VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Vulpia octoflora | Sixweeks Fescue 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Sixweeks fescue provides little forage for most livestock and wildlife
species except for a short time during the early spring [25].  In some
areas, this plant can also provide a minimal amount of green forage
during the winter [18].  Sixweeks fescue is relatively unpalatable to
most species and its presence often indicates overgrazing [22].


PALATABILITY : 
Sixweeks fescue is relatively unpalatable to most species of wildlife
and livestock [13].  This species is unpalatable to cattle throughout
the year in Colorado plains grassland communities.  Cattle were observed
actively avoiding the plants and generally dropped sixweeks fescue which
was bitten off by mistake [14].  In some areas, the seeds of sixweeks
fescue are collected in caches and eaten by mice [5].  Palatability of
sixweeks fescue is rated as follows [6,21]:

                      CO       MT       ND      UT       WY

Cattle               Poor  Fair-Good   Poor    Poor     Fair
Sheep                Poor  Fair-Good   Poor    Fair     Fair
Horses               Poor     Fair     Poor    Poor     Fair
Pronghorn            ----     ----     ----    Poor     ----
Elk                  ----  Fair-Good   ----    Poor     ----
Mule deer            ----     Good     ----    Poor     ----
Small mammals        ----     ----     ----    Fair     ----
Small nongame birds  ----     ----     ----    Poor     ----
Upland game birds    ----     ----     ----    Poor     ----
Waterfowl            ----     ----     ----    Poor     ----


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
Sixweeks fescue is rated poor in energy and protein value [6].  Mineral
content of plants grown in eastern Washington was as follows:

Macronutrients     Micronutrients
  N   0.93            Mn  0.006
  P   0.14            Zn  0.002
  K   0.65            B   0.002 
  Ca  0.40            Cu  0.0002 
  Mg  0.13            Zn  0.002
  Na  0.02             
  S   0.14             
  Fe  0.002


COVER VALUE : 
Sixweeks fescue provides little cover for wildlife.  The cover value of
sixweeks fescue for various wildlife species in Utah has been rated as
follows [6]:

Pronghorn               Poor
Elk                     Poor
Mule deer               Poor
Small mammals           Poor
Small nongame birds     Poor
Upland game birds       Poor
Waterfowl               Poor


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Sixweeks fescue is rated low in long-term revegetation potential and
erosion control, and low to moderate in short-term revegetation
potential [6].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
NO-ENTRY


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
In big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata)-bluebunch wheatgrass
(Pseudoroegneria spicata) communities of central Washington, sixweeks
fescue typically makes up less than 2 percent of the herbaceous
aboveground biomass [24].  At one representative Washington site,
aboveground live biomass ranged from 3.0 to 10 grams per square meter,
with a mean of 6.6 grams per square meter [3].

Sixweeks fescue generally increases in abundance on overgrazed sites,
while perennial grasses decrease [5,14].  When abundant, sixweeks fescue
can reportedly interfere with cattle utilization of more palatable
species such as blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis).  Where this species
grows intermixed with other grasses, the more palatable species may be
used unevenly, leading to overgrazing on some sites.  Sixweeks fescue
can be controlled with simazine or atrazine applied at 1.2 pounds per
acre (1.1 kg/ha) during the spring or fall [14].

Related categories for Species: Vulpia octoflora | Sixweeks Fescue