RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Antelope bitterbrush reestablishment
JF Native Plants Journal
JO NATIVE PLANTS JOURNAL
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 125
OP 133
DO 10.2979/NPJ.2006.7.2.125
VO 7
IS 2
A1 G Randy Johnson
A1 Joel P Okula
YR 2006
UL http://npj.uwpress.org/content/7/2/125.abstract
AB 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.