Science in Practice Portal

Water availability is a primary determinant of successful plant establishment on western rangelands. Two major factors that determine water availability are seasonal and annual patterns of precipitation and the presence of competitive annual weeds. In the Intermountain West, the most prolific invasive weed has been cheatgrass (Bromas tectorum L.), which now dominates millions of acres of sagebrush and bunchgrass rangeland. Restoration practices in systems affected by cheatgrass have generally been limited to emergency rehabilitation procedures (primarily soil stabilization) in the year after wildfire.