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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Burns, Oregon » Range and Meadow Forage Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #301164
Title: Medusahead management guide for the Intermountain West

Author
item Davies, Kirk
item NAFUS, ALETA - Oregon State University
item JOHNSON, DUSTIN - Oregon State University

Submitted to: United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service
Publication Type: Government Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/18/2013
Publication Date: 11/23/2013
Citation: Davies, K.W., Nafus, A.M., Johnson, D.D. 2013. Medusahead management guide for the Intermountain West. United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service. 1-12.

Interpretive Summary: Medusahead is an exotic annual grass that is decreasing livestock forage production, increasing wildfire frequency, and reducing biodiversity in sagebrush rangelands. The spread of medusahead should be reduced by treating infestations along roads, increasing or maintaining perennial bunchgrass abundance, and monitoring for and eradicating small populations. The best control of medusahead is achieved with prescribed burning followed by a fall application of a pre-emergent herbicide. Seeding crested wheatgrass and squirreltail one year after application of a pre-emergent herbicide has been successfully used to revegetate medusahead-invaded drier sagebrush plant communities. Seeding native plants after medusahead control is generally not as successful as using introduced species unless applied in more mesic sagebrush communities.

Technical Abstract: Medusahead is an exotic annual grass that is decreasing livestock forage production, increasing wildfire frequency, and reducing biodiversity in sagebrush rangelands. The spread of medusahead should be reduced by treating infestations along roads, increasing or maintaining perennial bunchgrass abundance, and monitoring for and eradicating small populations. The best control of medusahead is achieved with prescribed burning followed by a fall application of a pre-emergent herbicide. Seeding crested wheatgrass and squirreltail one year after application of a pre-emergent herbicide has been successfully used to revegetate medusahead-invaded drier sagebrush plant communities. Seeding native plants after medusahead control is generally not as successful as using introduced species unless applied in more mesic sagebrush communities.