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Wildlife, Animals, and Plants |
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VALUE AND USE
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE:Rough fescue is important livestock forage throughout its range. Plants are very productive and highly palatable to livestock and wildlife. Many grasslands in southern Canada are dominated by this species, and all 3 subspecies are important native forage grasses in Canada [1]. Plants are used throughout the growing season by a number of big game species including bighorn sheep, mule deer, elk, and bison. Rough fescue is the primary food for bison herds wintering in the quaking aspen parklands of southern Canada [58,83], and bison also utilize rough fescue heavily in fall. Summer bison use of rough fescue is described as "moderate" in Alberta [61]. Rough fescue is heavily use by elk on winter ranges in Montana. It is 1of the preferred winter range grasses in west-central Montana [33]. Jourdonnais and Bedunah [63] report that it is the most preferred forage for wintering elk on the Sun River Game Range of Montana. Elk consumption of rough fescue may also be fairly heavy in both spring and fall (20 and 27% "aggregated frequency") [97]. In northern Idaho, elk feed on rough fescue in mid-summer and fall, with higher use noted in late summer [68]. Rough fescue is also important late fall elk food in subalpine grasslands of British Columbia [89]. In Alberta, elk and cattle favor mountain rough fescue grasslands as feeding areas [11], and mountain rough fescue grasslands are important winter rangelands [121]. Seasonal elk use of rough fescue was as follows in west-central Alberta [84]:
Winter use of rough fescue by Rocky Mountain mule deer in the United States and in Alberta is described as "light" [71,101]. In Montana, white-tailed deer use rough fescue during winter in trace amounts [97] and in northern Idaho it is used in early summer [68]. Bighorn sheep make at least "moderate" use of rough fescue on winter ranges of Alberta. During July, rough fescue was the largest component of bighorn sheep diets [101]. Winter-ranging mountain goats feed on rough fescue on lower slopes, ridges, high ridges, and rock outcrops [51]. Snowshoe hares feed on rough fescue in summer [55].
PALATABILITY:Rough fescue is highly palatable forage. It is prime winter forage: plants cure well on the stalk and retain high nutrient levels during dormancy [111]. A number of wild ungulate species including bighorn sheep, mule deer, elk, and bison use rough fescue throughout the growing season by. Horses and cattle on summer ranges prefer the leaves and stalks. Removal of litter buildup through the use of fire or grazing generally increases winter palatability [64]. Elk avoid plants with large amounts of old litter [63]. Palatability of rough fescue is rated as follows [31,52]:
NUTRITIONAL VALUE:The nutritional quality of rough fescue is moderately high. This grass is considered excellent winter forage because it retains nutrients during dormancy [111]. In-vitro digestibility studies indicate that rough fescue ranks slightly above average in relative nutritive value among associated species on a rough fescue-dominated grassland in southwestern Alberta [17]. Rough fescue makes good-quality hay in southern Canada [22], with crude protein levels of 7% and total digestible nutrients ranging between 44 and 57%. Nutritional value by phenology is as follows [17]:
Phenology % Digestible protein % Cellulose
leaf stage 6.6 33.2
heading 5.4 33.4
seed ripe 2.4 36.6
cured 1.5 38.4
weathered 1.0 39.5
Additional nutritional values from southwestern Alberta were as follows [57]:
Levels of crude protein, phosphorus, and carotene decline with seasonal growth [57]. In central Montana, protein values in April averaged 17.0% [66]. In west-central Montana, nutritional values of rough fescue were as follows [33]:
Mean winter values are as follows [33]:
COVER VALUE:Rough fescue generally provides poor cover for small mammals, small nongame birds, and waterfowl in Montana [31]. Sharp-tailed grouse often nest under clumps of rough fescue in northwestern Montana [41].
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES:Rough fescue is useful in rehabilitation projects because of its ability to form an extensive, fibrous root system [102]. Rough fescue has proven useful for roadside plantings [80].Rough fescue exhibited good survival when planted on alpine sites in Denali National Park, Alaska. Ninety-three percent of rough fescue plants survived 1 growing season without water or fertilization [30]. Fertilizer applications increased rough fescue survival in the Yukon [56].
OTHER USES AND VALUES:No entry
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS:The dense, tufted habit of the rough fescue makes it resistant to moderate grazing [1]. Heavy grazing can result in severely decreased rough fescue root depth and biomass [6]. As grazing pressure increased on rough fescue in Alberta, its basal area and number of viable soil-stored seeds declined [61]. Rough fescue is tolerant of winter grazing [60,111,121]. Approximately 80% utilization can occur during dormancy without any appreciable loss in summer vigor [64]. Dormant-season grazing may actually enhance plant vigor by stimulating tillering [119]. However, Campbell and others [22] suggest that maintenance of excellent or climax conditions is not possible on rough fescue ranges subjected to grazing. Plains and mountain rough fescue are described as "sensitive" to summer grazing [67]. Plains rough fescue may be reduced by light to moderate grazing during the growing season in Alberta [123]; however, overall plant vigor may be unimpaired following light grazing [62,86]. In Alberta, rough fescue was not eliminated despite 80% utilization with light cattle stocking over a 32-year period in which seed was not produced and plants were described as "inconspicuous" [120,123]. A "modest increase" in cattle stocking led to a marked decline in range condition [120]. Numerous clipping studies have focused on rough fescue, and detailed information is available [79,118,123]. In Alberta, production potential was not affected by a single harvest at the end of August in 3 consecutive years. A single defoliation stimulated tillering, but additional cutting reduced tiller numbers [123]. Plants can be adversely affected by defoliation in September [79]. Clipping studies suggest that greatest mortality occurs when plants are clipped weekly to 2 inches (5 cm) from mid-May to late-June and then once in early September to remove regrowth [79]. Mortality also occurs following weekly, season-long defoliation [79]. Grazing can cause a general decline in rough fescue coverage. In western Montana, rough fescue is one of the 1st species to decline after grazing [23]. Common increasers with grazing include Idaho fescue, Parry's oatgrass (Danthonia parryi), needlegrass (Stipa spp.), prairie junegrass, and thread-leaved sedge (Carex filifolia). Heavy grazing in rough fescue prairie of Alberta led to decreases in rough fescue and increases in Parry oatgrass, Idaho fescue, and wheatgrass (Agropyron spp.) [32]. Prolonged heavy grazing leads to replacement by weedy species such as fringed sagebrush (Artemisia frigida), locoweed (Oxtropis campestris), pussytoes (Antennaria spp.), dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), and rubber rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus) [28,32]. Basal area is a good indicator of grazing history on most sites. Following heavy grazing, large, robust bunches are typically reduced to small, inconspicuous shoots. On sites in southern Alberta receiving 17 years of continuous summer cattle grazing, mean percent basal area of rough fescue differed as follows [59]:
It may be helpful to monitor grazing intensities on cattle and horse summer ranges receiving concentrated use throughout the growing season. To maintain plant vigor of rough fescue grasslands of Alberta, Campbell and others [22] recommend grazing intensities that retain 40 to 50% of the current year's growth and 20% of the seedstalks. Deferred-rotation and rest-rotation systems of grazing are recommended for rough fescue-dominated grasslands in Montana. On low elevation spring and fall ranges, grazing should not begin until late spring; early grazing of many sites results in exclusive utilization of rough fescue until other forage species become available [86]. Two to three summers of heavy grazing can effectively eliminate plants from sites in Alberta [60]. In Alberta, plants were nearly eliminated after 5 years of heavy grazing [122]. An erect growth habit permits easy removal of large portions of photosynthetic material. Continued close grazing greatly lowers vigor and eventually results in the death of the plant. Recovery from overgrazing is slow due to erratic seed production and limited tillering abilities. "Susceptibility to damage from heavy grazing may result from a limited ability of the species to produce lateral tillers from axillary meristems. Our observations suggest that tillering in rough fescue, especially when grazed, is not as vigorous as the data indicated" [60]. In interior British Columbia, rough fescue comprises up to 10% of the dry-matter yield of the middle grassland zone, and up to 50% of the dry-matter yield of the upper grassland zone [108]. Such attributes suggest that rough fescue can be managed as a key forage species on sites where it comprises more than 15% of the total plant composition [52,104]. Rough fescue grasslands are susceptible to weed invasion. In Montana, the low montane zone is particularly susceptible [38]. In parts of Montana, large areas of grasslands have been invaded by Douglas-fir, causing reductions in rough fescue [10]. Leafy spurge has invaded some rough fescue communities in the Bob Marshall Wilderness and in Glacier National Park [15]. Montana rough fescue communities are described as "fairly resistant" to invasion by spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe ssp. micranthos). Smooth brome (Bromus inermis) is invading many rough fescue sites in Saskatchewan [45]. Griltz and Romo [45] recommend monitoring ranges regularly for smooth brome invasion. "Brush" has invaded rough fescue grasslands in central Alberta [13].
Related categories for SPECIES: Festuca altaica | Rough Fescue |
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