Workshop on New Grass Germplasms
35
Forage kochia as an ecological bridge
Forage kochia may act as an ecological bridge by stopping the fire cycle.
The introduced species forage kochia can be used in "green strips" to contain
wildfires and is competitive enough to help stop the spread of invasive weeds
such as cheatgrass. Forage kochia seeded at 1 lb/acre with a mix of grasses
provides good forage and habitat for wildlife and livestock; however, forage
kochia seeded as a monoculture at 6 lb/acre can rapidly provide a good firebreak.
Firebreaks can be established using lower rates, such as 1 lb/acre, but it may take
six or more years before it is fully established to the point where it can stop fires.
Although it is an introduced species, forage kochia is good for wildlife such as
insects, sage grouse and other birds, and deer and elk, whereas cheatgrass is
relatively barren. Studies have shown that forage kochia will not invade peren-
nial communities, but even if it were to become more invasive in the future, it is
still the better choice over cheatgrass. Soil is the most important commodity and
its loss through erosion is an irreplaceable tragedy; therefore, it may be beneficial
to use a less-than-ideal plant to preserve the soil for future restoration.
Overall conclusions
Choose the best plant materials to meet the objectives. Restoration to native
grasses may require intermediate steps to build up soil organic matter and struc-
ture, control weeds, and reduce the fire cycle. Introduced plant materials may
provide an "ecological bridge" to establish native grasses. What you choose to
do depends on your objective. Do you need a rapid cover for erosion control or
can you afford to wait for desired cover to establish? What you decide to do is
also very site-specific. In very dry conditions, an "ecological bridge" may not
help failure rate.
Biological control of noxious weeds along the Colorado Front Range
Jerry Michels, Professor of Entomology,
Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Bushland, Texas
G.J. Michels and D.A. Owings of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station
performed this research in cooperation with the Fort Carson Military Reserve
(DECAM), the U.S. Air Force Academy, the U.S. Department of Energy's
(DOE) Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, and the U.S. Forest Ser-
vice's Monument Fire Center. Collaborators are the Colorado Department of
Agriculture, Colorado College (Department of Biology), Montana State Univer-
sity, Oregon Forestry Services Laboratory, the Pennsylvania Department of
Agriculture, and the USDA APHIS (Bozeman, Montana, and Mission, Texas).
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