Establishing Big Sagebrush Seedlings on the Colorado Plateau

Authors

Kari E. Veblen, Utah State UniversityFollow
Eric Thacker, Utah State UniversityFollow
Mark Larese-Casanova, Utah State University
Kyle NehringFollow
Mike Duniway, U.S. Geological Survey
Colby Brungard, New Mexico State University

Document Type

Factsheet

Publisher

Utah State University Extension

Publication Date

5-8-2023

First Page

1

Last Page

4

Abstract

Factors such as soil type and precipitation vary across rangeland landscapes, and these factors affect restoration outcomes and ultimately mean that “one size fits all” management strategies are not effective across large, complex landscapes. Big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) is a foundational rangeland species that is important to wildlife habitat across the western U.S. On the Colorado Plateau, sagebrush is important browse for ungulates, such as mule deer and pronghorn, which motivates a great deal of restoration effort. However, most scientific knowledge of big sagebrush comes from the Great Basin, and we know much less about how to restore sagebrush on the Colorado Plateau, where soils and precipitation patterns are different and conditions are warmer and drier. This fact sheet describes research about establishing and restoring sagebrush seedlings on the Colorado Plateau.

Recommended Citation

Veblen, K. E., Thacker, E., Larese-Casanova, M., Nehring, K., Duniway, M., & Brungard, C. (2023). Establishing big sagebrush seedlings on the Colorado Plateau [Fact sheet]. Utah State University Extension.