Demonstration Areas and Projects
Updates (see map below)
| Demonstrations & Objectives | Updates |
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California - Smoke Creek: Demonstrate the effectiveness of Plateau on a large-scale control of cheatgrass and medusahead and consider alternative methods of control with and without re-seeding efforts. (click here for further details) |
Plateau gave better than 90% control of medusahead and cheatgrass without harming the sagebrush or other species. A cold, wet spring has pushed data collection/evaluations to mid-summer. |
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Idaho - Boise Front Range: Restore ecosystems threatened and dominated by cheatgrass and/or medusahead in the Boise Front Warms Springs watershed. (click here for further details) |
Herbicide was applied in fall 2008 followed by seeding of a native/non-native mix in early winter of 2008 and 2010. Shrubs were planted in springs of 2009 and 2010. Establishment of seeded species is good. Clipping/collecting data will be done at peak biomass-likely the middle to end of July. |
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Nevada - North Fork Humboldt River: Demonstrate the effectiveness of reduced rates of herbicide for cheatgrass control and determine the influence of site, reduction of competition, season of planting and plant source (nursery vs. indeigenous) on survival of sagebrush transplants. (more detailed information coming soon) |
(updates coming soon) |
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Oregon - Jordan Valley: Assess the potential of using the single-entry (one-pass seed/herbicide application) strategy to rehabilitate annual-grass-infested rangelands accross large heterogeneous landscapes. (click here for further details) |
Herbicide and seeding treatments were applied in fall of 2009 at 5 sites. Herbicide-Plateau at 3.5 oz/acre. Seeding-a combination of crested wheatgrass and sandberg bluegrass at 25 lbs/acre. Good control of invasive species with plateau, seeding success seems sporatic. Data collection to begin in early July. |
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Utah - Park Valley: Evaluation of the effects of targeted grazing, prescribed fire, and herbicide on rangeland seeding success and on dynamic soil properties. (click here for further details) |
Seeding of crested wheatgrass, Siberian wheatgrass, Russion wildrye, forage kochia and Great Basin wildrye was done in fall of 2009. Data is currently being collected on that seeding. |
| Projects | |
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Cheatgrass Suppressive Bacteria Research: Naturally-ocurring soil bacteria have been discovered that can alter competitiveness and survival of grass weeds including cheatgrass and certain other grass weeds and small grains by inhibiting root growth. (click here for further details) |
Sites were set up accross the Great Basin and in eastern Washington to determine the level of inhibition on cheatgrass and medusahead in rangeland. Inhibition has been high at the sites in Washington and appear moderate at sites in the Great Basin. Data/samples have been collected and are currently being processed and analyzed. |
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Integrating Site History into EBIPM: Evaluate how site history has influenced rangeland vegetation and soil nearly a century after being cultivated. (click here for further details) |
Results indicate that historic dry farming has had long-lasting impacts on vegetation and ground cover across different ecological sites that could influence key ecosystem properties. |
| Utah - Southern Cache Valley WPA | Download the Southern Cache Valley WPA brochure, "Medusahead Control & Seeding to Perennial Grasses" (pdf). |