Abstract
Crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum [L.] Gaertn.) has been historically seeded on thousands of ha of Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt. ssp. wyomingensis) communities. Initially used to improve degraded rangeland, its use has become controversial in the current management setting where emphasis has shifted from increased forage production to increased community diversification. Naturalized crested wheatgrass communities are an attractive setting for this goal of diversification, but little is understood about how succession proceeds in the absence of management techniques that perpetuate the dominance of crested wheatgrass, in other words, fire, chemical, and mechanical treatments Further research in communities that have not experienced these treatments may help define interacting factors, determine successional trajectories, and provide insights into management options to satisfy contemporary and future rangeland management activities within seeded Wyoming big sagebrush communities.
Recommended Citation
Gunnell, Kevin L.; Williams, Justin R.; and Monaco, Thomas A.
(2011)
"Clarifying Potential Successional Trajectories in Sagebrush Communities Historically Seeded with Crested Wheatgrass,"
Natural Resources and Environmental Issues: Vol. 16, Article 17.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/nrei/vol16/iss1/17
