Treatment Techniques

From lopping seedlings to grinding up trees, a variety of treatment techniques are proven to be effective for restoring healthy sagebrush rangelands.

• Monitoring - Perhaps the most vital and underused treatment for conifer encroachment is monitoring. Early detection and rapid response are essential for any invasive species management. Relative cost: ₵ Photo: Jeremy Roberts

• Chainsaws and Hand Tools - Hand tools are effective for treatment, particularly for sites in the early stages of encroachment. Chainsaws are especially good for managing scattered small to mid-sized trees but can be very time-consuming for dense populations. Loppers can effectively remove early encroaching trees during scouting to prevent young trees from maturing. These techniques are well-suited for areas with low-density trees and small-diameter stems. Cut material can be left on site (Lop-and-scatter). Relative cost: ₵₵-$$ Photo: Jeremy Roberts

• Mastication with Heavy Machinery - Heavy wheeled and tracked equipment may be necessary for large jobs in high-density woodlands. Examples of heavy equipment include brush hogs, masticators, and track hoes. Machinery is very effective for large jobs but can be limited by the slope and rockiness of the project site. Disturbance from heavy equipment can affect shrubs and herbs in the short term, but recovery, especially in moist sites, is expected. Due to the nature of the operation and the quick pile-up of woody slash, small trees are likely to be missed during mechanical treatments. Return treatments with chainsaws and hand tools will be necessary. Slash removal should be considered prior to beginning a job. Depending on the scale of work, density of trees, and sheer number of trees, slash can be significant. It is often not possible to sell a meaningful amount of cut trees. Relative cost: $$-$$$$ Photo: Connor White

• Prescribed Fire - Prescribed fire is an effective and relatively low-cost treatment for reducing fuel loads and killing conifers; however, outcomes vary depending on the phase of encroachment. Seeding is often recommended after phase 3 fire treatments but may not be necessary in earlier phases. Prescribed fires also require proper permitting and safety measures. Relative cost: $$-$$$ Photo: Connor White

• Post-treatment Action - Natural response may be sufficient on early encroachment sites with an intact shrub and herbaceous perennial community, but on sites where tree density has led to decreases in the native plant community and increases in annual weeds, post-conifer removal treatments may be needed. Herbaceous weed management and post-treatment rangeland seeding may be necessary and should be anticipated prior to tree removal efforts. Retreatment of trees should be anticipated. Re-invasion after treatment occurs more rapidly than the initial invasion (Fogarty et al., 2025). This can result from missed seedlings during cutting and burning, the regeneration of presumed dead trees, and the emergence of seeds from the seed bank. Failing to remove the second invasion wave is costly and puts you into an endless cycle of retreatment. Relative cost: $$ Photo: Derek Tilley

See other support tabs for guidance on how to effectively plan and implement these techniques.