Controlling One-Seed Juniper Saplings With Small Ruminants: What We Have Learned

Abstract

On the Ground • Protein supplements and polyethylene glycol increased juniper intake by small ruminants in all seasons except fall, when PSM concentrations were greatest. • Terpenes were affected by season and sapling size, and were related to juniper intake by small ruminants. • Small sapling browsing occurred most frequently in summer. Debarking of branches on taller saplings was greatest in spring. • Ten years later, juniper kill ranged from 5-14%. Growth suppression was still evident after 10 years; browsed saplings averaged 13 cm shorter than controls. • Strategies to target grazing of one-seed juniper are more likely to succeed if aligned with periods when PSM are lowest.