Little information is available to help managers of cool-season dominated semiarid rangelands determine when to begin and end grazing in the spring and fall. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of clipping spring and fall growth on subsequent-year yield of needle-and-thread (Hesperostipa comata [Trin. & Rupr.] Barkworth) and threadleaf sedge (Carex filifolia Nutt.) (USDA-NRCS 2012) using a randomized complete block, split-plot experimental design with fall moisture regimes (ambient or supplemental water) applied to main plots and defoliation treatments applied to subplots. Two combinations of spring defoliation, one for each fall moisture regime, were composed of a factorial array of three spring clipping dates (early May, late May, mid-June) and three levels of defoliation (0%, 40%, 80%). A third combination of treatments was composed of the supplemental water regime and an array of a single spring clipping date (late May), a single fall clipping date (late September, after regrowth), and three levels of defoliation (0%, 40%, 80%) in the same year. Ambient fall moisture was low, leading to continued senescence of needle-and-thread and threadleaf sedge, whereas the application of 10 cm of supplemental water in mid-August stimulated fall growth. The study was replicated with two sets of main plots at four sites in consecutive years, 2002 and 2003. Yield data were collected in mid-June of the year following treatment. Subsequent-year yield of needle-and-thread was not affected by defoliation under average plant-year precipitation conditions (2003) (P > 0.05); however, it was reduced following heavy (80%) late spring (late May or June) defoliation during a drought year (2002) (P > 0.05). Subsequent-year yield of threadleaf sedge was not affected by defoliation in either year (P > 0.05). Because it is difficult to predict when drought will occur, avoiding heavy late-spring grazing in needle-and-thread-dominated pastures in consecutive years would be prudent. © 2014 The Society for Range Management.

Extensive research has been devoted to quantifying the habitat needs and selection of many wildlife species. However, how habitat selection affects the long-term demographic performance of a species largely has been ignored. We used northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) and brush canopy coverage-an important habitat component for quail-to evaluate the influence of habitat on short-and long-term demographic performance of this species. We used data from a 5-yr (2001-2005) radiotelemetry study of northern bobwhite in southern Texas to obtain estimates of bobwhite density, survival, and production on three study areas with 5%, 11%, and 32% brush canopy cover. Our objectives were to compare these demographic variables individually among brush canopy cover classes and then simulate their cumulative effect on demographic performance using a simulation model. All demographic parameters were similar among the three brush canopy cover classes. However, simulation modeling indicated that long-term demographic performance was greater on the 11% and 32% brush canopy cover classes. Simulated bobwhite populations were 2-3 times higher in these two cover classes than the 5% brush canopy cover class. In addition, the probability of population persistence was greater in the 11% (0.91) and 32% (1.00) brush canopy cover classes than the 5% cover class (0.54) using a quasi-extinction criterion of ≤ 40 birds (≤ 0.05 birds · ha-1). Our study highlights the shortcoming of considering only short-term effects when comparing habitat given that short-and long-term effects of habitat on demographic performance can differ. © 2014 The Society for Range Management.

Large-scale loss and degradation of North American native prairie coupled with sharp declines in grassland bird populations call for a clear understanding of the effects of livestock production on bird habitat selection. Grassland birds typically select breeding habitat based on a suite of structural and community vegetation features shaped by grazing. Rangeland health indices are a tool for assessing grassland structure and community composition that may offer biologists and range managers common language to achieve grassland bird recovery goals. We used point-count surveys, vegetation measures, and indices of rangeland health to examine bird-habitat relationships on native grassland in southwestern Saskatchewan for 10 grassland bird species. We used an information theoretic approach to compare the support of three hypotheses explaining variation in bird abundance as a function of local vegetation characteristics: bird abundance is best explained by 1) vegetation structure, 2) vegetation structure heterogeneity, or 3) plant community. Vegetation structure variables were present in top-ranking models (i.e., models within four Akaike information criterion units of top model) for eight species and solely comprised top-ranking models for Baird's sparrow (Ammodramus bairdii), chestnut-collared longspur (Calcarius ornatus), horned lark (Eremophila alpestris), McCown's longspur (Rhynchophanes mccownii), and savannah sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis). Structural heterogeneity variables were present in top-ranked models for grasshopper sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum), horned lark (Eremophila alpestris), and western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta). Plant composition variables solely comprised top-ranking models for clay-colored sparrow (Spizella pallida) and were present in top-ranked models for grasshopper sparrow and vesper sparrow (Pooecetes gramineus). Our results indicate that vegetation structure variables, namely litter mass, vegetation volume, and bare ground cover, best explain variation in bird abundance. Although the rangeland health index received little support as a predictor of bird abundance, vegetation structure components of the index could be used to communicate grazing management guidelines that maintain grassland bird habitat. © 2014 The Society for Range Management.

Temperate grasslands are generally considered carbon (C) sinks, but climate and management likely affect whether they accumulate or lose C on an annual time step. The North Central Region of the United States contains highly productive improved pasture that is used exclusively for livestock grazing and mechanical harvest. The objective of this study was to use a net ecosystem carbon balance (NECB) approach to estimate C accumulation or loss in subhumid pastures under four typical livestock management practices: management-intensive rotational grazing (MIRG), continuous grazing (CONT), haymaking (HARV), and land set aside with no harvests (NONE). MIRG lost significantly less C in 2006 than all other treatments, and in 2007 MIRG was the only treatment that had a positive NECB. For 2006, our model resulted in an average change of-236 ± 15 (CONT),-100 ± 24 (MIRG),-391 ± 11 (HARV), and-276 ± 28 (NONE) g C · m-2 · y-1. For 2007, the change was-234 ± 56 (CONT), 106 ± 69 (MIRG),-200 ± 25 (HARV), and-171 ± 38 (NONE) g C · m-2 · y-1. Increased C fixed as net primary production (NPP) and C imported as hay and grain resulted in the MIRG treatment having the most favorable C balance. Even with imported hay and grain, reduced NPP in the CONT treatment led to a less favorable C balance. In the HARV treatment, high biomass removal drove the negative C balance, while the relationship between reduced NPP and heterotrophic respiration alone drove the negative C balance in the NONE treatment. Climate change mitigation services provided from ecosystem C accumulation relative to cultivation may be warranted for pastures, but when all cross-boundary transfers of C are not considered, significant misconceptions can occur regarding how different management strategies affect the NECB of subhumid pasture. © 2014 The Society for Range Management.

Cost-efficient strategies for revegetating annual grass-infested rangelands are limited. Restoration efforts typically comprise a combination of pre-emergent herbicide application and seeding to restore desired plant materials. However, practitioners struggle with applying herbicide at rates sufficient to achieve weed control without damaging nontarget species. The objective of this research was to determine if seed enhancement technologies using activated carbon would improve selectivity of the pre-emergent herbicide imazapic. Bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata) seed was either untreated, coated with activated carbon, or incorporated into "herbicide protection pods" (HPPs) made of activated carbon through a newly developed seed extrusion technique. In a grow-room facility, bluebunch wheatgrass seeds were sown in pots that contained seed of the exotic-annual grass downy brome (Bromus tectorum). After planting, pots were sprayed with 70, 105, 140, or 210 g acid equivalent (ae) · ha-1 of imazapic or left unsprayed. Where herbicide was not applied, downy brome biomass dominated the growing space. Imazapic effectively controlled downy brome and untreated bluebunch wheatgrass. Seed coating improved bluebunch wheatgrass tolerance to imazapic at 70 g ae · ha-1. HPPs provided protection from imazapic at all application rates. When untreated seeds and HPPs are compared at the four levels of herbicide application (excluding the no herbicide level), HPPs on average were 4.8-, 3.8-, and 19.0-fold higher than untreated seeds in density, height, and biomass, respectively. These results indicate that HPPs and, to a lesser extent, activated carbon-coated seed have the potential to further enhance a single-entry revegetation program by providing land practitioners with the ability to apply imazapic at rates necessary for weed control while minimizing nontarget plant injury. Additional research is merited for further development and evaluation of these seed enhancement technologies, including field studies, before they can be recommended as restoration treatments. © 2014 The Society for Range Management.

Various best management practices (BMPs) have been implemented on rangelands with the goals of controlling nonpoint source pollution, reducing the impact of livestock in ecologically important riparian areas, and improving grazing distribution. Providing off-stream water sources to livestock in pastures, cross-fencing, and rotational grazing are common rangeland BMPs that have demonstrated success in drawing livestock grazing pressure away from streams. We evaluated the effects of rangeland BMP implementation with six commercial-scale pastures in the northern mixed-grass prairie. Four pastures received a BMP suite consisting of off-stream water, cross-fencing, and deferred-rotation grazing, and two pastures did not receive BMPs. We hypothesized that the BMPs increased the quantity of riparian vegetation cover relative to the conditions in these pastures during the pre-BMP period and to the two pastures that did not receive BMPs. We used a series of 30-m Landsat normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) images to track the spatial and temporal changes (1984-2010, n = 24) in vegetation cover, to which NDVI has been well correlated. Validation indicated that the remotely sensed signal from in-channel vegetation was representative of ground conditions. The BMP suite was associated with a 15% increase in the in-channel NDVI (0-30 m from stream centerline) and 18% increase in the riparian NDVI (30-180 m from stream center line). Conversely, the in-channel and riparian NDVI of non-BMP pastures declined 30% and 18% over the study period. The majority of change occurred within 2 yr of BMP implementation. The patterns of in-channel NDVI among pastures suggested that BMP implementation likely altered grazing distribution by decreasing the preferential use of riparian and in-channel areas. We demonstrated that satellite imagery time series are useful in retrospectively evaluating the efficacy of conservation practices, providing critical information to guide adaptive management and decision makers. © 2014 The Society for Range Management.

Comparisons of tree-removal treatments to reduce the cover of single-leaf pinyon (Pinus monophylla Torr. and Frém.) and Utah juniper (Juniperus osteosperma Torr. Little), and subsequently increase native herbaceous cover in black sagebrush (Artemisia nova A. Nelson), are needed to identify most cost-effective methods. Two adjacent vegetation management experiments were initiated in 2006 and monitored until 2010 in eastern Nevada to compare the costs and efficacy of various tree reduction methods. One Department of Energy (DOE) experiment compared a control to five treatments: bulldozing imitating chaining ($205-·-ha-1), lop-pile-burn ($2-309-·-ha-1), lop-and-scatter ($1-297- ·-ha-1), feller-buncher and chipper ($4-940-·- ha-1), and mastication ($1-136-·-ha-1), whereas a second Bureau of Land Management (BLM) experiment compared one-way chaining ($205-·-ha-1) to a control treatment. Chaining and bulldozing resulted in the least reduction of tree cover among the treatments. In the DOE experiment, forb cover only decreased in the mastication treatment. Litter increased in all methods. Slash cover was lowest in the control and lop-pile-burn treatments, intermediate in the feller-buncher and mastication treatments, and highest in the bulldozing and lop-and-scatter treatments. By 2010, forb cover and the combined cover of dead shrubs and trees were increased and decreased, respectively, by chaining in the BLM experiment. Nonnative annual grass and biotic crust were absent or uncommon before and after treatment implementation. In both experiments, tree removal resulted in a nonsignificant increase in perennial grass cover even 4 yr post-treatment. An ecological return-on-investment (EROI) metric was developed to compare perennial grass cover and tree cover per unit area cost of each active treatment. By 2010, chaining or bulldozing, followed by mastication, showed the highest EROI for improving perennial grass and decreasing tree cover. Mastication is recommended for restoration of smaller tree-encroached areas, whereas land managers should reconsider smooth chaining, despite its negative perceptions, for rapid and cost-efficient restoration of large landscapes obligates. © 2014 The Society for Range Management.

The goal of our study was to document traditional steppe herders' perception and management of spatial and temporal heterogeneity of forage availability of their seminatural pastures. Ninety-two herders living in the Hortobágy saline steppe, Hungary, Central Europe were interviewed, and participatory observation was used to understand herding and habitat improvement techniques. The herders recognized 47-66 habitat types (mostly grassland types), and listed at least 90 plant species important for grazing. They have a nuanced knowledge of the intra- and interannual variations of forage quality and quantity. They perform very strong and well-planned herding practices. Daily spatial pattern of grazing is, however, often opportunistic and flexible, but has a more-or-less regular year-round cycle, in which marshes and stubbles provide forage in drought periods. Reciprocal learning and continuous communication between the herder and his driving dogs and livestock strongly influence grazing pattern. Herders manage and improve different habitats of their pastures differently by traditional and, less frequently, modern methods. The main method is grazing supplemented by manuring, burning, and removal of spiny weeds. Traditional knowledge of herders could be effectively used in evidence-based conservation and pasture management of European saline steppes; e.g., the reintroduction of some old herding techniques (opportunistic pasture use, grazing of marshes, and burning). Herders' knowledge could also help the fine-tuning and local adaptation of European agri-environmental regulations (e.g., how to balance subsidies for hay-making and grazing in saline steppes). More research is needed, however, on the ecological effects of different traditional grazing techniques, e.g., rotation, manuring, and burning. In general a more complex socio-ecological understanding of the internal and external factors affecting adaptation of the Hortobágy herders to changing environment, society, and European Union policies is needed. © 2014 The Society for Range Management.

A key goal in land management is to prevent ecosystem shifts that affect human well-being. Like other types of sagebrush shrublands, large areas dominated by the common but little-studied mountain silver sagebrush may have shifted to a less productive shrub-dominated alternate state under heavy livestock grazing in the 19th century. The goals of this study are to 1) describe long-term vegetation change in a silver sagebrush mountain park and 2) evaluate evidence that these changes constitute alternate states. We examined vegetation change over the last 57 yr in California Park, Colorado, USA, using monitoring data from 15 permanent transects at six sites. We analyzed change in species composition over time and related it to management and climatic drivers using nonmetric multidimensional scaling. We found that management practices influenced species composition. Spraying herbicides resulted in decreases of sagebrush and a dominant, unpalatable forb (Wyethia amplexicaulis), but sagebrush recovered. Spraying also triggered a temporary increase in native palatable grasses and forbs. Native grasses have since decreased again, coinciding with increases in the cattle stocking rate and elk population. The nonnative pasture grass Phleum pratense has increased to become one of the dominant grasses in 2010. Sagebrush and herbaceous understory dynamics were not consistent with a shrub-dominated alternate state: changes were gradual and not persistent. However, historic Wyethia dominance and the widespread increase in the nonnative grass Phleum were persistent and may represent alternate states. We used these findings to update a state-and-transition model of high-elevation silver sagebrush shrubland dynamics for land management decision making. Our analysis differentiated gradual, nonpersistent changes from potentially irreversible changes, as is necessary for identifying alternate states that are important for land management and ecosystem function. The gradual but persistent increase in the nonnative grass Phleum reinforces others' observations that even incremental changes may lead to irreversible shifts. © 2014 The Society for Range Management.

Although human influence across rural landscapes is often discussed, interactions between the native, natural systems and human activities are challenging to measure explicitly. We assessed the distribution of introduced, invasive species as related to anthropogenic infrastructure and environmental conditions across southwestern Wyoming. to discern direct correlations as well as covariate influences between land use, land cover, and abundance of invasive plants, and assess the supposition that these features affect surrounding rangeland conditions. Our sample units were 1-000 m long and extended outward from target features, which included roads, oil and gas well pads, pipelines, power lines, and featureless background sites. Sample sites were distributed across the region using a stratified, random design with a frame that represented features and land-use intensity. In addition to land-use gradients, we captured a representative, but limited, range of variability in climate, soils, geology, topography, and dominant vegetation. Several of these variables proved significant, in conjunction with distance from anthropogenic features, in regression models of invasive plant abundance. We used general linear models to demonstrate and compare associations between invasive plant frequency and Euclidian distance from features, natural logarithm transformed distances (log-linear), and environmental variables which were presented as potential covariates. We expected a steep curvilinear (log or exponential) decline trending towards an asymptote along the axis representing high abundance near features with rapid decrease beyond approximately 50-100 m. Some of the associations we document exhibit this pattern, but we also found some invasive plant distributions that extended beyond our expectations, suggesting a broader distribution than anticipated. Our results provide details that can inform local efforts for management and control of invasive species, and they provide evidence of the different associations between natural patterns and human land use exhibited by nonnative species in this rural setting, such as the indirect effects of humans beyond impact areas. © 2014 The Society for Range Management.