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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Burns, Oregon » Range and Meadow Forage Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #390853
Research Project: Restoration and Conservation of Great Basin Ecosystems

Location: Range and Meadow Forage Management Research

Title: Restoring bunchgrasses in the sagebrush steppe using activated carbon seed enhancement technologies

Author
item Svejcar, Lauren
item SVEJCAR, TONY - Retired ARS Employee
item Davies, Kirk

Submitted to: Oregon Cattleman
Publication Type: Trade Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/4/2022
Publication Date: 2/1/2022
Citation: Svejcar, L.N., Svejcar, T., Davies, K.W. 2022. Restoring bunchgrasses in the sagebrush steppe using activated carbon seed enhancement technologies. Oregon Cattleman. 6(2):52-57.

Interpretive Summary: Restoring bunchgrass species in the Great Basin is a major challenge for land managers. We discuss research we have been conducting on activated carbon-based seed enhancement technologies and what the advances we’ve made mean for land managers and producers

Technical Abstract: Restoration efforts in dryland systems are often limited by a complex range of environmental variables and successful establishment of seeded native bunchgrass species is chronically low. Methods for restoring large tracts of degraded drylands in the western United States have not advanced substantially since the early 1900s despite continuous efforts to improve success. Historic agricultural practices used in large scale restoration efforts are often unsuccessful. At this early juncture in the development of seed enhancement technologies within restoration, we reflect on the need to tailor current agricultural technologies in light of the differences between agricultural and restoration contexts and reconceptualize our approach to SETs. In this paper we discuss the developments of activated carbon-based seed enhancement technologies for restoration and what it means for producers.