Restoration encyclopedia: shrub-steppe restoration

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The shrub-steppe is on the edge of destruction. The shrub-steppe has been dominated by sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) and bunchgrasses, but continued disturbance has led to severe reductions in the native flora and increases in invasive species. Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass), an invasive annual grass, is turning this ecosystem into a high frequency fire disclimax. Fire leads to the loss of perennial natives and increases in early successional annual species, which, unfortunately, increases fire risk. Restoration is required to reverse this trend. How can we make headway against cheatgrass without breaking the bank? This is the key to current research in shrub-steppe restoration. The authors present an overview of invasive species, fire, native species used in restoration, strategies that have been used to restore the shrub-steppe, and some case studies. While cheatgrass is considered the worst invasive species in the shrub-steppe, others are becoming significant. These include the knapweeds (Centaurea spp.), tumblemustard (Sisymbrium altissimum), and Medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae) in upland areas. In riparian areas, Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) and perennial pepperweed (Lepidium latifolium) are difficult to control. Many native species are used in shrub-steppe restoration. These generally are becoming easier to obtain. Site-specific ecotypes are harder to obtain, but often required for successful restoration. Large bunchgrasses can be used as key species as they can out-compete cheatgrass and create conditions that allow other native perennials to establish. This route is the least expensive to successful restoration in the shrub-steppe. Chemicals are often needed to help bunchgrasses establish from seed when cheatgrass is the competitor. Restoration experiments to determine the minimum amount of herbicide required for establishment of drill-seeded bunchgrasses are highlighted as a case study.

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ELECTRONIC FILE - Ecology

Citation as it appeared in a different source's Works Cited: Link, S.O., W.H. Mast, R.W. Hill, and M.L. Pellant. 2004. Restoration Encyclopedia: Shrub-Steppe Restoration. In: Proceedings of the 16th International Conference [of the] Society for Ecological Restoration, Victoria, BC. Note, however, that Victoria was the conference location, not a[n unknown] publisher location. The Society for Ecological Restoration address is Washington, DC.