Post-fire Seeding Strategies and Native Materials for the Northern Great Basin

Nancy Shaw, Matt Fisk, Erin Denney USDA FS, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Boise, Robert Cox Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX Jim Truax Truax Co., New Hope, MN Stink Bugs and Plant Materials Seed Production Bob Hammon State University Tri River Area Extension Grand Junction CO [email protected] Stink Bugs • Stink bugs can have major impact on native & horticultural & agricultural seed yield

• Hit & run feeding strategy, broad host range, piercing & sucking mouthparts • Many species of native stink bugs

• Feeding in early vegetative stages causes seed abortion. Moromorpha tetra on Panicum • Damage is invisible – low seed obtusum, Kelsey Clouse, Seeds of yield Success , Tucson Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Halyomorpha halys (Stål) • Agricultural pest in Asia • Introduced into Eastern US in early/mid 1990’s • Population exploded in 2010 • A nuisance home invader • Notorious hitchhiker – Introduction into GB is certain! – already established in OR & CA

• Adult & immature can be present simultaneously as gregarious feeders Stink Bug Survey

• If you see stink bugs in seed production or collection sites, try to collect • Five or more bugs in a collection • Hand pick them into crush proof container – They don’t bite – if they do, cuss at me Conchuela, Chlorochroa ligata (Say) and stick them in the jar anyway • Record location, host plant, date • Stick them in a freezer • Contact Bob for mailing instructions – [email protected]

Brown stink bug, Euschistus servus (Say) The effects of smoke water and heat shock on seed germination of Great Basin species

Robert D. Cox Texas Tech University Smoke and Heat Effects on Germination • Seeds in fire-prone areas may respond to smoke, heat, or both.

• Such fire-cues indicate that space and nutrients are available for establishment of new .

• Hundreds of species worldwide have such responses FORB RESPONSE TO HERBICIDES FOR SEED PRODUCTION AND RANGELAND RESTORATION Corey Ransom and Kim Edvarchuk State University Objective - Seed Production Identify herbicides for weed management in forb seed production. - Astragalus filipies - Dalea ornata - Dalea searlsiae Objective – Rangeland Restoration

Evaluate native species response to herbicides applied to control downy brome. How will they handle exposure to these herbicides when germinating? Eastern Idaho Crested Wheatgrass Diversification Study

Corey Moffet The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation Ardmore, OK Boise - Plant Materials 2010 Germplasm Conservation Collections Species Collections Species Collections Achillea millefolium 4 Eriogonum ovalifolium 1 Achnatherum hymenoides 4 Eriogonum umbellatum 1 Achnatherum thurberianum 2 pumilus 2 Agoseris glauca 1 Hesperostipa comata 2 Agoseris heterophylla 1 Machaeranthera canescens 1 Aristida purpurea 3 Oenothera caespitosa 1 Artemisia tridentata 3 Penstemon acuminatus 9 Astragalus eremiticus 2 Penstemon cyaneus 1 Balsamorhiza hookeri 3 Penstemon deustus 9 Chaenactis douglasii 1 Phacelia hastata 3 Crepis acuminata 1 Phacelia linearis 1 Crepis occidentalis 1 Poa secunda 1 Dalea ornata 2 Sphaeralcea munroana 7 Delphinium andersonii 1 Townsendia florifer 1 Eriogonum heracleoides 8 Wyethia amplexicaulis 1 Eriophyllum lanatum 3 TOTAL 81 Boise - Plant Materials 2010 Seed Collections Provided to Cooperators * Species Cooperator Species Cooperator Achnatherum hymenoides ARS Eriogonum heracleoides OSU, CWI, ARS Achnatherum thurberianum OSU Eriogonum vimineum CWI Allium acuminatum ARS Hesperostipa comata ARS Artemisia tridentata IFG Lomatium dissectum UCIA Astragalus lentiginosus RMRS SSL Lomatium grayi UCIA, CWI, ARS, NSL Astragalus utahensis RMRS SSL Lupinus sp. ARS Camassia quamash CWI Penstemon acuminatus NSL, OSU Chaenactis douglasii ARS Penstemon cyaneus OSU Crepis acuminatus ARS Penstemon deustus ARS, CWI, NSL, OSU Dalea ornata USU Poa secunda ARS Elymus elymoides ARS Pseudoroegneria spicata ARS Ericameria nauseosa IFG Sphaeralcea grossulariifolia RMRS SSL Erigeron glabellus CWI Sphaeralcea munroana RMRS SSL, UI * 79 collections totaling 33 kg distributed to 11 cooperators Boise – Plant Materials 2010 Seed Distribution to Private Growers * Scientific Name Germplasm Origin** Achillea millefolium SRP-GBRI-ACHMIL SRP Chaenactis douglasii NBR-GBRI-CHADOU NBR NBR-GBRI-ERIUMB Eriogonum umbellatum SRP-GBRI-ERIUMB NBR, SRP Lomatium dissectum SRP-GBRI-LOMDIS SRP Lomatium grayi SRP-GBRI-LOMGRA SRP Lomatium nudicaule NBR-GBRI-LOMNUD NBR Lomatium triternatum NGB-GBRI-LOMTRI NGB Machaeranthera canescens NGB-GBRI-MACCAN NGB Penstemon acuminatus SRP-GBRI-PENACU SRP Penstemon cyaneus SRP-GBRI-PENCYA SRP Penstemon speciosus SRP-GBRI-PENSPE SRP Poa secunda Mt. Home SRP Sphaeralcea munroana NBR-GBRI-SPHMUN NBR *25 lots totaling 24 kg; **NBR = Northern Basin and Range, SRP = Snake River Plain, NGB = Northern Great Basin Wildland Seedings

Elko Drill Seeding Studies (Where do we put the seed?)

.Transition from single-species Rangeland drill Minimum-till drill forage plantings to diverse grass, herb, shrub plantings . Artemisia – small seeds, surface plant, subject to drying . Available equipment not suited for planting multiple species with varied sizes and shapes at appropriate depths and rates . Need to conserve residual natives, biological soil crusts and soil microorganisms Minimum-till Drill Updates

Boot casing – oblong opening (left) - permits seed to fall against disc blade

Bristle brushes reduce plugging Calibrating Your Rangeland Drill: A Training Video

Lisa Outka-Perkins USDA FS Missoula Technology & Development Center

Collaborators: • USDA NRCS Aberdeen Plant Materials Center • Truax Company • USDI BLM Vale Equipment Center • USDA FS Rocky Mountain Research Station Calibrating Your Rangeland Drill

Checking a drill's seed output . The wheel circumference method . The seed per row-foot method . The small bag per land area method Adjusting the seed box outputs GPS Data Logger for Rangeland Drills

Damien Hoffman USDA FS Missoula Technology & Development Center Collaborators: • Truax Company, New Hope, MN • Hindsite, Inc., Kemmerer, WY • USDA FS Rocky Mountain Research Station GPS Data Logger for Rangeland Drills

Logs: . Operation time (moving vs stopped) . Distance traveled . Maximum speed (buzzer if exceeds limit) . Average speed . Altitude changes . Route followed Updates and editing by:

Rob Cox Texas Tech Lubbock, TX Seedling Emergence of Diverse Seed Mixes in Post-Wildfire Rangelands

Robert D. Cox Nancy L. Shaw Mike Pellant Treatments Control (no drilling or seeding) Rangeland drill (no seed, low rate, high rate) Minimum-till drill (no seed, low rate, high rate)

7 treatments x 5 replications x 2 sites

Seed Mix Drill mix Broadcast Fourwing saltbush big sagebrush Blue flax Rubber rabbitbrush Munro globemallow Western yarrow Bluebunch wheatgrass Sandberg bluegrass Bottlebrush squirreltail Indian ricegrass Research Methods Precipitation Results- Drilled Species Density

Results- Broadcast Species Density

(no sage) Results– Cheatgrass Density Conclusions • Precipitation: – always a concern…!

• Seeding Technology: – Both drills successful with DRILLED seeds

– Min-till drill more successful with BROADCAST seed

– Rangeland drill reduced cheatgrass density the first year Seeding Technology and Equipment for Reestablishing Artemisia tridentata wyomingensis Communities

. USDA FS Rocky Mountain Research Station, Boise and Provo . USDA NRCS Aberdeen Plant Materials Center . Texas Tech University . Truax Co., Inc. . USDI BLM, Idaho State Office . USGS, Corvallis, Ecosystem Science Research Center . University of Idaho . University of Wyoming . State University 2 Glass Butte 2007 2 Mt. Home Saylor 2 2007 Creek 2010 2 1 Scooby 1 2008 Treatments Drill Seeding Rates

No Drill No Seed No Seed Standard 5X ARTRW Minimum-till 10X ARTRW Fall Hand Broadcast (5X) Winter Hand Broadcast (5X) No Seed Standard 5X ARTRW Rangeland 10X ARTRW Fall Hand Broadcast (5X) Winter Hand Broadcast (5X) Scooby Seeding Mix PLS lbs/ PLS Species acre seeds/ft2 Drill Mix Bluebunch wheatgrass 2.00 6 Indian ricegrass 1.00 5 Bottlebrush squirreltail 1.00 4 Munro globemallow 0.50 9 Sulphur-flower buckwheat 0.24 1 Total: 4.74 25 Broadcast Mix (Standard) Wyoming big sagebrush 0.10 5 Rubber rabbitbrush 0.50 8 Western yarrow 0.15 9 Sandberg bluegrass 0.40 9 Blue penstemon 0.09 7 Total: 1.24 38 Unseeded Scooby Seeding 2010 Seeded Grasses and Invasive Density Scooby Seeding 2010 – Drilled Forb Density Munro's globemallow 1.2 Sulphur-flower buckwheat A 1 AB

0.8 2 - Rangeland drill AB ABC 0.6 Minimum-till drill ABC Forbs m Forbs 0.4 BC

0.2 C C C 0 Control Drill No Drill 5X Fall Winter Seed Broadcast Broadcast Scooby Seeding 2010 – Broadcast Forb Density

4 Western yarrow Blue penstemon A 3.5 3 AB 2 ABC - 2.5 Rangeland drill 2 Minimum-till drill BCD Forbs m Forbs 1.5 BCD BCD 1

0.5 CD D D 0 Control Drill No Drill 5X Fall Winter Seed Broadcast Broadcast Scooby Seeding 2010 – Sagebrush Density

0.4 A 0.35

0.3 Rangeland drill AB 0.25

Minimum-till drill 2 - 0.2

0.15

Plants m Plants 0.1 BC C C C 0.05 C C C C C C C 0 Control Drill (0) Drill (Std) Drill (5X) Drill (10X) Fall Winter Broadcast Broadcast (5X) (5X) Upcoming Events

Native Plant Seed Production Field Day May 12, 2012 Oregon State University Malheur Experiment Station , OR

Re-establishing Sagebrush Rangeland Technology and Equipment Council January 29, 2012 Spokane, GBNPSIP Website

• Publications • Tech Notes • Plant Guides • Websites • Databases • Upcoming events • Links

Cooperator list and links to their websites Annual reports 2002 – 2009 Web address on brochure Acknowledgments:

USDI BLM National Native Plant Materials Development Program BLM Great Basin Restoration Initiative GBNPSIP Cooperators Native Seed and Plant Industry Any questions?