• 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:

Idaho fescue provides important forge for many types of domestic livestock and several wildlife species. In Oregon, Idaho fescue is the main grass selected most seasons by cattle and horses [289] and by elk and sheep in spring [144]. Idaho fescue makes up 29% of cattle diets from June to October, it had more green leaves in summer than did other grasses, and it was sought out for regrowth in the late summer and fall [136]. It is valuable domestic sheep forage on many high-altitude range sites in eastern Idaho [101], and excellent forage in grassland and open ponderosa pine summer cattle ranges of western Colorado [218]. The ponderosa pine/Idaho fescue community is well suited for spring and fall grazing in the Similkameen Valley of British Columbia [185]. Idaho fescue is major livestock forage species in western Montana [205,302], and is generally preferred over its codominant, bluebunch wheatgrass [251]. The foliage cures well and is preferred by livestock in late fall and winter [246].

Idaho fescue is an important component in elk diets throughout the Rocky Mountain region [24,91,161,167,246,269]. The Idaho fescue-bluebunch wheatgrass habitat type in southwestern Montana is widely used by big game animals.  Elk and deer use the type as low-elevation winter range, and pronghorn use it year-round.  At intermediate elevations Idaho fescue is important spring-fall range, and at upper elevations it provides summer range for elk and mule deer [205].  Some researchers report moderate to heavy use of Idaho fescue as forage for deer [161,215,249,274,285,289]. Others indicate that Idaho fescue plant associations are important deer habitat, but that Idaho fescue is not a preferred forage species [51,83,166]. Bodurtha and others [32] report that Idaho fescue communities are among the least used by mule deer in eastern Oregon. Idaho fescue is a common grass on pronghorn summer range in Yellowstone National Park [244] and southeast Oregon [273] and is reported to be good forage for pronghorn, cattle and sheep in ranges of northern Nevada [116]. 

Climax bunchgrass communities are dominant components of winter ranges of bighorn sheep, and bunchgrasses are the dominant forage class during the winter [228]. Some Idaho fescue sites at moderately high elevations are used by bighorn sheep and Rocky Mountain goats (Oreamnos americana missoulae) as winter range [154,205,257]; however, Idaho fescue is not commonly used by bighorn sheep in Glacier National Park, Montana [229].  Idaho fescue was an identified component in the stomach of Rocky Mountain goats in the fall in Montana [239], and in Olympic National Park, Washington, it was a selected forage species of mountain goats. It decreased in cover under high mountain goat density, while the less palatable western yarrow (Achillea millefolium) increased in cover [241].

Northern pocket gophers eat primarily the leaves and stems of Idaho fescue in June through September, although they prefer forbs [293]. Cox [68] found that grasses constituted only 2.4% of the shoot matter in northern pocket gopher diets. Idaho fescue was most commonly consumed grass in their diet, probably because it was the most abundant grass on the study site.  

Idaho fescue is a component of grizzly bear habitat in Yellowstone National Park [29,30,86] and other locations [98,188,236]. Davis and Butterfield [82] also include it among foods of the grizzly bear. Idaho fescue is a common understory component of grouse habitat in Oregon [69], Idaho [157,208] and Montana [178,179,180,263]. 

PALATABILITY:

Palatability of Idaho fescue varies with season [295] and community type [120]. Bedell and Bunch [19] report that Idaho fescue is often left ungrazed under a western juniper canopy but is readily grazed when the canopy is removed. 

Palatability of Idaho fescue is rated as follows [87]:

NUTRITIONAL VALUE:

Nutritional value of Idaho fescue varies with season [17,18,23,128,218,246,251], associated vegetation [128], grazing pressure [250], soil parent material, and soil condition. It is comparable (mean value) to other native grass species in the early season but is less digestible than other grasses at the end of the season [23]. Protein and phosphorus contents tend to be high in the spring and decrease over the growing season [17,128,218,246], while calcium remains about the same over the growing season [218]. Bezeau and Johnston [23] observed in-vitro digestibility of cellulose in cows and calculated digestibility of protein in 32 plants species of the rough fescue association. They found that the nutritional value of Idaho fescue was greatest in the early season, during the leaf and heading stages, and decreased over subsequent stages of seasonal growth. Bedell [18] reports similar seasonal trends in Idaho fescue for crude protein, digestibility, and dry matter. Skovlin [251] recorded the same trend in crude protein and phosphorus, with a rise in protein content at the end of the growing season. Other researchers report that the protein content of Idaho fescue remains higher than associated grasses during the latter part of the growing season [17,128,251]. Hickman [128] found crude protein was high in early spring and deficient during seed formation, with ash content increasing as protein decreased. Fat content was lower than that of the other grasses sampled. Digestibility was low in early spring, peaked in May, and was still higher than other species in the fall [128]. Elliot and Flinders [99] found Idaho fescue had the highest average crude protein content and comparable calcium, phosphorus, and moisture content compared to bluebunch wheatgrass and alpine timothy (Phleum alpinum) in a wilderness mountain meadow in Idaho.   

Nutritive values for Idaho fescue were highest for plants growing in antelope bitterbrush habitat types when compared with samples taken from ponderosa pine and western juniper habitat types on Oregon winter range [128]. In Yellowstone National Park, protein content, nitrogen, macronutrient (Ca, Mg, P, K) concentrations, and digestibility were higher in Idaho fescue plants grazed by elk in the winter than in ungrazed plants [250]. 

COVER VALUE:

The degree to which Idaho fescue provides cover for livestock and wildlife has been rated as follows [87]:

VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES:

In many areas where Idaho fescue is a late seral community dominant, grasslands are currently occupied by non-native species [33,126,145,155,164] or have species compositions that deviate from historical communities and favor less desirable species [115]. The practice of seeding with native species in restoration efforts has had a "disappointing history," with some non-native species establishing more rapidly and having better longevity than native species (e.g., [152,183]). Johnson and others [145] cite little success with rangeland improvement seedings, because preferred grass species are sought out by grazers immediately after germination. Despite these difficulties, the trend in restoration requires use of native species such as Idaho fescue to satisfy the mandate of ecosystem management [42]. Chambers and others [56] suggest inclusion of late successional species in reseeding programs is important for restoration of ecosystem function.

Idaho fescue is slow to establish [119,286], but once established, has abundant growth of fine leaves that provide effective ground cover, and high yields of tough, fine, fibrous roots that control erosion and improve soil structure [119]. It has poor tolerance to salinity [286], although Ho [134] suggests this may be overcome through inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi. Idaho fescue is suitable for year-round planting (fair in winter) [286], has good stand maintenance [119,286], and retards or prevents the invasion of weeds

once firmly established

The competitive influence of invasive species such as spotted knapweed (Centaurea maculosa) and cheatgrass can interfere with the re-establishment of slower growing, native perennials [169,183]. Borman and others [33,34] found Idaho fescue was 1 of the perennial grasses that, once established, suppressed resident annual plant production.  Nasri and Deoescher [209,210] studied the effects of competition by cheatgrass on shoot growth of Idaho fescue and found that increasing cheatgrass cover depleted soil moisture and reduced growth of Idaho fescue; however, Idaho fescue produced greater tiller and leaf numbers than did cheatgrass. Lindquist and others [169] found Idaho fescue had no impact on spotted knapweed growth in greenhouse studies. Furthermore, Marler and others [176] found that vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae enhance spotted knapweed's competitive dominance over Idaho fescue.

Site preparation and seeding method are important considerations for rehabilitation of disturbed sites. Everett [103] found that the litter of singleleaf pinyon (Pinus monophylla) appeared to inhibit emergence of Idaho fescue. Vallentine and Stevens [287] suggested using livestock to "graze out" invading cheatgrass as site preparation for reseeding with perennials including Idaho fescue. Seedling emergence is greater when seed is protected with mulch [55,119] or is mixed with an earlier seral, rapid-developing grass [119]. Chambers and others [56] found seeds collected from the Beartooth Plateau in Montana had high viability and high germination under all conditions in the laboratory and suggested that adequate field germination could be obtained by employing a variety of seeding methods such as surface sowing and shallow drilling.

Selection of seed is an important consideration in any revegetation program. Idaho fescue exhibits ecotypic development expressed in differential growth characteristics in seeds collected from different habitat types [89]. Seeds of Idaho fescue collected from a pristine population produced plants with more aboveground biomass than plants collected from degraded sites, and exhibited a different response to competition than those from the degraded site [209]. Plants grown from seed taken from populations that evolved with frequent and intense defoliation tend to have shorter and more prostrate genotypes [209]. Shaw and Cooper [246] claim that Idaho fescue has not been successful in Montana reseeding programs, but used seed collected at low elevations to reseed a site at 9,300 feet (2790 m). Age of seed is also an important consideration when seeding with Idaho fescue [54]. Eddleman [97] found germination was highest with new seed (3 months old) and declined with seed age, although cold temperatures (4 ^oC) promoted germination for older (15 months) seed. Maguire and others [172] suggest matriconditioning of seed (with Ca

₂

Majerus [173] lists Idaho fescue among the native plant species found to reestablish naturally on disturbed sites in Yellowstone and Glacier national parks, and cites its use in seed mixtures for restoration of fescue grasslands in those areas. Youtie [315] used seed propagated in the greenhouse to establish Idaho fescue in a small native plant garden on the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, Oregon. A similar small-scale project using propagules of Idaho fescue and 12 other native species was initiated at Jenkin's Creek Park, Washington, in 1989 [8]. Thomas and Gamon [267] had good success establishing Idaho fescue on a restoration project in western Washington (< 10% mortality of planted seedlings). Meier and Weaver [189] provide detailed information on roadside rehabilitation and suggest that Idaho fescue establishes well. Additional guidelines for planting can be found in several publications [246,292,295].

OTHER USES AND VALUES:

No entry

MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS:

Grazing can stimulate plant vitality and play a beneficial role in community stability; the key is timely grazing of plants and moderate use of the community [144]. The amount of use that Idaho fescue can sustain without adversely affecting vigor is dependent on numerous conditions including the combination of livestock and wildlife using the range, plant phenology, the type of grazing system used, competition from associated vegetation, plant vigor at the time of use, and site conditions [205]. Mueggler [204] found maximum leaf length was a good indicator of vigor in Idaho fescue, but noted that

because of yearly variations in weather conditions,

Idaho fescue is a decreaser under heavy grazing by livestock [95,96,141,301] and wildlife [107]. Several studies have reported Idaho fescue as less abundant on areas grazed by livestock compared to ungrazed areas [96,141,185,291,294,310]. Olson and Wallander [213] found root and shoot biomass were 38 and 27% less on grazed than on ungrazed plants, while carbohydrate pools were similar for grazed and ungrazed plants. In contrast, spotted knapweed biomass was unchanged by grazing; suggesting that repeated grazing may reduce the ability of Idaho fescue to compete with invading spotted knapweed when both species are grazed [213]. Merrill and others [191] found that at the end of the growing season, standing dead material on Idaho fescue plants was less in cattle-grazed sites than on ungrazed sites; however, standing Idaho fescue biomass and crown biomass were equal on grazed and ungrazed sites. In an exclosure study including Idaho fescue sites in Wyoming and Montana, Stohlgren and others [259] report that Idaho fescue showed inconsistent responses to grazing. Other studies show similar, equivocal responses [199,304,305]. In northwest Wyoming, Jones [149] found Idaho fescue decreased under cattle grazing but remained relatively unchanged by elk grazing.

I

n Yellowstone National Park,

Northern pocket gopher activity can aggravate impacts of grazing livestock and can prevent the return of Idaho fescue on overgrazed ranges [264,265]. Idaho fescue decreases as northern pocket gopher activity increases [301], and can give way to Bromus and other undesirable species [185,310]. The dense roots of Idaho fescue are not preferred forage of northern pocket gophers. They may protect other plants growing among them [252], preventing occupation by

northern pocket

Anderson and Scherzinger [7] report improvement of range for elk with cattle grazing through a detailed resource management system. Preconditioning in this manner has been reported to extend the grazing season and improve production of viable seed in Idaho fescue [6]. Anderson and others [6] measured a 38% increase in Idaho fescue cover after grazing by elk for 24 years, thereby re-establishing habitat for blue grouse. Late-seral grasslands dominated by Idaho fescue may provide the best forage for grass-eating ruminants, but mid-seral stages of Idaho fescue associations may offer more to all users of grasslands due to their greater plant species diversity [144]. 

Bunchgrasses best tolerate light grazing after seed formation [43,195]. Britton and others [38] observed the effects of harvest date on basal area of 5 bunchgrasses in eastern Oregon, including Idaho fescue, and found grazing from August to October (after seed set) has the least impact on these bunchgrasses, while plants harvested in May showed a 40% reduction in basal area, due primarily to reductions in Idaho fescue and Thurber needlegrass (Achnatherum thurberianum). Idaho fescue is most sensitive to defoliation from flowering to seed ripening [144,195,202]. Johnson and Simon [146] suggest avoiding early grazing that will deter seed formation. Johnston and others [148] discusses "dates of readiness for grazing" for fescue grassland, using seed set as an important indicator. Beetle [20] found Idaho fescue could withstand moderate, continuous grazing on sedimentary soils, but even light grazing reduced its vigor on granitic soils [205]. The greatest modification of Idaho fescue communities in the Blue Mountains of Oregon occurs with several consecutive seasons of early spring grazing, when soils are often wet and trampling can dislodge plants [145]. 

Abundant information exists on different grazing systems and management approaches for Idaho fescue grasslands [90,95,165,205,276,311]. Idaho fescue is favored by light to moderate grazing [72,108,246] and is moderately resistant to trampling [60,246]. Heavy grazing may lead to replacement of Idaho fescue with alien species such as cheatgrass [43,207,246], and can adversely affect soil fertility [147]. 

Control of associated woody species tends to improve yield and diversity of Idaho fescue communities [50,94,194,196,200,207,262]. Mueggler [203] found reducing competition through tilling and clipping more than offset the effects of even extreme clipping (100% herbage removal at flowering) on the volume of herbage and number of flowerstalks produced the following year in Idaho fescue plants. Overstory removal in ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir communities leads to an increase in yield and abundance of Idaho fescue [184,197]. Three summers of domestic sheep grazing to reduce spotted knapweed led to an increase in Idaho fescue plant density, although leaves and flowerstems on these plants were shorter than in ungrazed areas [214].  

At the edge of its ecological range (e.g., where it occurs with Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis) in Oregon), Idaho fescue may be very sensitive to heavy livestock utilization [88]. The big sagebrush ecosystem is particularly sensitive to grazing, and bunchgrasses decrease rapidly with severe defoliation [100]. Mueggler [204] studied the recovery rate of Idaho fescue and bluebunch wheatgrass after heavy and extreme clipping and found that Idaho fescue plants of moderately low vigor required about 3 years of protection to recover normal vigor. He estimated that recovery from a state of low vigor might take more than 6 years of protection.

Two cultivars of Idaho fescue have been developed that are adapted to variable climatic and soil conditions in the Intermountain west and Pacific Northwest where precipitation ranges from 14-31 inches (350-770 mm).  They are cold and drought hardy, moderately shade tolerant, grow well in ponderosa pine/big sagebrush, and persist on shallow, gravelly to well-drained soils [101].

Related categories for SPECIES: Festuca idahoensis | Idaho Fescue