Controlling One-Seed Juniper Saplings With Small Ruminants: What We Have Learned

Abstract

Protein supplements and polyethylene glycol increased juniper intake by small ruminants in all seasons except fall, when PSM concentrations were greatest. Terpenes were affected by season and sapling size, and were related to juniper intake by small ruminants. Small sapling browsing occurred most frequently in summer. Debarking of branches on taller saplings was greatest in spring. Ten years later, juniper kill ranged from 5-14%. Growth suppression was still evident after 10 years; browsed saplings averaged 13 cm shorter than controls. Strategies to target grazing of one-seed juniper are more likely to succeed if aligned with periods when PSM are lowest. The Society for Range Management