Show 4 r lL f j a. a pf J Jt t 41 L' L F iF a t tr W r Discussing Importance of different shrubs on test area at Snow College Experiment Farm are Karl G G. G Parker Utah State University Extension range management specialist C. C W. W Forguson Ferguson researcher from Tucson Arizona Alvin T. T Bleak Agricultural Research Service Logan and Gordon A. A Van Epps associate professor of ot Plant Science and Snow College in Ephraim shrubs essential local experts exerts proclaim Because people know very little about shrubs these plants are little In reality they are the most essential kind of plants providing winter habitat for wildlife and range livestock stated Carl G G. Parker Utah S State tat e University Extension range management specialist He pointed out virtues of the shrubs as representatives from froma a dozen countries participated In a shrubs tour In central Utah conducted as a highlight of the International Symposium on Useful Shrubs conducted at Utah State University Monday through Fri Fri- day The tour was sponsored by bythe bythe bythe the Bureau of Land Management Management Management Manage Manage- ment US U.S. Forest Service the Society for Range Management Snow College Brigham Young University and Parker explained that the penetrating root systems of the shrubs makes It possible for them to tap very deep sources of water that are virtually In Inaccessible Inaccessible inaccessible In- In accessible to most other plants In this way they are able to remain green and nutritious when grasses and other plants have died back to the ground In many semi-arid semi parts of the world they play an Important Import Import- ant role as a reserve feed supply when the supply from other plants gets short from lack of water These deep roots also bring up nutrients that get below the reach of grasses and other plants and helps to recycle them He noted that If U scrubby trees such as pinon pine and Juniper are Included shrubs occupy nearly three-fourths three of Utah's 53 million acres of land area These shrub lands offer one of the greatest potentials for improvement through manipulation manipulation manipulation lation of plant cover to en encourage encourage encourage en- en courage growth of the more useful shrubs forbes and grasses At the Great Basin Experimental Experimental Experimental mental Area at Ephraim Richard Richard Richard Rich Rich- ard Stevens game biologist with Utah Fish and Game pointed out the great variety of shrubs that have been established and andare andare andare are thriving at that foot elevation with 11 Inches of annual an annual annual an- an nual rainfall He noted that some of the plants that would normally be trees In their natural habitat appear as shrubs under these conditions and they do make good deer feed At the Snow College Experimental Experimental Experimental mental Farm the scientists ex examined examined examined ex- ex plantings of a variety of ecotypes of several shrub species Representatives of ofFish ofFish ofFish Fish and Game Snow College Colle and Utah State University ex explained explained explained ex- ex that these have been established within the last three years under conditions designed to be favorable in stimulating as good a display as possible of the characteristics of each ecotype A number of scientists were particularly Interested In hearIng hearing hearing hear hear- ing that there are a number of different types of sagebrush some seem to be much more palatable to animals than others Under conditions of grazing the less palatable plants have an advantage and tend to become dominant The scientists scientists scientists theorize that this phenomenon phenomenon phenomenon phen phen- Is likely true with a number of the other shrubs also |