PLANT MATERIALS TO SOLVE RESOURCE PROBLEMS

1
PLANT MATERIALS TO SOLVE RESOURCE PROBLEMS

• DAN OGLE
• PLANT MATERIALS SPECIALIST
• Idaho-Utah

2
Plant Materials are at very the heart of resource
conservation efforts

• They are used in all resource disciplines
  including
• Agronomy
• Biology
• Range
• Forestry
• Engineering

• Planting rangeland, forestland and riparian areas
  can be difficult and requires
• Patience
• Time

3
Complete a Careful Analysis of the Planned
Planting

• Good management practices applied properly to
  existing vegetation may be more cost effective
  than
• re-vegetation.

4
Before Any Planting Determine

• Goals
• Erosion control
• Reduced fire hazard
• Wildlife habitat
• Increased/better quality forage
• Earlier/Later growing period or season
• Others

• Is Planting Practical?
• Will the soil and water holding capacity of the
  soil allow seeding or replanting
• Do undesirable or invasive plants dominate or
  have potential to dominate the site

5
Principals to Follow to Ensure a Successful
Seeding or Planting

• Obtain Quality Seed or Plants
• Certified Seed ensures you are getting the
  species you want with standards that ensure good
  viability
• Do not transplant conservation grade plants
  order plants that are at least one level above
  conservation grade

6
Ensure Good Soil Preparation

• Weed Free Very firm seedbeds are best
• Soil should be well tilled to reduce weed
  competition and packed to ensure good soil to
  seed contact and good moisture retention
• or
• Site should be treated with appropriate
  herbicides to eliminate or reduce weed
  competition
• Tree/shrub plantings should be deep ripped when
  possible to reduce rooting restrictions

7
Seeding and Planting

• Seeding
• Planting with a drill is recommended (if
  possible) vs. broadcast planting
• Place seed at the recommended depth shallower
  depth is better than too deep
• Time of seeding either very late fall or very
  early spring for dryland seedings never during
  the hottest period of the year

8
Seeding and Planting

• Transplanting
• Tree and shrub plantings should generally occur
  as early in spring as possible
• Never plant trees and shrubs during the hot
  summer period

9
Species to Seed or Plant

• The species to seed or plant depends on
• Climate average annual rainfall (limiting
  factors are accentuated in dry climates)
• Site exposure
• Elevation
• Temperatures
• Soil Type
• Purpose of planting
• Availability of plant materials

10
Species to Seed or Plant

• Species must be tolerant of soil restrictions
• Droughtiness
• Fine or coarse textures
• Presence of restrictive pans
• Wetness or excessive drainage
• Salinity or Sodicity
• Acidity
• Shallow depth
• Soil Toxicities
• Severe nutrient imbalances

11
Other factors when choosing a species

• 1. Competitive ability of species
• 2. Longevity
• Annuals appropriate to prepare site for future
  long-lived plantings and for short-term erosion
  control
• Short-lived perennials appropriate as cover
  crop for long-lived perennial planting mixtures
• Long-lived perennials appropriate for rangeland
  and forestland plantings
• 3. Distinctive growth habits of the species

12
Other factors when choosing a species

• Species should be selected on the basis of
• What they contribute to your objectives
• That are adapted to the site conditions
• That can be planted with available manpower
• That can be planted with available equipment and
• That meet economic constraints

13
PLANNING

• Complete good inventories
• Dont jump to species selection before you have
  completed a good inventory and have determined
  your objectives
• Resource Information
• Always utilize the best sources of information
  available to you when selecting species
• http//www.id.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/plant.html
• http//plants.usda.gov/

14
Planning

• Do a complete job of planning
• Ensure full resource protection
• Ensure you meet your planning goals
• Dont fall into the trap of single practice
  planning where you are doing an excellent job of
  planning and installing a practice, but have not
  considered associated resource needs

15
FOREST ROADSIDE SEEDING METHODS SEED MIXTURES

• Mark Stannard, PMC Leader, Pullman
• Dan Ogle, Plant Materials Spec., Boise
• Frank Gariglio, State Forester, Lewiston

16
Roadside Seeding

• How to

• What to

17
It Aint Just Spreading Seed!!
18
Site Preparation

• Water Management Properly Designed Installed

19
Site Preparation

• Weed Control

20
Site Preparation

• Seed to Soil Contact

21
Broadcast Seeding
22
(No Transcript)
23
Hydroseeding
24
What to Plant???
25
(No Transcript)
26
What to Plant???

• QUALITY SEED - Check That Tag!
• Seed Test Date
• Certified Seed
• Weed Content
• Inert Content
• Stored Properly

27
NATIVE VS INTRODUCED
28
NATIVE

• Ecologically Friendly
• Long Term Persistence
• Maximum Resource Utilization
• Noninvasive
• Utilize in areas where they have high potential
  of success

29
Native Plants to Consider

• Bromar Mountain Brome
• Garnet Mountain Brome
• Sodar Streambank Wheatgrass
• Idaho Fescue
• Rough or Spike Bentgrass
• Lupines
• Yarrow
• Lewis Flax

30
(No Transcript)
31
Lewis Flax
32
Seedling Emergence
33
INTRODUCED

• Fast establishing
• Adapted to harsh environments
• Inexpensive
• History of performance
• Introduced is not synonymous with invasive
• Use sparingly
• Use in areas where weed encroachment is almost
  inevitable

34
Introduced Plants You Should Remove from your List

• Smooth brome
• Tall fescue
• Kentucky bluegrass
• Creeping Foxtail
• Intermediate wheatgrass
• Yellow Sweetclover

35
Typical Mix

• Canada Bluegrass 25
• Hard Fescue 20
• Sheep Fescue 15
• Creeping Red Fescue 10
• Chewings Fescue 10
• White Dutch Clover 10
• Small Burnett 10

36
Annuals for Quick Cover

• Spring Wheat seeded in the fall .. yes
• Spring Barley seeded in the fall .. yes
• Regreen or Triticale maybe
• Cereal Rye .............................. NO
• Annual Fescue . NO
• Mustards .. NO
• Medics . NO

37
Native Revegetation Plants
Redosier Dogwood Willows Mock Orange Blue
Elderberry
38
No Project is Done Until You have Monitored It
for Success or Failure
39
Questions??
Dan Ogle NRCS Plant Materials Specialist Boise
ID Dan.Ogle_at_id.usda.gov [phone]
Mark Stannard NRCS Plant Materials Center Pullman
WA Stannard_at_wsu.edu [phone]
Frank Gariglio NRCS State Forester Lewiston
ID Frank.Gariglio_at_id.usda.gov [phone]