• IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE
• PALATABILITY
• NUTRITIONAL VALUE
• COVER VALUE
• VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES
• OTHER USES AND VALUES
• MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS

IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE:

Columbia needlegrass provides valuable forage for many species of wildlife and all classes of livestock. Overall production is generally low in the upper sagebrush and mountain brush zones and at the limits of its range where Columbia needlegrass grows only in scattered patches [53,55]. It is usually more productive in open aspen and conifer sites, and in sub-alpine grasslands of the central Rocky Mountains, where it is especially valuable to cattle and horses on summer ranges [55] and to domestic sheep on lambing grounds. It is more often cropped closely by cattle and horses than by sheep [53]. It has been found to make up a large portion of domestic sheep diets in the spring in a desert-forest fringe area of Oregon [56]. It is also consumed by mule deer [46,56] and other wildlife species throughout the growing season [55]. Needlegrasses are a significant component in the diet of pocket gophers [59].

Most needlegrasses cure well on the ground and can be used during the fall and winter [53]. The awns and/or callus of many species of needlegrasses can, however, cause injury to grazing animals. The pointed callus of Columbia needlegrass sometimes works into the mouths and ears of livestock [48]. Because of this, Columbia needlegrass is often avoided from the time of seed maturation until the ripe seed falls to the ground and can therefore withstand heavy grazing by domestic sheep in the central Rockies [55].

PALATABILITY:

Columbia needlegrass is palatable to many species of wildlife and livestock throughout its range. As with most needlegrasses, it is most palatable early in the season before the foliage becomes coarse and wiry [53]. Palatability to cows and horses is increased because large amounts of fine leafage remain green throughout the growing season [40,53]. Palatability of Columbia needlegrass is described as "fair to good" for cattle and horses, and "fair" for wildlife overall, becoming nearly unpalatable at maturity [48]. The degree of use by livestock and wildlife species for Columbia needlegrass in several western states is [12]:

    
                       CO       MT       ND       UT       WY
Cattle                Good     Good     Good     Good     Good
Sheep                 Fair     Fair     ----     Fair     Good
Horses                Good     Good     ----     Good     Good
Pronghorn             ----     ----     ----     Fair     Fair
Elk                   ----     ----     ----     Good     Good
Mule deer             ----     Good     ----     Fair     ----
White-tailed deer     ----     ----     ----     ----     Good
Small mammals         ----     ----     ----     Fair     Good
Small nongame birds   ----     ----     ----     Fair     Good
Upland game birds     ----     ----     ----     Fair     Good
Waterfowl             ----     ----     ----     Poor     Poor

NUTRITIONAL VALUE:

NO-ENTRY

COVER VALUE:

Columbia needlegrass provides some cover for small birds and mammals. The degree to which Columbia needlegrass provides environmental protection during one or more seasons for wildlife species is as follows [12]:

                        MT       UT       WY

Small mammals        Fair     Good     Good
Small nongame birds  Fair     Fair     Good
Upland game birds    Fair     Fair     Fair
Waterfowl            Good     Poor     Poor

VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES:

Mc Arthur and others [30] suggest using Columbia needlegrass for reseeding disturbed meadow sites currently occupied by extensive stands of smooth brome (Bromus inermis) in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. Kay and others [24] note that the geniculate, twisted awn and sharp-pointed callus of Columbia needlegrass make harvesting and processing of seed difficult and planting next to impossible with conventional equipment. Seeds and planting guidelines are available through Davenport [11].

OTHER USES AND VALUES:

NO-ENTRY

MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS:

Most grazing animals avoid mature Columbia needlegrass because of its sharply pointed callus [48]. Consequently, Columbia needlegrass generally reproduces well in grazed areas, particularly where domestic sheep are present [40] and is listed as an increaser on some sites [31]. On severely overgrazed ranges Columbia needlegrass may be one of the last palatable species to disappear and one of the first to come back when range conditions improve [53]. For example, the dominance of Columbia needlegrass in subalpine rangelands of eastern Oregon and Washington is considered an indicator of past overgrazing [62]. This species increases on many ranges where bluegrasses (Poa spp.) and wheatgrasses (Triticeae) have been removed by overgrazing [18], and is considered a valuable replacement plant under these conditions [53].

Ellison [13] notes that Columbia needlegrass is unaffected by moderate grazing, but disappears under heavy grazing. Columbia needlegrass can be damaged when grazed during drought periods or when it grows as the most palatable species in scattered stands [55]. For example, in parts of the Southwest where it occurs with less palatable grasses, Columbia needlegrass is frequently grazed so closely that seeds cannot mature. Potter and Krenetsky [37] observed a greater increase in coverage of grasses, including Columbia needlegrass, in plots protected from grazing than in grazed plots in an upper ponderosa pine/Douglas-fir forest at 9400 ft (2870 m) in New Mexico. Leege and others [29] report that Columbia needlegrass consistently declines in abundance with grazing in the mountain meadows of north-central Idaho. Similarly, Columbia needlegrass was found only on undisturbed subalpine sites in a Wyoming study [52], and Rummell [39] found it present only on undisturbed sites in a ponderosa pine forest in central Washington.

Related categories for SPECIES: Achnatherum nelsonii | Columbia Needlegrass