VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Poa secunda | Sandberg Bluegrass 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Sandberg bluegrass is a widespread and highly drought-resistant forage
grass.  It is one of the earliest grasses to green up in spring and is
sought by all classes of livestock.  Sandberg bluegrass matures early
and remains choice for a shorter time than other forage bunchgrasses.
Horses and cattle continue to make some use of it during the summer
months.  In the fall, horses, cattle, and domestic sheep graze the cured
foliage [66].  Townsend's ground squirrels apparently consume Sandberg
bluegrass in portion to the grass' relative adundance [42].  On the Arid
Land Ecology Reserve of eastern Washington, where Sandberg bluegrass is
a dominant grass, Sandberg bluegrass averaged 49 percent of the Townsend
ground squirrel's diet [37].


PALATABILITY : 
The degree of use shown by livestock and wildlife species for
Sandberg bluegrass in several western states is rated below [21].  The
values reported are a compilation of ratings given to plant populations
identified as Sandberg bluegrass, Nevada bluegrass, big bluegrass, and
Canby's bluegrass.  For this reason some entries have more than one
value.

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


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
Sandberg bluegrass has a fair energy content but is generally considered
to be a poor source of protein [21].


COVER VALUE : 
The degree to which Sandberg bluegrass provides cover for wildlife
species has been rated as follows [21]:

                        CO           MT           UT            WY
Small mammals          ----         ----         fair       good/fair 
Small nongame birds    ----         ----       fair/poor    good/fair 
Upland game birds      ----         ----       fair/poor  good/fair/poor 
Waterfowl              ----         good       fair/poor    fair/poor 

In shrub-steppe of eastern Washington, elk preferred big sagebrush
(Artemisia tridentata)-Sandberg bluegrass habitat for bedding and
Sandberg bluegrass-cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) habitat for foraging
[47].


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Sandberg bluegrass is often included in native seed mixes [6,16].
Maguire and others [45] provide information on processing Sandberg
bluegrass seed.

Rehabilitation case examples:  Sandberg bluegrass was included in a
herbaceous seed mix used on coal spoils in northwestern Colorado.
Sandberg bluegrass established successfully and remained an important
component of the vegetation for at least 7 years after seeding [55].

After the level of a lake in the Columbia River Basin of eastern
Washington was raised, native riparian species were planted on the new
shoreline to prevent establishment and spread of noxious weeds.  A
Sandberg bluegrass cultivar, `Sherman' big bluegrass (Poa ampla sensu
Hitckcock and Cronquist [35]), and `Durar' hard fescue (Festuca ovina
ssp. duriuscula) were seeded in.  Five years after planting, dense grass
cover had established.  Few forbs, shrubs, or trees had established
except on spots that were missed during grass seeding operations [13].

`Sherman' big bluegrass was rated among the 10 top performing grasses for
erosion control in the Tahoe Basin of California [57].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
NO-ENTRY


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Wildlife habitat restoration after fire:  Sage grouse disappeared from
the Fitzner/Eberhardt Arid Lands Ecology Reserve of north-central
Washington following large-acreage wildfires that removed big sagebrush.
Postfire vegetation was dominated by Sandberg bluegrass and bluebunch
wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata).  In order to reduce grass cover
and increase sagebrush cover for sage grouse, big sagebrush seeds from
unburned, remnant plants were hand-seeded on plowed, herbicide-treated
(glyphosate) plots and on untreated plots.  Sandberg bluegrass cover was
reduced the most, and big sagebrush establishment was best, on
herbicide-treated plots.  Bluebunch wheatgrass did not respond to
herbicide treatment [22].

Range:  Sandberg bluegrass is a palatable species, but its production is
closely tied to weather conditions.  It produces little forage in
drought years, making it a less dependable food source than other
perennial bunchgrasses [20].

Sandberg bluegrass increases under grazing pressure [65].  In
bluebunch wheatgrass-Sandberg bluegrass habitat types of eastern
Washington, cheatgrass and Sandberg bluegrass often occur on the same
site.  One or the other may be favored depending on the class of
livestock.  With heavy grazing by domestic sheep, Sandberg bluegrass is
favored.  When cattle are the dominant grazers, cheatgrass often
dominates [18].

Some forms of Sandberg bluegrass are of interest to range managers
because thay are better forage grasses than the typical Poa secunda.
For example, P. ampla, P. canbyi, P. juncifolia, P. nevadensis, and P.
scabrella (sensu Hitckcock and others [35] and Munz [49]) tend to have
longer basal leaves, and P. ampla and P. scabrella continue to grow
longer into the summer [41].

Sandberg bluegrass has been identified as a high water indicator plant
along Idaho waterways [54].

Related categories for Species: Poa secunda | Sandberg Bluegrass