Mowing sagebrush helps reinvigorate plant communities, including sagebrush, which means more food for mule deer in the future. The process seems counterintuitive, but here is why it works.
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Mule deer rely on sagebrush as a food source, and it can make up a considerable amount of their diet, especially during the winter. Deer primarily eat the annual leaders of sagebrush plants — that's the new part that grows each year. By mowing, we encourage sagebrush leader growth. It means plants grow back stronger and new sagebrush plants have a chance to emerge.
The amount of annual sagebrush leader growth depends on the age and overall health of shrubs and the plant community. We want sagebrush habitat to have plants of different ages. To help, biologists mow in a mosaic pattern so there are islands of untreated areas. Mowing frees up space for younger plants to grow and helps the remaining shrubs be more productive, and gives a boost to other plants, too.
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Photo: Sagebrush seedlings two years after mowing.
The amount of annual sagebrush leader growth depends on the age and overall health of shrubs and the plant community. We want sagebrush habitat to have plants of different ages. To help, biologists mow in a mosaic pattern so there are islands of untreated areas. Mowing frees up space for younger plants to grow and helps the remaining shrubs be more productive, and gives a boost to other plants, too.
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Photo: Sagebrush seedlings two years after mowing.
Publish Date
Answered By
Troy Fieseler
Job Title
Pinedale habitat biologist
Photo
Ask Game ID
306
Node order
118
Parent Node
1135