Short-term Effects of Mechanical Shrub Treatment and Livestock Grazing Exclusion on Vegetation in a Native Wyoming Big Sagebrush Community, East-Central Idaho

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

• Does bluebunch wheatgrass (and other herbs) respond positively to mechanical brush crushing?
• Does mechanical brush crushing retain sufficient sagebrush seedlings to allow rapid recovery of sagebrush and create diverse age classes of sagebrush?
• How does the plant community respond to the removal of livestock grazing?

This report describes the vegetation response to mechanical crushing for the first 4 growing seasons following treatment.