Cheatgrass Control Strategies for Military Lands in the Intermountain West.

The Department of Defense (DoD) must constantly balance its military mission and its commitment to stewardship on millions of acres of ranges and training lands. Invasive species may lead to uncontrolled wildfires, soil erosion, loss of training realism, and reductions in the carrying capacity of the land. In the Intermountain West, cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) is a winter annual that has an extensive shallow root system, is a prolific seeder, and has a very rapid seedling emergence rate.  These traits allow cheatgrass to out compete and inhibit both the establishment and growth of native plants.  In May 2008 we initiated a study, at  Camp Guernsey Wyoming, to evaluate the interaction of soil type and land use intensity on the control of cheatgrass.  We established three experimental sites on different soil types and collected pre and post treatment soil and plant data.