Plant Succession Following Chaining of Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands in Eastern Nevada

Abstract

This study was undertaken to determine some of the long-term effects of secondary succession on tree control in pinyon-juniper woodlands by cabling and chaining with "debris in place," a technique used for about two decades. Plant species representative of all the successional stages we observed following treatment exist simultaneously from treatment. These observed changes were primarily changes in relative abundance resulting from differences in the growth rates and competitive abilities of the species concerned. Competitive ability appears directly related to the length of time following treatment that a species is able to maintain an increased growth rate. The trees maintain this increased growth for two to three times as long as any understory species studied. The result is a steady reduction of understory cover and production beyond the fifth to eight year following treatment, depending on site.