To determine the response of fringed sagebrush (Artemisia frigida Willd.) to different types of disturbance, vegetation and soil measurements were recorded for two years following tilling, clipping, litter removal, and a combination of clipping and litter removal. In general, precipitation and coinciding soil moisture levels played the most important role in the emergence and survival of fringed sagebrush seedlings. When precipitation was low, emergence and survival of fringed sagebrush seedlings was also low, even in disturbed areas. While there was no significant effect due to the other disturbances, tilling greatly increasing seedling emergence and growth of fringed sagebrush plants. Tilling may have been most successful method in increasing growth and emergence of this species because it caused severe disturbance. The authors suggest that fringed sagebrush may respond to the specific level of severity of a disturbance event, rather than to the presence of disturbance alone.
Citations and enhanced abstracts for journals articles and documents focused on rangeland ecology and management. RSIS is a collaboration between Montana State University, University of Idaho, and University of Wyoming.