Get reliable rangeland science

Management of shrub cover is a common activity on rangelands and can be central to maintaining productive rangelands. However, results of management practices can be difficult to predict, in part because shrub responses differ by the ecological sites in which they occur. For instance, site attributes including climate, soil type, and landscape position will influence achievable plant species composition, susceptibility of target shrubs to reduction, and site vulnerability to disturbance. Tailoring shrub reduction techniques to specific ecological sites will help land managers meet their goals, make cost-effective decisions, and maintain productive, healthy rangelands. Although ecological sites are integral to the success of rangeland management, there is a scarcity of resources disseminating information about them in a usable format to those who need it most: livestock producers, land managers, and rangeland management advisors. To fill this void, we are introducing the Utah Shrub Management Handbook. It will include information on a) what ecological sites are and how to assess them, b) how to incorporate ecological site concepts into project planning, c) biology and management of Utah's commonly targeted shrub species, d) current technology for shrub reduction, and e) a framework for weighing costs and benefits of management actions. The handbook also includes preliminary analyses for long-term site-specific response to shrub reduction and field experiments investigating response of common target shrubs (snakeweed, rubber rabbitbrush, big sagebrush, greasewood) to chemical and mechanical control across eight ecological sites. The handbook is compiled by the Utah Shrub Management Group, with contributions from researchers, NRCS staff, rangeland advisers, and local producers. It is focused on furthering the integration of ecological site concepts into state-wide management activities. This presentation will illustrate why ecological sites are important to management decision-making and how outreach materials can be used to share scientific results with a broad, management-oriented community.