Cold hardiness in Wyoming big sagebrush seedlings: implications for nursery production and outplanting

Abstract

Throughout much of the interior western United States, Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis) is a keystone species, serving an important ecological role in sagebrush steppe and Great Basin sagebrush vegetation types (Lysne 2005, Lambrecht et al. 2007). Over the past century, these ecosystems have been degraded by fire, invasive species, and destructive land use including livestock-inflicted grazing pressure. Because of overgrazing and the low resilience of these ecosystems, invasive species, such as cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), are able to establish, increasing wildfire size and frequency and promoting an unnatural fire cycle that prevents re-establishment of native vegetation (Lysne 2005, Mack 2010).

Citation

Herriman, Kayla R.; Davis, Anthony S. 2012. Cold hardiness in Wyoming big sagebrush seedlings: implications for nursery production and outplanting. Ecological Restoration. 30(2): 101-102.