•  
  •  
 

Great Basin Naturalist

Abstract

Western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis spp. occidentalis) has rapidly expanded into shrub steppe communities in the Intermountain Northwest during the past 120 yr. Cutting juniper is a management tool used to restore shrub steppe communities. Response of the understory after cutting is strongly influenced by plant species composition existing prior to treatment. This study assessed distribution patterns of understory plants over 2 growing seasons after tree cutting in a western juniper woodland. Cover, density, and diversity of understory species were compared among 3 locations: interspaces, duff zones (previously under tree canopies), and debris zones (beneath cut trees). Plant cover and density increased in all zones following tree cutting. Understory vegetation in cut woodlands exhibited strong zonal distribution. Cover and density of Poa sandbergii and Sitanion hystrix and canopy cover of annual forbs were greatest in duff zones (P < 0.05). Density and cover of perennial grasses and total densities of perennial forbs and annual forbs were greatest in interspaces (P < 0.05). Debris zones tended to have the lowest overall understory cover and plant density values. Under juniper debris many species common to interspaces were reduced in density, although plants that survived or established beneath debris grew larger than their counterparts in interspaces. Species that increased in density and cover under debris were plants characteristic of duff zones and whose seeds are typically wind dispersed.

Download

Share

COinS