Ecologicallybased Invasive Plant Management of Annual Grasses FICMNEW

Ecologically-based Invasive Plant Management of Annual Grasses FICMNEW Dr. Roger Sheley, USDA-ARS

Sage/bunchgrass Infrequent fire Bunchgrass Sage/annual grass Yellow starthistle/annual grass Annual grass Frequent fire Trashed Land Annual grass

Managing Invasive Grasses Stop Treating Symptoms

Developing ecological principles To develop methods for managing chance, we must understanding their causes. Ecological theories about the causes of soil, plant, and animal change are the incubator of new principles that can be applied by managers. Once we understand the cause of change, managers can employ practices to affect the cause of change toward a desirable direction.

How to create ecological principles for managing change Gaining knowledge about the ecological conditions, mechanisms and processes that control the rate and direction of plant and animal dynamics. Research of the timing, intensity, and frequency of water provides the necessary information to design and effective management plant for the refuge

Ecological Principles

Why EBIPM?

What is needed on rangeland? Research and tools that foster true adaptive management where the research and management are conducted simultaneously to the benefit of future management efforts. Ecologically-based frameworks and quantifiable mechanistic process-based decision tools for invasive plant and rangeland management More ecological principles that provide guidelines or rules of thumb on implementing ecologically-based invasive plant management

Future Research Directions � Understanding the conditions, mechanisms, and processes causing environmental chance. � Knowledge of the timing, intensity, frequency, of key conditions, mechanisms, and processes can be converted into ecological principles for managers to use during planning and implementation.

Majors issues on rangeland Wildfires Annual grasses All invasive species Most other problems are some function of these three problems. Eg. Sagegrouse, sagebrush, ecosystem function, biodiveristy