Seasonal use of different aged Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemesia tridentata wyomingensis) treatments by obligate wildlife species.

Authors(s): S. Anderson and R. Karhu

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Publication Date: 0000-00-00

Type: Annual

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Abstract: Mechanical, chemical, and prescribed burning methods have been used to suppress big sagebrush density and abundance in the Rocky Mountain region. Over the past half century in Wyoming, over 2.7 millions of acres of sagebrush dominated landscape have been treated in order to increase range productivity of forbs and grasses. It is a common practice for Wyoming Game and Fish Department biologists to recommend treatment of decadent and even age sagebrush communities to increase, not only production of desirable wildlife forage, but also to create a mosaic pattern that increases variability of available cover and vegetation. This is done primarily under the assumption that the treatments will generally create more desirable wildlife habitat. Unfortunately, follow up studies that assess the benefits of the treatments in terms of increased wildlife use were seldom conducted. When they did occur, they were often subjective or consisted of general assumptions about changes in use based on landowner opinion and none assessed how the length of time since the treatment affected obligate species use. This study will attempt to determine pronghorn, mule deer, elk, sage grouse, and passerine bird seasonal use of different age sagebrush treatments and to correlate seasonal habitat use of pronghorn, mule deer, elk, sage grouse, and passerine birds with vegetative measurements collected on study sites. Pellet group transects as well as direct observations are being used to determine wildlife use of the treatment and control sites. Passerine bird use is being measured using point count surveys conducted during breeding season. Vegetative parameters include: % live canopy cover; shrub stem density; frequency; biomass of shrubs, grasses and forbs; shrub height; and nutritional value of sagebrush.

Keywords: Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Wyoming, animal, mammal, ungulate, breeding, antelope, Wyoming, sagebrush, pronghorn, habitat, bird, ornithology, Aves, perching , passerine , Passiformes, sage grouse, grouse, Centrocercus uraphasianus, Cervidae, mule deer, deer, Odocoileus hemionus, elk, wapiti, Cervus elaphus, food, Antilocapra americana, Rocky Mountains, human activity, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, management