California - Smoke Creek: Demonstrate the effectiveness of various herbicides 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)

Glyphosate sprayed in early May (tillering stage) of 2009 and 2010 gave better than 95% control of medusahead without harming the sagebrush or other species (forbs). Initial data is analyzed and some results were presented by Joe DiTomaso at the EBIPM Reno Workshop.

The poster Timing of Low Rates of Glyphosate for control of Medusahead in Sagebrush Scrub outlines results as well.

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 for 2011 is in progress.

Rangeland health assessments is currently under way at the Birds of Prey site in eastern Idaho with EBIPM demonstration sites to follow.

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. wildlings) on survival of sagebrush transplants.

(click here for further details)

Spring-applied treatments in 2009 and 2010 reduced cover and sagebrush seedlings were planted in plots representing combinations of herbicide treatment, no herbicide treatment, and plant source at each of 3 study sites: a cheatgrass monoculture, a monoculture crested wheatgrass seeding, and a native post-fire grass/forb community. Data analysis is in progress.

EBIPM Field Tour was Wednesday, July 13th.

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 is currently being analyzed.

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, Russian wildrye, forage kochia and Great Basin wildrye was done in fall of 2009. Spring sampling for the 2011 field season suggest that the seedings are successful there.

The SRM Utah section toured the Park Valley field sites in early June and the 2011 EBIPM Field School was in Park Valley, September 13-15.

Cheatgrass Suppressive Bacteria Research: Naturally-ocurring soil bacteria have been found to 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 of cheatgrass and medusahead averages about 35% at the sites (with varying ranges of inhibition at each site) for the first year of data. Sites have recently been sampled and data is being analyzed.

Integrating Site History into EBIPM: Evaluates how site history has influenced rangeland vegetation and soil nearly a century after being cultivated.

(click here for further details)

Our latest guideline, Researching Cultivation History covers this subject as well.

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.
Data analyzing the interaction of crested wheatgrass and other rangeland seedings on top of historic dry farms is currently being analyzed. Some results were published in SRM's "Rangelands" publication, "Implementing Ecologically-based Invasive Plant Management: Lessons from a Century of Demonstration Project in Park Valley, Utah".

Utah - Southern Cache Valley WPA

A group of ranchers in Paradise Valley, Utah have joined forces to establish a Weed Prevention Area. They're following the steps outlined in the EBIPM step-by-step user's guide "Establishing a Weed Prevention Area".

Learn more about Weed Prevention Areas here.

Download the Southern Cache Valley WPA brochure, "Medusahead Control & Seeding to Perennial Grasses" (pdf).

The group is in step four of Establishing a WPA, "Implement the Action Plan". More than 1,000 acres of medusahead were sprayed in fall 2010 with plateau and areas were mapped for seeding by rangeland drills.