VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Poa compressa | Canada Bluegrass 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Canada bluegrass is good forage for cattle, horses, and sheep [3,25].
It has favorable curing properties; horses pastured on Canada bluegrass
in the autumn and early winter maintain their condition [12].  In South
Dakota it is seldom abundant enough to be a principal forage but is
important to livestock because of its wide distribution [18].

In the Rocky Mountains, Canada bluegrass may be a valuable winter,
spring, and fall forage for elk [20].  Mule deer consume it lightly in
the spring [21].

Bluegrass leaves and seeds are eaten by numerous species of small
mammals and songbirds, and may form an important part of the diet of the
cottontail rabbit and wild turkey [3,22].  Prairie chickens eat small
amounts of the seeds [3].


PALATABILITY : 
Canada bluegrass is palatable to livestock from early spring until late
fall [12].  It is most palatable in spring and fall when it is green and
succulent.  Because it matures later than Kentucky bluegrass (Poa
pratensis) and is drought tolerant, it remains relatively palatable
during the summer [27].

Livestock and wildlife use of Canada bluegrass in western states is
rated as follows [6]:

                         CO      MT      ND      UT      WY
Cattle                  good    good    good    good    good
Sheep                   good    good    good    good    good
Horses                  good    good    good    good    good
Pronghorn               ----    ----    ----    good    good
Elk                     ----    fair    ----    good    good
Mule deer               ----    poor    ----    good    good
White-tailed deer       ----    poor    ----    ----    good
Small mammals           ----    ----    ----    good    good
Small nongame birds     ----    ----    ----    good    good
Upland game birds       ----    ----    ----    fair    good
Waterfowl               ----    ----    ----    fair    fair


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
Early growth stages of Canada bluegrass are nutritious.  The National
Academy of Sciences [23] reported the following nutritional information
for fresh aerial parts of immature (before inflorescence emergence)
Canada bluegrass (percentage of dry matter):

        Ash 9.1
        Crude fiber 25.5
        Ether extract 3.7
        N-free extract 43
        Protein (N X 6.25) 18.7


COVER VALUE : 
Canada bluegrass provides fair to good "environmental protection" for
upland game birds, waterfowl, nongame birds, and small mammals [6].


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Canada bluegrass is often used for cover and erosion control on
roadsides, road cuts and fills, borrow pits, dam sites, and recreational
areas.  It is often seeded with legume mixtures for revegetation of
mined areas.  It is often slow to establish but once established
provides good cover and long-term growth.  The performance of seeded
Canada bluegrass in mined-land reclamation has been summarized [12].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
NO-ENTRY


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Canada bluegrass is classed as an invader of overgrazed rangelands [31].
It is generally not recommended for seeding as a pasture grass because
of its low productivity, but locally it may be useful as pasture on poor
soils [27,33].  It is resistant to grazing and trampling but may be slow
to recover from overgrazing [27].

Related categories for Species: Poa compressa | Canada Bluegrass