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Private Lands

The SageCon Invasives Initiative

Invasive annual grasses in Oregon rangelands negatively affect wildlife, rangeland health, and ranching communities across public and private lands. The scale of the problem is vast, and solutions must cross large, multi-jurisdictional landscapes. The SageCon Invasives Initiative takes a strategic approach to invasive annual grasses in Oregon through a collaborative, multi-stakeholder group coordinated by the SageCon Partnership.

screenshot of geographic strategy mapThe Geographic Strategy

A key component of the Invasives Initiative is a shared geographic strategy for proactive, landscape-scale management of invasive annual grasses across jurisdictional boundaries in southeastern Oregon (Creutzburg et al 2021). This geographic strategy follows similar efforts across West under a unified conceptual model of “Defend the Core, Grow the Core, Mitigate Impacts”. The geographic strategy maps combine information about herbaceous composition - including both annual and perennial grasses - and site resilience to provide actionable information for managers about management needs and restoration potential. Two maps have been produced under the geographic strategy, aimed at different scales and audiences:

1. The Generalized Strategy Map is a simple communication tool to be used at broad scales for identifying large blocks of core (blue) to maintain and grow across the landscape.

2. The Management Strategy Map provides finer-scale and more detailed information to help guide collaborative teams working at local scales identify shared management objectives toward landscape-scale outcomes.

To get more information and download spatial data, click on the links below:

*  The Geographic Strategy Overview provides context and a general description of the map products in a short 2-page format.

*  The Management Guide is a 6 page document containing a description of the map products along with more detailed information about the Management Strategy Map and examples of of its use at a local level.

*  Geographic strategy data layers are available for download. See the peer-reviewed publication and  technical documentation for more detail about the map products.

We are interested in working with managers around the state to pilot the use of these maps in addressing invasive annual grasses. Please contact Megan Creutzburg (megan.creutzburg@oregonstate.edu) if you are interested in using these maps, or have any questions or feedback.

More Resources

Pictures of 3 stages of invasive annual grass invasion

Native rangeland plant communities can become invaded by annual grasses, lowering habitat value and increasing the risk of large wildfires. Photos: US Fish & Wildlife Service.