Western Governors Association

PERENNIAL GRASS RESEEDING

PERENNIAL GRASS RESEEDING

As part of the The Western Governors' Association (WGA) hosted a webinar on Rangeland Management Strategies, the speakers dug into some of the challenges and opportunities with reseeding.

There are a number of barriers, which vary across time and space, to native seedling survival. If soil freezes for even a 24-48 hr period, up to 90% of the germinated seeds can die. Alternatively, a couple of warm days in December can cause seeds to germinate. Precision restoration is key to perennial grass reseeding.

RANGELAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES

RANGELAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES

Data from rangeland studies in both Oregon and New Mexico supports grazing as a strategy to promote ecological resiliency. Grazing can be used to manage and promote perennial grasses. In a study focusing on The Great Basin area, researchers found that the fuel moisture of un-grazed rangeland was 21% whereas the same fuel moisture of properly grazed rangeland was over double that at 46%.