• 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:

Threetip sagebrush is not a preferred browse for most wild ungulates. Threetip sagebrush is used to some extent by mule deer in both summer and winter in north-central Washington [18]. In Wyoming, elk do not generally feed on threetip sagebrush [4]. In parts of Wyoming, Wyoming threetip sagebrush may be used by large ungulates as emergency winter forage [25].

Threetip sagebrush may provide some browse for domestic sheep but its value to cattle appears limited. It is "never used" by cattle in Nevada [14,52]. In British Columbia, threetip sagebrush may be browsed by domestic sheep, but is not used by cattle [19]. Threetip sagebrush, along with other species of Artemisia, is eaten throughout the year by the pygmy rabbit in southeastern Idaho [30]. In southern Idaho, sage grouse may include small amounts of threetip sagebrush leaves in their diet. The genus is, in general, used to some degree by sharp-tailed grouse, sage grouse, jackrabbits, chipmunks, ground squirrels, pocket mice, and kangaroo rats [58].

PALATABILITY:

Threetip sagebrush is one of the least palatable species within the genus to both livestock and wildlife [3]. However, palatability of tall threetip sagebrush is quite variable. Some plants may be heavily browsed, while others are barely touched [72]. Palatability may vary by form and/or population [38,51]. A hybrid between threetip sagebrush and Wyoming big sagebrush is important and palatable forage in some parts of south-central and southeastern Idaho [52]. Subspecies: Wyoming threetip sagebrush is rated poor in palatability to cattle, domestic sheep, and horses in Wyoming. Palatability of tall threetip sagebrush is rated as follows [25]:

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

NUTRITIONAL VALUE:

Tall threetip sagebrush is rated fair in energy and protein value and is listed as slightly toxic to livestock [25]. Nutritional values (%) for both subspecies in Wyoming are listed below [3]:

Date          Crude    Crude  Crude  Ash   CaO    Mg
              protein  fat    fiber                    
Tall threetip sagebrush  
 6/12/57      13.00    10.12  21.58  6.85  0.770  0.185
 7/15/58       4.17     1.45  51.88  4.49  0.45   ---
 7/17/58      11.54    12.56  14.94  5.92  0.66   ---
 7/19/57      11.00    12.10  20.53  6.90  0.98   0.207
11/10/57       8.63     8.22  28.67  4.75  0.755  0.142
Wyoming threetip sagebrush
 5/29/57      10.19     5.72  28.03 12.03  1.205  0.176
11/10/57       7.44     9.46  31.17  4.58  0.839  0.170

COVER VALUE:

Threetip sagebrush provides nesting cover for sage grouse in south-central Washington and in southern Idaho [29,34,60]. In Washington, threetip sagebrush/fescue (Festuca spp.) communities provide habitat for sharp-tailed grouse. Loess mounds in stands of tall threetip sagebrush provide a stone-free substrate for rodents and badgers [22].

The degree to which tall threetip sagebrush provides cover for wildlife species in Utah is as follows [25]:

 
Pronghorn               fair
Elk                     poor
Mule deer               fair
Small mammals           good
Small nongame birds     good
Upland game birds       good
Waterfowl               poor

VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES:

Threetip sagebrush can be successfully planted onto disturbed sites. Plants may be propagated through seed or by layering. Details on specific planting techniques are available [54].

According to McArthur [37], artificial hybrids of the drought-tolerant silver sagebrush (A. cana) and fire-tolerant threetip sagebrush may "hold some promise of rebuilding a badly damaged ecosystem."

OTHER USES AND VALUES:

No entry

MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS:

Tall threetip sagebrush can resprout after burning, clipping, or chemical treatment; periodic treatment, with proper grazing management during treatment intervals, may be necessary if sagebrush reduction is desired [6]. Often, mechanical control measures, such as cutting or beating, are only partially successful due to the low spreading branches and a proclivity to resprout. Root cutters can be effective in reducing numbers but work best on level rock-free ground [48]. Threetip sagebrush is described as "moderately susceptible" to defoliation during the fall and winter [11].

Various herbicides can be used to reduce threetip sagebrush, with reductions of up to 50 to 70% reported during the 2nd growing season [44]. However, herbicide treatments often are expensive and can produce only temporary reductions in threetip sagebrush. Even after large reductions are obtained with herbicides, threetip sagebrush often seeds back within 5 to 10 years [52]. In some cases, plants may sprout after herbicide applications [10,52]. Often the stands that develop are denser than prior to herbicide application [52]. Details on herbicide applications are available [44].

Individual longevity of threetip sagebrush is reduced by grazing in sagebrush-grass communities of south-central Utah [70]. In eastern Idaho, tall threetip sagebrush increases in response to heavy spring domestic sheep use [26]. Fall sheep use can, by contrast, result in decreases of tall threetip sagebrush [26,43,67]. Heavy fall sheep grazing with light grazing in spring under a rotational system can increase grass and forb production [26,61].

Sandberg bluegrass (Poa secunda) and Kentucky bluegrass (P. pratensis) are common increasers in tall threetip sagebrush stands [71]. As badgers dig rodents from loess mounds in tall threetip sagebrush stands, the soil is churned and invasion of basin wildrye (Leymus cinereus) may also be favored [22].

Related categories for SPECIES: Artemisia tripartita | Threetip Sagebrush