Rangeland Ecology & Management

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Cheatgrass Invasion in Salt Desert Shrublands: Benefits of Postfire Reclamation
Author
Jessoff, Brad D,
Anderson, Val Jo
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
2007-05-01
Body

In 1998, fires burned more than 11 330 ha of rangeland on Dugway Proving Ground in Utah’s west desert. Postfire revegetation was implemented in 2 affected salt desert shrub communities (greasewood; Sarcobatus vermiculatus Hook. and black sagebrush/ shadscale; Artemisia nova A. Nels; Atriplex confertifolia Torr. & Frem.) to deter cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.) encroachment. We monitored cheatgrass densities for 3 years after the fire in burned drill seeded, burned not-seeded, and unburned plots to assess the rate of invasion and determine the impact on cheatgrass of drill seeding perennial species. Cheatgrass invaded quickly in both shrub sites following the fires. In the greasewood site, drill seeded species germinated but did not establish. This was likely due to a combination of soil salinity and extremely dry weather conditions during the second year of the study. Drill seeded species in the black sagebrush site germinated and established well, resulting in the establishment of 16.5 perennial grasses m-2 and 1 356 shrubs ha-1. Cheatgrass densities were consistently lower in drill seeded versus not- seeded plots, although these were not always statistically different when Bonferroni comparisons were considered. The initial decrease in cheatgrass densities in drill seeded plots may have resulted from soil disturbance coupled with extremely low precipitation rather than competitive effects. Nevertheless, as seeded species mature and increase their competitive ability, we predict long-term suppression of cheatgrass in the absence of further disturbance.  The Rangeland Ecology & Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact lbry-journals@email.arizona.edu for further information. Migrated from OJS platform August 2020

Language
en
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Journal Issue/Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.2111/1551-5028(2007)60[235:CIISDS]2.0.CO;2
Additional Information
Jessop, B. D., & Anderson, V. J. (2007). Cheatgrass invasion in salt desert shrublands: benefits of postfire reclamation. Rangeland Ecology & Management, 60(3), 235-243.
IISN
0022-409X
OAI Identifier
oai:repository.arizona.edu:10150/643153
Journal Volume
60
Journal Number
3
Journal Pages
235-243
Journal Name
Rangeland Ecology & Management
Keywords
black sagebrush
Bromus tectorum
drill seeding
greasewood
invasive
rehabilitation