Antelope bitterbrush reestablishment

Abstract

After an intense stand-replacement fire in south-central Oregon, 1-y-old (1+0) bareroot seedlings of antelope bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata (Pursh) DC. [Rosaceae]) were outplanted over a 4-y period. Paired-plots were established to examine the benefits of protecting the plants from damage due to animal browsing with Vexar® mesh tubing. In the first growing season, height growth in the protected plots was 18.4 cm (7.4 in) compared with 15.6 cm (6.3 in) in the unprotected plots. Survival was also higher in the protected plots (70% as compared with 62%). Larger plants had greater survival than smaller plants. Survival after the first growing season was well correlated with survival up to 3 y later (r = 0.59, P = 0.01). Use of browse protection will increase survival and growth, but one must weigh the added costs against the alternative of planting more shrubs initially.