Coyote brush is a native shrub common on California coastal prairies. It is largely unpalatable to cattle and is an aggressive encroacher on open prairies; as such, it is a threat to livestock production on some of California’s most productive rangelands. This experiment assessed the effectiveness of four common herbicides and three application methods to control coyote brush. Glyphosate, imazapyr, triclopyr, and 2,4-deoxynivalenol (2,4-D) were analyzed using foliar spray and drizzle applications. Only glyphosate and imazapyr were analyzed using basal bark injection. All applications resulted in a short-term decrease in coyote brush cover, but plants that were treated with the selective herbicides triclopyr or 2,4-D appeared to recover after a year. The nonselective herbicides glyphosate and imazapyr performed well 12 months after application. Glyphosate and imazapyr performed similarly in controlling both large and small plants. No difference existed when comparing foliar spray and drizzle application methods, but both outperformed basal bark injection. As in previous studies, the drizzle method proved the most effective, requiring less labor and chemical than foliar application, and less threat of drift to non-target species. These results suggest that coyote brush can be controlled through both foliar spray and drizzle applications of glyphosate or imazapyr.
Increasing forage productivity in the Sierra foothill rangelands would help sustain the livestock industry as land availability shrinks and lease rates rise, but hardly any studies have been done on forage selections. From 2009 to 2014, in one of the first long-term and replicated studies of seeding Northern California's Mediterranean annual rangeland, we compared the cover of 22 diverse forages to determine their establishment and survivability over time. Among the annual herbs, forage brassica (Brassica napus L.) and chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) proved viable options. Among the annual grasses, soft brome (Bromus hordeaceus) and annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) performed well. However, these species will likely require frequent reseeding to maintain dominance. Long-term goals of sustained dominant cover (> 3 years) are best achieved with perennial grasses. Perennial grasses that persisted with greater than 50% cover were Berber orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata), Flecha tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum) and several varieties of hardinggrass (Phalaris aquatica L., Perla koleagrass, Holdfast, Advanced AT). In 2014, these successful perennials produced over three times more dry matter (pounds per acre) than the unseeded control and also suppressed annual grasses and yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis L.) cover.
Restoration practitioners use both native and nonnative plant species for revegetation projects. Typically, when rehabilitating damaged working lands, more practitioners consider nonnative plants; while those working to restore habitat have focused on native plants. But this may be shifting. Novel ecosystems (non-analog communities) are commonly being discussed in academic circles, while practical factors such as affordability and availability of natives and the need for more drought tolerant species to accommodate climate change may be making nonnative species attractive to land managers. To better understand the current use of nonnatives for revegetation, we surveyed 192 California restoration stakeholders who worked in a variety of habitats. A large portion (42%) of them considered nonnatives for their projects, and of survey respondents who did not use nonnatives in vegetation rehabilitation, almost half indicated that they would consider them in the future. Across habitats, the dominant value of nonnatives for vegetation rehabilitation was found to be erosion control, and many respondents noted the high cost and unavailability of natives as important drivers of nonnative use in revegetation projects. Moreover, 37% of respondents noted they had changed their opinion or use of nonnatives in response to climate change.
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