Revitalization of a Native Wyoming Big Sagebrush/Bluebunch Wheatgrass Community in Central Idaho: A Ten Year Summary

This project assessed the use of mechanical crushing of shrubs as an alternative to prescribed fire to stimulate revitalization of cover and vigor of bluebunch wheatgrass and other native herbs. The project was designed to address several questions about community responses to range restoration including:

• Does mechanical brush crushing, which is expected to mostly impact mature shrubs, retain sufficient young age sagebrush and seedlings to allow more rapid recovery of sagebrush cover than expected from prescribed fire treatment?
• Does bluebunch wheatgrass cover (and the herb understory) increase in response to the reduction of sagebrush and other shrubs as a result of mechanical crushing?
• Do bluebunch wheatgrass and other herb cover increase with the removal of livestock grazing?

This report details vegetation response spanning the first 9 growing seasons following treatment with mechanical crushing.