BLM WY Grant: Experimental Herbicide Research for Native Plant Materials Development

This project is a new subset of a pre-planned three-year herbicide research project that is funded by the by Dupont Corporation and the University of Wyoming. BLM funds will allow project modification to meet BLM mission needs (development of native plant materials) by incorporating local genotypes of native grasses in trials in comparison with non-local varieties currently commercially available or in development.

If provided funding from BLM, the applicant would engage students at the graduate and undergraduate level to study the resistance of native grasses, including local genotypes, to an experimental herbicide intended to suppress competition from weed species. The study would include local grass seed collections collected according to the Seeds of Success protocol. These seeds would be planted in herbicide effectiveness study plots in comparison with commercially available varieties of native and non-native grasses. Project objectives include local native grass seed collections in 2011 (6 minimum), collections of seeds from study plants, biannual reports including an assessment of economic implications, publication of results in peer-reviewed scientific journals, and presentation of results in classroom and workshop materials offered by the University of Wyoming. This study will contribute to BLMs congressional directive to facilitate the development of native plant materials that can be used in public land restoration in lieu of non-native species. This research will be conducted as part of the Great Plains Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit(CESU).

B. Project Objective:

The principle purpose of this project is to provide research and development of effective weed management strategies for reclaiming degraded rangeland using genetically appropriate native plant materials by:

a.evaluating experimental and soon-to-be released herbicides for improving establishment success of desirable species in areas impacted by weeds,
b.assessing performance of native plant collections for reclamation projects at multiple sites,
c.determining the long-term impact of reclamation strategies combining native plant species and herbicide treatments, and
d.assessing economic implications of surface reclamation activities in Wyoming rangelands

A secondary purpose is to involve Youth in practical resource management educational opportunities and work experience.

This project stimulates a public purpose providing critical information regarding successful reclamation strategies in Wyoming’s semi-arid, high elevation rangelands. Successful reclamation projects improve wildlife habitat and have the promise of increasing ecosystem resilience in the face of environmental stressors such as climate change.

C.Period of Agreement:5 years