Crested wheatgrass, an introduced bunchgrass, has been seeded on millions of acres of the sagebrush steppe. Stands of crested wheatgrass are often associated with native species displacement and low biological diversity; however plant community composition can be variable. We evaluated 121 crested wheatgrass seedings across the northern Great Basin to investigate correlations between vegetation composition and seeding year precipitation, disturbance history and management. We found that high precipitation following seeding of crested wheatgrass has long-term, negative effects on Wyoming big sagebrush cover and density. Crested wheatgrass stands that were grazed contained more native herbaceous vegetation and shrubs than ungrazed stands. Pre-seeding treatments/disturbances also appears to have long-term effects on plant community characteristics. Results of this study explain some of the differences in plant community composition among sites seeded with crested wheatgrass. These results also suggest management actions can be used to affect the cover and abundance of native vegetation in crested wheatgrass stands.
Oral presentation and poster titles, abstracts, and authors from the Society for Range Management (SRM) Annual Meetings and Tradeshows, from 2013 forward.