• Introduction
• Evaluating the potential for natural recovery
  • Burn severity & plant survival
  • Noxious weed cover & survival
• Revegetating with competitive plants
  • When revegetation is necessary
  • Formulating a Seed Mix
  • Things to consider
• Establishing competitive plants
• Managing competitive plants
• Integrated Weed Management
• Preventing noxious weeds
• Eradicating small weed patches
• Managing large weed infestations
  • Mechanical control
  • Chemical control
    • Timing & placement
  • Cultural control
  • Biological control
• Monitoring & Evaluation
• Developing a burned-area IWM plan
• Summary
• Sources and Credits
• Additional Resources
• Interactive Exercises

Rangeland Weed Management - Revegetating with competitive plants

Things to consider

Slope & Drainage Considerations

Intended use of the area:
If livestock grazing is the intended use, an aggressive perennial grass that provides high forage production and nutritional value could be the dominant species of a simple mix. If the burned area will not be used for grazing (e.g., natural areas), aggressive-growing native species that can provide ecologic stability and effectively compete with noxious weeds will help maintain the integrity of the plant community. The addition of nitrogen-fixing legumes such as lupine (Lupinus spp.) can improve the soil structure and enhance the establishment of native-seeded species.

Competitiveness:
Include a diversity of aggressive, quick-establishing species that can effectively occupy the niches the fire opened up, use available resources, and thus compete with noxious weeds.

Establishment:
Species differ in how quickly and how well they establish. Some non-native wheat- grasses are the easiest to establish. Generally, natives are slower and more difficult to establish, but once established they often require less labor and expense to maintain.

Soils:
Soil texture can guide your seed choices. Most seeded species prefer medium- to fine-textured soils. However, Indian ricegrass (Achnatherum hymenoides) and pubescent wheatgrass (Elytrigia intermedia spp. trichophorum) are well adapted to sandy soils, and western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii) does well in clay soils. The optimal soil texture (i.e., loam) comprises 45 percent sand, 35 percent silt, and 20 percent clay. Testing soil chemistry can help determine species selection and soil amendments. Soil may be tested for pH (the optimal range is 6.5 to 7.5; ash may temporarily affect the soil pH), electri- cal conductivity (optimal range is 0-8 mmhos/cm soluble salts), sodium adsorption ratio (optimum is <6), and organic matter (optimum is >3%).

Precipitation, temperature and elevation:
Seeded species need to be adapted to the precipitation level, temperature zone and elevation of the site. Locally adapted plants can have excellent establishment.“Niche” is a habitat that contains attributes necessary for a plant or animal to live. An available niche for a plant could be bare ground with suitable resources, such as those produced by fire.