Low Sagebrush Postfire Restoration is Successful With Slight Improvements From More Intensive Treatments

ABSTRACT Wildfires are increasing in both size and frequency across the western United States. Restoration of the shrub element postfire, which provides critical wildlife habitat and increases biodiversity, is often a management objective. In the sagebrush ecosystem, sagebrush restoration research and efforts have largely overlooked low sagebrush ( Artemisia arbuscula Nutt.), an important shrub species that occupies vast areas. Research focusing on other sagebrush species suggests that planting low sagebrush seedlings (transplants) is likely to be more successful than broadcast seeding. In addition, treatments to reduce competition from grasses may improve low sagebrush restoration success. To improve restoration of low sagebrush, comparisons of different restoration treatments are needed. We compared early establishment of low sagebrush broadcast seeded at two rates (500 and 1 000 PLS) to planted low sagebrush seedlings in areas where low sagebrush had not recovered after fire. We also investigated if reducing competition would improve transplant survival and growth by treating 50% of the perennial bunchgrasses with a contact herbicide (glyphosate). We found that all treatments increased early establishment of low sagebrush compared to the untreated control. The most intensive treatment (planting low sagebrush transplants with bunchgrass control) had the greatest low sagebrush density. Low sagebrush size was greatest in the transplant treatments, but transplants were several months older than seedlings established from broadcast seeding. One caveat of our study was that restoration treatments were followed by either average or above-average precipitation. Hence, success may be less in drier years. Our results suggest that both seeding and planting low sagebrush transplants can be useful tools for restoring low sagebrush, at least when a year of average to above-average precipitation follows seeding or planting, and that more intensive restoration treatments may slightly improve success.