Effect of Seedling Numbers on Bitterbrush Survival

Abstract

In southwestern Idaho, a good stand of bitterbrush contains from 800 to 1,000 plants per acre; reseeding programs should aim for a similar density of shrubs. The chance that any seed spot may contain at least one live seedling at the end of the first growing season appears to be directly correlated with the initial number of seedlings that emerge from that spot. Any seedling in a group that emerges from one spot is more likely to survive than a lone seedling emerging from a given spot.