Restoration Initiatives
Restoring Shrublands and Grasslands
Land managers are increasingly looking to improve degraded rangelands by reintroducing native plant species to degraded areas. In important wildlife areas, management of shrubland and grasslands involves a balancing act, wherein active restoration efforts, livestock grazing, and invasive species removal often proceed together, despite the possibility that these objectives are potentially at odds with one another. For example, livestock grazing and/or mechanical planting of native shrubs could result in disturbances that help establish invasive species.
The shrublands, grasslands, and woodland habitats on the Kane and Two Mile ranches are typical of many western public rangelands in the arid west. Fire suppression in the higher elevation woodlands over the past century has resulted in heavy fuels and unnaturally severe fires, while livestock grazing has badly damaged some shrubland and grassland areas, resulting in weed invasions, eroded washes, and grazing-tolerant plants that have replaced native plant communities. Although current livestock numbers are low compared to historical herds, low precipitation has stalled the recovery of these systems following heavy grazing during the first half of the 20th century. Vegetative cover and soil stability remain low while invasive species are abundant in the most degraded areas.
Across the Kane and Two Mile ranches, critical habitats for wildlife species including mule deer and pronghorn antelope would benefit from restoration of native species and control of invasive species such as cheatgrass. Given its dramatic, large-scale, and potentially irreversible ecological consequences, cheatgrass is the most consequential invasive non-native species in the area and controlling cheatgrass invasion stands as a critically important restoration challenge. We believe that fire management, habitat enhancement, wildlife management, livestock management, and all other activities in the area must explicitly consider and be designed to slow and/or reverse the spread of cheatgrass. As of 2008, the preponderance of the scientific and management literature suggests that restoration of native plants to cheatgrass-dominated areas is extremely challenging. Therefore, we are designing research, monitoring, and on-the-ground restoration activities to slow the spread, colonization, and establishment of cheatgrass in areas where it is currently rare or absent. We are also working to identify areas with higher risk of invasion in order to clarify management and restoration strategies that minimize invasion potential while maintaining and/or restoring natural ecosystems to the maximum degree possible.
