Treesearch

Wildlife species richness, densities, and distribution are directly related to the quality and quantity of habitat (Autenrieth 1983; Autenrieth and others 1982; Bodurtha and others 1989; Call and Maser 1985; Caughley 1979; Kindschy and others 1982; Leckenby and others 1982; Reynolds 1980; Russo 1964; Thomas and others 1979a,c; Yoakum 1980). Productive big game ranges, are generally productive livestock ranges. Productive livestock ranges can, with proper planning and management, be productive wildlife ranges (fig. 1); however, many livestock range improvement projects have been detrimental...

Most range management or revegetation programs are aimed at providing forage to support the needs of range animals. Among these needs are supplying the nutrients required to drive the physiological processes of the animal body. One major principle in this report is that there is no "perfect forage species" that will supply all the nutrients needed by any range animal for all seasons. The best approach to range management or revegetation is to supply a diversity of palatable shrubs, forbs, and grasses. Major topics to be discussed are (1) nutrient requirements of range animals, (2) judging...

Obtaining specific, reliable knowledge on plant diseases is essential in wildland shrub resource management. However, plant disease is one of the most neglected areas of wildland resources experimental research. This section is a discussion of plant pathology and how to use it in managing plant disease systems.

Management of restored and rehabilitated ranges can be divided into (1) post-treatment, which we are most concerned with herein, and (2) management of the subsequent mature community. Immediate post-treatment management can positively or negatively affect the ultimate success and longevity of a project, and the actual returns and benefits received. It is essential to follow good post-treatment management practices to obtain the maximum return on investments made. The post-treatment management period may last as long as 10 years following treatment.

Range and wildland improvement projects conducted throughout the Intermountain region normally occur within specific plant communities. Each plant community has unique features that require different equipment, planting techniques, and plant materials to conduct improvement projects. Plant communities or associations discussed in this chapter are: (1) subalpine herblands and upper elevation aspen openings, (2) wet and semiwet meadows, (3) inland saltgrass, (4) riparian, (5) aspenconifer, (6) mountain brush-ponderosa pine, (7) juniper-pinyon, (8) sagebrush, (9) salt desert shrub, (10)...

Grasses are adapted to a wide range of edaphic and climatic conditions and are found in nearly all plant communities. In the Western United States, grasses are seeded on disturbances to provide forage (Hull and Holmgren 1964; Vallentine 1989), wildlife habitat (Plummer and others 1968), and watershed stability (Cornelius 1946; Hafenrichter and others 1949; Piper 1934; Stewart and Young 1939). A number of introduced grass species proved well-suited to Western rangelands and received extensive use in early reseeding efforts (Barnes and others 1995; Hafenrichter and others 1968; Moser and...

Our knowledge of the physical requirements of cultivated plants is far advanced in contrast to that of the native and introduced species used in range plantings. Cultivated plants are usually grown as single varieties of a species under specific controlled conditions to ensure maximum yields. Native and introduced range plants often grow in species mixtures on sites that are more variable than agricultural croplands. Our knowledge of the specific requirements of individual species or varieties may not always apply with respect to interspecific competition or to the widely varying wildlands...

Soil factors are an important consideration for successful wildland range development or improvement programs. Even though many soil improvement and amelioration practices are not realistic for wildlands, their evaluation is an important step in selection of adapted plant materials for revegetation. This chapter presents information for wildland managers on: the importance of soils physical, chemical, and nutrient considerations in wildland restoration and rehabilitation; the basis for evaluating wildland soil suitability for plant growth; effects of management activities on soil factors;...

Generally, range or wildlife habitat improvement projects seek to achieve desirable plants through the elimination or replacement of undesirable species or both. Control measures are thus designed to: (1) reduce the competitive effects of existing species (Evans and Young 1987a,b; Robertson and Pearse 1945), (2) allow the establishment of seeded species (Harper and Benton 1966; Toole and others 1956), and (3) facilitate reestablishment, or improve the vigor of, desirable native plants (Plummer and others 1970a; Stevens 1987b).

When planning a restoration or rehabilitation project, proper equipment selection should be a high priority. Equipment should be selected that is adapted to the treatment site, and that when properly used, will fulfill and add to the objectives of the treatment. Equipment should be economical and ecologically sound.