Historic, archived document Do not assume content reflects current scientific knowledge, policies, or practices. FOREST RESEARCH NOTES U.S.DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULT URE FOREST SERVICE CALIFORNIA FOREST AND RANGE EXPERIMENT STATION * STEPHEN N. WYCKOFF, Director February 26, 1951 RELATIVE RATING OF FORAGE SPECIES FOR RESEEDING FOREST RANGES IN NORTHEASTERN CALIFORNIA By Donald R. Cornelius, Range Conservationistl/ "What to plant?" is usually the first question to be asked when artificial reseeding is considered for the improvement of deteriorated range. To help answer the question, forage plants have been tested by the California Forest and Range Experiment Station on the Lassen, Modoc, and Plumas National Forests since 196. This paper gives relative ratings of 6 species, on the basis of their performance during the first 3 years of testing. Twenty of these species are native to the United States; 26 are introductions from foreign countries. Twenty of the h6 species were rated good or better for the ponderosa pine zone, but only 4 for the Great Basin sagebrush zone. For these tests, nursery row seedings were made in each of the 4 years at different locations in the Great Basin sagebrush zone at an elevation of about 500 feet, and in the ponderosa pine zone at eleva- tions of 5600 to 7500 feet. In each of the zones the sites selected for seeding were depleted dry range areas dominated by sagebrush. The re- sults are not applicable to wet meadow sites. ily The author appreciates the cooperation given him by the Soil Conservation Service Nursery Division, Pacific Coast Region, for supplying a large amount of the seed used for testing; the Bureau of Plant Industry, Soils, and Agricultural Engineering, and the Univer- sity of California Agricultural Experiment Station for some seed used; and Mr. J. ©. Hays and Mr. T. §. Brown, arm Advisors of the University of California Extension Service, for suggestions regarding species to GESt.s * MAINTAINED AT BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, IN COOPERATION WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. Agriculture--Berkeley The experimental areas were not cultivated after seeding but were treated in the same way as large-seale reseeding projects, in- cluding protection from livestock grazing for at least 2 years. Hach species was planted in a separate 5- by 20-feet plot. The plots were replicated twice and randomized at each of the site locations. Seed- bed preparation included plowing with one-way wheatland plow in the summer to eradicate the sagebrush, and light discing in the autumn to smooth the seedbed before marking the rows for hand.seeding. A six-row runner-type marker, constructed of 2- by h-inch boards set on edge and pulled by a wheel tractor, was used for making rows about 2 inches deep and 2 inches wide. The rows were spaced 20 inches apart. En making the rows, the runners firmed the soil in the bottom of the rows--an aid in retaining soil moisture. The seed was scattered in the rows by hand and covered by a single-disc grain drill or a heavy log chain dragged across the rows. Relative ratings from 1 (the highest) to 10 (the lowest) were made for each plot toward the end of each growing season. The first- year rating was on density of stand and vigor. Thereafter, the ratings also considered forage and seed production. The relative numerical ratings were averaged and assigned adjective ratings for use in this report. High germination and strong seedling vigor are two very import- ant characteristics for-species used in reseeding ranges. Although some native plants are well adapted to certain sites, they might not be suitable for use in artificial revegetation if germination is low and seedlings are weak. On the other hand, it should be recognized that such ratings as these give an advantage to species which produce forage quickly. Species that develop slowly and persist over a long period of time may give the highest average yield of forage, but are at a disadvantage when evaluated at the end of 4 years. A better appraisal of the more promising species will be made after another 2 years. Larger plots now under study will also strengthen the evaluation. Then too, strains of the better species have been obtained from plant breeders or selected from native grass- lands and are now under test in range plots. Therefore, the ratings given in the accompanying table may be refined. The present list, how- ever, should prove helpful to range managers wanting to know what species to seed; it represents the best evaluation available from per- formance in the nursery rows. eye ADAPTABILITY OF FORAGE SPECIES IOP (First of 2 pages) Reseeding Ranges in Ponderosa Pine and in Great Basin Sagebrush Zones of Northeastern California : Ponderosa Great Basin : Native (N Species pine sagebrush : On zone zone : Introduced (I) Grasses Agropyron cristatum Good Good i a dasystachyum Medium N W elongatum Good Medium Ti w inerme Good N Z intermedium Good Excellent ib iS riparium Good Medium N u smithii Poor Poor N spicatum Good N au trachycaulum Good Medium N 4 trichophorum Good i Agrostis alba Poor Failure I a alba tenuis Medium I Alopecurus pratensis Good I Arrhenatherum elatius Poor Failure I Bromus erectus Poor I eine rms Good Poor T "marginatus Medium Poor N Dactylis glomerata Good Poor I Blymus canadensis Good Medium N " glaucus Medium Poor N eee jaceus Poors Poor I Wl sgi@alagahe@atieleKs Medium N Festuca arundinacea Good Failure i u idahoensis Poor Poor N ovina Medium i i! rubra commutata Medium Poor iL Hordeum bulbosum Medium Failure I Lolium perenne Medium I Oryzopsis hymenoides Pailure N Phalaris arundinacea Me dium N Phleum pratense Good Failure I Poa ampla Good Medium N " nevadensis Good Failure N Stipa lemmoni Medium N ADAPTABILITY OF FORAGE SPECIES for (Second of 2 pages) Reseeding Ranges in Ponderosa Pine and in Great Basin Sagebrush Zones of Northeastern California (Cont.) .: Ponderosa ; Great Basin 2 Native (N Species : s e Legumes Astragalus cicer " falcatus Lotus americanus i icornicniatus uliginosus Lupinus calcaratus Medicago sativa-falcata Melilotus officinalis Trifolium hybridum i involucratum repens latum rv ft? Browse Purshia tridentata pine ZONE Good Medium Poor Good Good Good Poor Good Poor Medium Poor Poor ee af sagebrush zone Failure Poor Medium Failure Failure Failure or Introduced (TI) Ree Ye Bowe YY eA dH