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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Logan, Utah » Forage and Range Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #394518
Research Project: Improved Plant Genetic Resources and Methodologies for Rangelands, Pastures, and Turf Landscapes in the Semiarid Western U.S.

Location: Forage and Range Research

Title: When a weed is not a weed: Succession management using early seral natives for Intermountain rangeland restoration

Author
item TILLEY, DEREK - Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS, USDA)
item HULET, APRIL - Brigham Young University
item Bushman, Shaun
item GOEBEL, CHARLES - University Of Idaho
item KARL, JASON - University Of Idaho
item LOVE, STEPHEN - University Of Idaho
item WOLF, MARY - Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS, USDA)

Submitted to: Rangelands
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/10/2022
Publication Date: 8/19/2022
Citation: Tilley, D., Hulet, A., Bushman, B.S., Goebel, C., Karl, J., Love, S., Wolf, M. 2022. When a weed is not a weed: Succession management using early seral natives for Intermountain rangeland restoration. Rangelands. 44(4):270-280. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rala.2022.05.001.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rala.2022.05.001

Interpretive Summary: A weed has been broadly defined as a plant that interferes with management objectives for a given area and period of time. Restorationists in the Intermountain Region are actively seeking restoration species that are easily established, drought-tolerant, and competitive against invasive weeds. Many native early seral species possess the exact restoration attributes that are most sought after, i.e., drought tolerance, adaptation to disturbed conditions, and capacity to compete with the exotic and correctly defined invasive species. We aim to promote consideration of early seral, native, “weedy” species to bridge the gap between theoretical science of manipulating succession for rangeland restoration and procedural applications used by managers and developers of plant materials.

Technical Abstract: We aim to promote consideration of early seral, native, “weedy” species to bridge the gap between theoretical science of manipulating succession for rangeland restoration and procedural applications used by managers and developers of plant materials, by answering the following questions: 1. What is the state of knowledge concerning the use of secondary succession as a restoration tool, and how is it applied in Intermountain Western rangelands? 2. Which species native to the Intermountain Western region could be considered early seral for the purposes of restoration, and what is their availability for restoration treatments? 3. What risks and questions need to be addressed to encourage broader adoption of a succession-based approach to rangeland restoration?