PARENT SESSION
Poster Session #20: Arid Lands Restoration.
Tuesday, August 6. Presentation from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM. Exhibit Hall B & C, TCC

Cheating the odds for sagebrush habitat restoration.

DURHAM, ROBIN^*,1, SACKSCHEWSKY, MICHAEL¹, ¹ Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington

ABSTRACT- Restoring mature Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis) communities is of concern in the Pacific Northwest because many sagebrush-obligate wildlife species are declining across their range in response to fire, agricultural development, and other land-use changes. Quality-based habitat restoration implies choosing sites with a high potential for developing stable and diverse communities with few weedy species. However, this concept is challenged by the ubiquitous nature of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum). For restoration to be beneficial for wildlife and successful from a plant community standpoint, must we adhere to this strict concept of quality? We examined the success of 32,000 fall-planted Wyoming big sagebrush seedlings in four post-burn sites along an elevation gradient ranging from 120 to 305 m (400 to 1000 ft). With increasing elevation, cheatgrass cover decreased from 82% to 3%, while native bunchgrass cover increased from 10% to 90%. After one year, the site with almost no cheatgrass had the lowest seedling survival (76%). Survival on the other three sites varied between 88% and 90%. Our data show that moderate cheatgrass presence may indicate a higher potential for sagebrush survival. Moreover, because some sagebrush-obligate species, like the sage sparrow (Amphispiza belli), are able to tolerate moderate levels of cheatgrass, then sites with moderate cheatgrass levels in turn may indicate sites with potential for developing into beneficial habitats for at least some sagebrush-obligate species.

KEY WORDS: Habitat, Restoration, Artemisia tridentata, Bromus tectorum