Species for Seeding Mountain Rangelands in Southeastern Idaho, Northeastern Utah, and Western Wyoming

Abstract

Highlight: Tests of many species over several years on seven sites show that smooth brome and meadow and creeping foxtails are adapted for seeding most mountain rangelands. However, smooth brome. did not maintain stands above 9,000-foot elevations. Intermediate and pubescent wheatgrasses are adapted to intermediate and lower mountain ranges. Other grasses that did well in one or more seedlings are: mountain, subalpine, and Regar bromes; timothy; orchardgrass; tall oatgrass; reed canarygrass; and hard fescue. Legumes and forbs that showed promise are: birdsfoot trefoil, crownvetch, birdvetch, alfalfa, and horsemint. Mixtures of adapted species gave better stands than single species. These tests reemphasize that we must prepare good seedbeds and control plant-competition to get good stands of seeded species. Pocket gophers killed many plants and caused seeded stands to deteriorate.