Cheatgrass Sample Clauses

Cheatgrass. Cheatgrass has the potential to negatively impact Goose Creek milkvetch because of its ability to spread rapidly after disturbance, to strongly compete for soil moisture, and to increase the frequency of fire within the habitat. Cheatgrass is an annual grass with a shallow root system that germinates early in the growing season and uses soil moisture at the expense of most native plant species (Billings 1990). The species dies back early in the growing season usually before the dry xxxxxxx common to the Great Basin. Once dry, cheatgrass is highly flammable and may occur in dense swards that effectively carry wildfire. The net effect of cheatgrass invasion can be a “positive feedback from the initial colonization in the interstices of shrubs, followed by fire, to dominance by cheatgrass and more frequent fire” (D’Antonio and Xxxxxxxx 1992). That said, various environmental factors and ecosystem attributes influence a sagebrush community’s resiliency and resistance to cheatgrass invasion, and a careful analysis of the existing integrity of the habitat and its response to disturbance is needed to assess a community’s risk of cheatgrass invasion and dominance (Xxxxxxxx et al. 2013). Land management practices can be effective at reducing the risk of cheatgrass dominance within plant communities, as discussed in the above Wildfire section. Maintenance of the pre-fire or pre-disturbance habitat condition within the range of Goose Creek milkvetch will support the resiliency of the habitat to cheatgrass invasion and thus reduce the likelihood of cheatgrass dominance and an altered fire regime, and dramatically reduce the negative impacts to the species. Leafy Spurge Leafy spurge has the potential to negatively impact Goose Creek milkvetch because of its ability to spread rapidly after establishment and to strongly compete for soil moisture. Leafy spurge is a perennial forb with a deep and extensive spreading root system, and seeds that are dispersed up to 15 feet by the explosive opening of the species’ seed pod upon ripening (Xxxxxxx et al. 1962). Seeds of leafy spurge are spread by water, animals, vehicles, humans, and over long distances by birds thereby increasing the plant’s ability to disperse into new territory (Xxxxxxx 2013; Xxxxxxx et al. 2001). Leafy spurge can spread rapidly after disturbance, displace native vegetation, and persist after repeated herbicide treatments (Leistritz et al. 2004). Leafy spurge is a Class A noxious weed in Utah because it pose...

Cheatgrass