Virtual Invasive Annual Grasses Panel Planned for October 3
Over 50 million acres are estimated to support more than 15 percent cheatgrass cover, “making it one of the single largest threats to the health and resilience of western working lands,” according to “A Toolkit for Invasive Annual Grass Management in the West” published by the Western Governors’ Association.
In tandem with Good Grazing Makes Cent$ Invasive Annual Grasses series, a virtual panel discussion will tackle the difficult topic of controlling invasive species including cheatgrass, ventanata, and medusahead on October 3, 2023 at 6 p.m. (MST).
Control options including herbicide treatment, reseeding, and targeted grazing will be reviewed by Justin Hossfeld, Envu Western Range Segment Manager, and Dr. Brian Mealor, Director of the Institute for Managing Annual Grasses Invading Natural Ecosystems (IMAGINE). GGMC Content Director and Oregon rancher Erika Fitzpatrick will moderate the panel, fielding live questions from the online audience regarding treatment efficacy, cost, timing, and more.
To preface the conversation on treating Invasive Annual Grasses, range managers are encouraged to analyze the location and severity of particular invasions in order to set a practical and effective strategy. In Part One of the GGMC Invasive Annual Grass series, a video illustrates how the Rangeland Analysis Platform can aid in setting strategy and the concept of “Defend the Core” is described in the blog. Both resources are helpful in guiding decisions regarding treatment.
The virtual panel discussion is focused on real conversation, so panelists will briefly present, leaving ample time for live questions and answers which can simply be submitted by commenting during the livestream. The livestream can be viewed on Facebook or YouTube by clicking the corresponding links.
