Management guidelines for overcoming the challenges of establishing antelope bitterbrush after a wildfire.

Antelope bittcrhrush occurs from British Colun~bia to Montana. and couth to New Mexico. This widespread distribution implies the importance of this shrub. In 1924. Arthur W. Sarnpson. one of the farhers of range management. reported that antelope bitterbrush is an important browse species to deer. elk, and antelope. Since then. its importance has heen doctmented as a criaical browse species for wintering mule deer herclc and highIy preferred by domestic livestock during late summer. fall. and winter months when herbaceous vegetation dries up ancl is low in digestible protein. Dectructive wildfires in 1999 burned more than 1.6 million acres of rangelands in the state of Nevada alone. These wildfires can be very destructive causing loss of life and or property. decreasing food and cover for wildlife and livestock, and aiding in the spread and dominance of invasive weeds. Tlse restoration or rehabilitation efforts that follow thcse fire storms are critical in suppressing these invasive weeds as well as providing food and cover for wildlife and liveslock. The Nevada State Office of the Bureau of Land Management. USDI in coordination with other federal and state agencies aggressively ap proached these restoration or rehabilitation efforts Tollowing this destnrctive witdfire season by ordering over 4.3 million poundc of seed in 1999 to be seeded onto burned rangelands throughout Nevada using various seeding me~hods. Of llijs 4.3 n~illion plus pounds, not a single pound of antelope bitterbn~sh seed was ordered. Unlbn~inately. many resource managers do not include antelope bitterbrush in rangeland seedings because it has not demon~trated successfttl establishment following wildfires. Here, we outline the successl211 and lcss successful outcome of two evaluations to re-establish antelope hitterbrush fi~llowing wildfires.