Juniper sagebrush and sage grouse

Western Juniper, while native to Western sage steppe ecosystems can create adverse impacts to sagebrush, soils, and sage grouse if these conifers start to encroach, so what is the best way to control Western Juniper? Kirk Davies and USDA researchers at Eastern Oregon say between prescribed burning and cutting of western Juniper…” in the short term, it was more effective to cut the juniper to get sagebrush habitat back immediately because there would be stage brush mixed in with these junipers. So if you just cut the junipers out, you automatically sagebrush habitat.” However, over time, Western Juniper would reestablish itself in these ecosystems and in turn decrease sagebrush at a faster rate than before. So long term sagebrush dominance is established by a prescribed burning.

 

Davies adds with bulk control methods…” fire and cutting both have critical roles in conservation of the sagebrush ecosystem.

 

Karen Launchbaugh, Is the Director of the University of Idaho's Rangeland Center. There is a program to eliminate junipers from 940 square miles in Owyhee County in southwest Idaho and I chatted with Dr. Launchbaugh about this. "Junipers are crowding out sagebrush imperiling habitat for sage grouse? You are absolutely right and the other thing that Juniper does is that it provides a place for ravens, hawks and eagles to sit. Aerial predators are a problem for sage grouse chicks. So not only, the Juniper is pushing out the sagebrush but it is providing a place for those aerial predators to sit and make lunch out of those little sage chicks.