, pole, small saw, and saw log) and canopy cover (light and medium) in dry Grand Fir (Abies grandis), wet Grand Fir,...
Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis [Beetle & A. Young] S.L. Welsh) plant communities with degraded native herbaceous understories occupy vast expanses of the western United States. Restoring the native herbaceous understory in these communities is needed to provide higher-quality wildlife habitat, decrease the risk of exotic plant invasion,...
It has recently been proposed that the cost of rehabilitating medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae [L.] Nevski)-invaded
rangelands may be reduced by concurrently seeding desired vegetation and applying the preemergent herbicide imazapic.
However, the efficacy of this ‘‘single-entry’’ approach has been inconsistent, and it has not been compared to the multiple-entry
approach...
The objective of this study was to quantify understory species diversity response to overstory manipulation of Blue Mountain eco-region forest. Forty nine ecological land units, including differing successional stages (sapling, pole, small saw, and saw log) and canopy cover (light and medium) in dry Grand Fir (Abies grandis), wet Grand...
Published February 1990. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
Medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae [L.] Nevski) is an exotic annual grass invading western rangelands. Successful
revegetation of invaded-plant communities can be prohibitively expensive because it often requires iterative applications of
integrated control and revegetation treatments. Prescribed burning has been used to control medusahead and prepare seedbeds
for revegetation, but burning has...
Because invasive annual grasses can strongly influence soil resource availability and disturbance regimes to favor their own
persistence, there is a great need to understand the interrelationships among invasive plant abundance, resource availability, and
desirable species prominence. These interrelationships were studied in two salt desert sites where the local abundance...
Little is known about how cultivation legacies affect the outcome of rehabilitation seedings in the Great Basin, even though both
frequently co-occur on the same lands. Similarly, there is little known about how these legacies affect native species re-establishment
into these seedings. We examined these legacy effects by comparing areas...
In sagebrush ecosystems invasion of annual exotics and expansion of piñon (Pinus monophylla Torr. and Frem.) and juniper
(Juniperus occidentalis Hook., J. osteosperma [Torr.] Little) are altering fire regimes and resulting in large-scale ecosystem
transformations. Management treatments aim to increase resilience to disturbance and enhance resistance to invasive species by...
Piñon (Pinus spp.) and juniper (Juniperus spp.) trees are reduced to restore native vegetation and avoid severe fires where they have expanded into sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt.) communities. However, what phase of tree infilling should treatments target to retain desirable understory cover and avoid weed dominance? Prescribed fire and tree...
In response to the recent expansion of piñon and juniper woodlands into sagebrush-steppe communities in the northern Great Basin region, numerous conifer-removal projects have been implemented, primarily to release understory vegetation at sites having a wide range of environmental conditions. Responses to these treatments have varied from successful restoration of...
Managers reduce piñon (Pinus spp.) and juniper (Juniperus spp.) trees that are encroaching on sagebrush (Artemisia spp.)
communities to lower fuel loads and increase cover of desirable understory species. All plant species in these communities
depend on soil water held at >-1.5 MPa matric potential in the upper 0.3 m...
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...
Objectives of this study were to determine differences in
herbage production of three seral stages of three habitat-types.
Field studies were conducted in 1967 and 1968 on the Squaw Butte
Experimental Range.
Twelve, 400-square-foot, paired exclosures were established
in each habitat-type. Herbage was clipped from four, 48-squarefoot
samples in one...
In surveys of residents in three urban and three rural locations in the Great Basin we examined the social acceptability of six management practices showing promise for restoring sagebrush-dominated rangelands. Unlike most studies of range management perceptions that have relied on single measurements, we used longitudinal data from a questionnaire...
Disturbances and their interactions play major roles in sagebrush (Artemisia spp. L.) community dynamics. Although impacts of some disturbances, most notably fire, have been quantified at the landscape level, some have been ignored and rarely are interactions between disturbances evaluated. We developed conceptual state-and-transition models for each of two broad...
Published May 1981. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
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...
Advancing our ability to use invasive plants for producing commodities is central to the agricultural industry. Our objective was
to evaluate Russian knapweed (Acroptilon repens [L.] DC.) as a winter feed supplement for ruminant livestock. In Experiment
1, we utilized three ruminally cannulated steers in a completely randomized design to...
The Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project (SageSTEP) is an integrated long-term study that evaluates ecological effects of alternative treatments designed to reduce woody fuels and to stimulate the herbaceous understory of sagebrush steppe communities of the Intermountain West. This synopsis summarizes results through 3 yr posttreatment. Woody vegetation reduction by...
Western juniper has increased in density and distribution in the interior Pacific Northwest since the late 1800s. Management
goals for many juniper woodlands are now focused on reducing tree densities and promoting biodiversity, prompting the use of
fuel reduction treatments. Fuel reduction often involves mechanical cutting and disturbances such as...
Current paradigm suggests that spatial and temporal competition for resources limit an exotic invader, cheatgrass (Bromus
tectorum L.), which once established, alters fire regimes and can result in annual grass dominance in sagebrush steppe.
Prescribed fire and fire surrogate treatments (mowing, tebuthiuron, and imazapic) are used to reduce woody fuels...
An experiment was conducted to evaluate the influence of forest fuels reduction on diet quality, botanical composition, relative preference, and foraging efficiency of beef cattle grazing at different stocking rates. A split plot factorial design was used, with whole plots (3 ha) being fuel reduced or no treatment (control), and...
If arid sagebrush ecosystems lack resilience to disturbances or resistance to annual invasives, then alternative successional states
dominated by annual invasives, especially cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.), are likely after fuel treatments. We identified six
Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis Beetle & Young) locations (152–381 mm precipitation) that
we...
Our ability to assess the continental impacts of woody encroachment remains compromised by the paucity of studies quantifying regional encroachment rates. This knowledge gap is especially apparent when it comes to quantifying the impact of woody encroachment on large-scale carbon dynamics. In this study, we use a combination of aerial...
This special issue presents short-term ecological effects of restoration treatments imposed as part of the Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project (SageSTEP), and summarizes
public attitude survey results related to restoration efforts.
Funded by the US Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP; 2005-2011), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM; 2011 to present),...
As part of the Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project (SageSTEP), butterflies were surveyed pre-treatment and up to four years post-treatment at 16 widely distributed sagebrush steppe sites in the interior West. Butterfly populations and communities were analyzed in response to treatments (prescribed fire, mechanical, herbicide) designed to restore sagebrush steppe...
Published June 1966. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
Published November 1990. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
Published June 1983. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
Published June 2009. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
Published January 1983. Reprinted January 1994. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
Published June 1984. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
Published June 1987. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
The encroachment of alien weeds onto western rangelands is one of the most perilous and perhaps least recognized problems facing land managers today. Oregon rangelands are under siege from ever-increasing numbers and distribution of exotic weeds. They threaten Oregon's economy and environmental quality by reducing livestock forage, wildlife habitat, watershed...
We conducted a study to compare the bite-count technique (BC) of estimating forage intake and synthesized diet quality to direct estimates of diet quantity and quality with the use of the rumen evacuation technique (RE). We used four rumen-fistulated steers to evaluate both techniques. Four enclosures in a mixed-conifer rangeland...
Grazing cattle usually have access to streams as a
source of drinking water. A model was developed for the
personal computer to predict the bacterial quality of
these streams. The model estimates the number of
organisms that enter the stream by the direct deposit of
feces and by runoff from...
Irrigation percolation can be an important source of shallow aquifer replenishment in arid regions of the southwestern United States. Aquifer recharge derived from irrigation percolation can be more significant in fluvial valleys overlying shallow aquifers where highly permeable soils allow rapid water infiltration and aquifer replenishment. We used data from...
Riparian-zone vegetation can influence terrestrial and aquatic food webs through variation in the amount, timing, and nutritional content of leaf and other litter inputs. We investigated how riparianforest community composition, understory density, and lateral slope shaped vertical and lateral litter inputs to 16 streams in the Oregon Coast Range. Riparian...
For centuries in what is now southern Kenya and northern Tanzania, nomadic, Maasai livestock herders have coexisted with vast populations of wildlife. Today, both wildlife and the Maasai herding lifestyle, a vital component of Maasai culture, are threatened by changes to the landscape and losses in mobility, including the policy...
Published December 1979. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
Published May 1998. Reviewed February 2015. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
Native grass, forb, and shrub seed is needed to restore rangelands of the U.S. Intermountain West. Fernleaf biscuitroot [Lomatium dissectum (Nutt.) Mathias & Constance] is a desirable component of rangelands. Commercial seed production is necessary to provide the quantity and quality of seed needed for rangeland restoration and reclamation efforts....
Management and conservation of rangelands are increasingly concerned with maintaining productivity, species composition, and diversity of native plant communities. We estimated aboveground annual productivity, species composition, and diversity of a native bunchgrass type community across 1152, 0.5 m2 plots at The Nature Conservancy’s Zumwalt Prairie Preserve in northeastern Oregon. Standing...
This paper models the supply curve of carbon sequestration on Pacific Northwest rangelands. Rangeland managers have the ability to sequester carbon in agricultural soils by implementing alternative management practices on their farms. Their low adoption rate in practice suggests a high opportunity cost associated with their implementation. To increase their...
This document provides information on the palatability of plants on Mongolian rangelands including native and introduced vascular plants by major seasonal periods: winter (January - March), spring (April- June), summer (July - September), and autumn (October - December). In addition to this, some species of valuable lichen species are also...
The estimation of standing crop is important in the management of rangeland resources. Direct measurements by clipping, drying, and weighing of herbaceous vegetation are time-consuming and labor-intensive. Therefore, non-destructive methods for efficiently and accurately estimating standing crop are needed in rangeland forage management. We assessed a visual obstruction (VO) technique...
Published June 1994. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
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...
Published 1966. Reprinted 1980. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
Published December 1980. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
A causative factor in declining greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus)
populations is reduced annual recruitment due to poor habitat quality. Sage-grouse
population decline is concurrent with a decline in the extent and quality of the
sagebrush (Artemisia sp.) biome. However, current research has shown a positive
relationship between sage-grouse brood and...
As early as 1491 in an Act of Parliament during the reign of Henry VII of England, overfishing and
the capture of juveniles were recognized as root causes of declining fish catches, and since then,
minimum capture sizes, closed seasons and areas, and gear restrictions have been implemented to
address...
Published January 1958. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
Due to the increasing cost and concern of catastrophic wildfires in the Western United States, there is an increasing interest in fuels reduction projects. Fuel reduction treatments utilize various methods of thinning and/or prescribed fire to obtain desirable forest stand conditions. However, the effects of fuels reduction on ecosystem function...
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of cow age on botanical composition of diets in mountain riparian areas. Treatments consisted of 30 first calf heifers, and 30 mature cows randomly assigned to four pastures (2 pastures/treatment, average 21.5 ha) in a two-year study with a cross...
Pine Creek Conservation Area (PCCA), just northeast of the John Day River in Wheeler County, Oregon, was acquired in 1999-2001 by the Confederate Tribes of Warm Springs with support from the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), to mitigate for wildlife losses created by the large, hydropower Columbia River Dams, particularly the...
The project of which this research was a part is designed to
provide an improved system of ecological resource analysis. Specific
objectives of this study were: (1) classification of plant communities
on the fringes of the sagebrush steppes and the salt desert of
southeastern Oregon, (2) development of symbolic and...
This study presents (1) the overall concept of assessing non-federal western rangeland soil loss rates at a national scale for determining areas of vulnerability for accelerated soil loss using USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) National Resources Inventory (NRI) data and the Rangeland Hydrology and Erosion Model (RHEM) and (2)...
The project focuses on nonequilibrium ecosystem dynamics, a body of scientific research that characterizes and interprets ecosystem change. INR summarizes knowledge from this field, describes ways in which the current management framework may be inconsistent with scientific findings, and helps identify options for future management. This paper is designed to...
Human activities may contribute to the eutrophication of surface waters by
providing nutrients to aquatic ecosystems. Phosphorus is frequently identified as a
nutrient that is limiting to most aquatic ecosystems under natural conditions. Sources of
phosphorus contributing to eutrophic conditions often include nonpoint sources that are
dispersed across the landscape....
Recent emphasis on range improvement of sagebrush-bunch-grass
types in Oregon has underscored the need for better understanding
of their importance to deer winter range management. The
objectives of this study were to evaluate the impact of various sagebrush
control practices on the composition, production, and utilization
of deer forage plants...
The Bureau of Land Managements (BLM) Emergency Fire Rehabilitation (EFR) policy was developed in 1985 to encourage protection of sites from soil erosion and to minimize potential changes in vegetation communities that may result from the dominance of weedy species. To achieve the goals of EFR policy, managers often used...
Published June 1953. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
This paper offers a framework for use by public and private entities who manage natural resources. It focuses on the maintenance and restoration of ecological integrity to help ensure that natural systems continue to provide intrinsic value and benefits to human communities. The ecological integrity measures assess four different attributes...
Published September 1981. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
Published May 1988. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
Published January 1979. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
Published June 1982. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
Published June 1980. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
Published June 1979. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
Published June 1986. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
Published June 1985. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
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...
Forest fires contribute a significant amount of CO₂ to the atmosphere each year, and CO₂ emissions from fires are likely to increase under projected conditions of global climate change. In addition to volatilizing aboveground biomass and litter layers, forest fires have a profound effect on belowground carbon (C) pools and...
Landscape models for elk distribution developed at Starkey Experimental Forest and Range from 1993-1995 were tested on another landscape during 2003-2005 at Sled Springs Wildlife Demonstration Area. Using location data obtained from 23 wild elk captured and fitted with GPS telemetry collars, 8 spatial resource selection function models representing 8...
A proposed state-and-transition model (STM) for the Deep Sand Savannah ecological site in central New Mexico was developed using historical data and expert knowledge. This STM was tested utilizing data from short and long term one-seed juniper (Juniperus monosperma (Engelm.) Sarg.) control experiments initiated in 1981 and 1985. Utilizing data...
Riparian vegetation is an essential component for the maintenance and/or repair of channel stability and function. Sedges within low-gradient riparian systems provide the structure necessary for sediment trapping leading to channel narrowing through bank building processes. Planting success in riparian restoration projects has often failed due to inappropriate species selection,...
One second GPS collars were deployed on cattle in three different pastures at three separate times during the year. In each riparian pasture the vegetative communities and stream bank edge were digitally mapped using low elevation aerial photographs and checked in the field for accuracy. A 5 m buffer zone...
Relatively recent increases in ponderosa pine abundance have effected unprecedented changes to ecosystem structure and function. Efforts to restore ponderosa pine systems are often focused on the manipulation of tree structure and the re-introduction of a more natural fire regime. Successful restoration should also incorporate understory components but information addressing...
State-and-transition models (STMs) have been successfully used to
describe ecological dynamics in woodlands, shrublands, grasslands, and several other ecosystems. Changes in vegetation and soil are measured to gauge and predict plant community dynamics within ecological states and transitions between alternative ecological states. Ecological states and their boundaries are defined by...
Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) habitat research has historically focused on fine-scale (0.007 - 0.032 ha) vegetation structure and composition immediately surrounding sites selected by birds. However, little work has evaluated vegetation attributes important for Greater Sage-grouse at a landscape-scale or identified landscape attributes that influence habitat use patterns. Habitat use...
Invasive plant species are expanding and transforming vegetative communities across Oregon and throughout the United States. Over the past three decades remote sensing, geographic information system (GIS), and Global Positioning System (GPS) technologies have been integrated to detect and map the distribution of noxious rangeland plants. This study developed low-cost...
We studied the distribution and habitat selection differences between
Spanish breed (Corriente and Longhorn mix) and British breed cattle (Angus,
Hereford). This study was located on the Zumwalt prairie during the spring and
fall and along the Imnaha river for the winter. Each trial ran for two weeks and in...
Published June 1951. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
Desert plant communities are among the most sensitive to changes in soil water conditions. In areas with shallow aquifers, it is important to understand both the effects of groundwater alterations on vegetation and how changes in surface-soil water affect plant water uptake. Studies in arid environments have evaluated the effect...
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are plant symbionts that associate with the vast majority of terrestrial plants species. The AMF colonizes the plant roots by penetrating the root cortical cells, where the fungi exchanges mineral nutrients with the host plant for photosynthates. This association exists as a complex system in which...
Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) technologies were employed to evaluate cattle occupancy of three landscape attributes on three different grazing allotments administered by the Wallowa Whitman National Forest in Northeast Oregon. Topographic characteristics of slope; 0-4%, 4-12%, 12-35% and >35% were evaluated as well as north...
Western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) encroachment has been associated with increased soil loss and reduced infiltration resulting in the loss of native herbaceous plant communities and the bird and animal species that rely on them. Hydrologically, however, change in water yield has been linked with the amount of annual precipitation a...
On piñon-juniper encroached sites that lack the understory fuels to carry a prescribed fire, treatment options are limited to mechanical methods. Cutting with chainsaws and leaving the trees on site has been the primary treatment method for such sites, however this method creates a potential fire hazard, particularly in the...
Remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are well known tools for the study of time change analysis in natural systems. However, long-term studies of riparian systems using large-scale aerial photography are less common. The purpose of this project was to combine large scale aerial photography, GIS, Global Positioning Systems...
Thirteen different habitat parameters were measured either quantitatively or
qualitatively around seven different Salix (willow) species on a defined reach of stream
on the southwestern slope of Steens Mountain in southeastern Oregon in order to both
broaden the current information base of riparian ecology and inform future willow
plantings aimed...
This study evaluated biomass production, water-use efficiency (WUE), biomass allocation, and water use characteristics of common plant species in Owens Valley, California, USA. The species studied were the grasses Distichlis spicata, Leymus triticoides, and Sporobolus airoides, the forbs Glycyrrhiza lepidota, Juncus arcticus, and Salsola tragus (annual), the desert shrubs Artemisia...
This study consisted of two research projects in the Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis (Beetle & A. Young) S.L. Welsh) alliance, the most extensive of the big sagebrush complex in the Intermountain West. In the first project, we intensively sampled 107 relatively undisturbed, late seral Wyoming big sagebrush...
A case study examining the relationship between stream temperatures and the thermal environment through which streams flow was conducted on the headwaters of 4 tributaries of the Burnt River (Barney, Elk, Greenhorn, and Stevens Creeks) in northeastern Oregon during July through August 1998 and 1999. Barney Creek and Stevens Creek...