Removing Sage brush

[802flyfish]

We’re looking at a decent chunk of land (200 acres) that primarily consists of Sage Brush. Realtor informed us there was a brush fire on the property roughly 3 years ago for what that’s worth. I know there are several ways to go about removing it. We were thinking borrowing a D6 from a friend or renting a brush hog to remove a small portion of it around the house. We ultimately want horses on a portion of the property as well. Can anyone recommend some native grasses that would be good replacement?

 

[TX Trophy Hunter]

There’s a good chance you are in cheat grass country so plan the timing of your removal with that in mind. Cheat grass establishes quick after a disturbance and out competes everything. Do some research on warm season vs cool season grasses and try to go with something native would be my thought. Call the nearest BLM or Forest service office and ask to speak with a range specialist or botanist and most would be happy to give you advice.

 

[802flyfish]

There’s a good chance you are in cheat grass country so plan the timing of your removal with that in mind. Cheat grass establishes quick after a disturbance and out competes everything. Do some research on warm season vs cool season grasses and try to go with something native would be my thought. Call the nearest BLM or Forest service office and ask to speak with a range specialist or botanist and most would be happy to give you advice.

Excellent advice. We have two birds dogs so last thing we want to deal with is cheatgrass. Thank you.

 

[TX Trophy Hunter]

Awesome! Those pups are going to be in heaven there

 

[marksjeep]

See if there is an MSU extension office in your county and call them.

https://www.montana.edu/extension/localoffices.html

 

[802flyfish]

Thanks!

 

[RandanP]

I would second speaking with a local extension specialist or someone from the county NRCS office.

I would really discourage bulldozing the sage. That’s a bit of an extreme disturbance and would make the site vulnerable to invasive weeds and annual grasses. I would also discourage using herbicide as whatever kills sage will have a negative effect on the forbs that deer, birds and pollinators utilize. Also, get an idea of the existing grasses before you plant. You may have existing good native grasses like western or blue bunch wheatgrass, needlegrass or idaho fescue. Avoid non native grasses like crested wheatgrass, smooth brome or Kentucky bluegrass.

 

[MThuntr]

The NRCS won't offer much help/guidance for clearing sagebrush or sodbusting...that would very likely violate an MOU with the FWS. Ask me how I know

The real answer is trying to change from sage to something else is likely going to be extremely expensive and possibly yield something worse like cheatgrass. Potential yield boosts from removing sagebrush are often temporary. You're better off making sure you have enough grass based on carrying capacity of the land for your pasture ornaments than trying to increase production by removing brush. There's a good chance soil chemistry or rocks will prevent farming it for improved pasture

 

[brocksw]

Removing sage brush for horses…

 

[BuzzH]

May as well leave it dirt and weeds if you're going to put horses on it.

 

[Hem]

Montucky is still a thing.

 

[SixPoint]

Save yourself a lot of time and money and ditch the hay burners. Embrace the sage. There’s a very high likelihood that this will end up in a weed patch, especially if you’re going to put horses on it.

 

[802flyfish]

Removing sage brush for horses…

Didn’t say that… Said we’re looking to remove a portion of Sage around the house and ultimately want horses on the property as well. 200 acres.

 

[kwyeewyk]

A masticator might work well with less ground disturbance than dozing or chaining. Talk to NRCS, they might not help with removing sage but they will definitely be able to help with native species recommendations for your specific area. If you do have cheatgrass or other annual weeds already a fall treatment of a residual preemergent like imazapic will help control before you create disturbance removing the sage.

 

[MThuntr]

You edited your post. No need to add native grass if you're not tearing the place up.

If you're revegetating the homesite...send me the coordinates of the approximate site and I'll give you an idea of potentials to plant based on soil and climate. But no need to add seed to rangeland if it's in decent condition. Interseeding often fails or requires a lot of very expensive seed

 

[antlerradar]

The fire should have removed most of the sage. Is the sage you have Big Sage or Silver Sage?

 

[ismith]

We’re looking at a decent chunk of land (200 acres) that primarily consists of Sage Brush. Realtor informed us there was a brush fire on the property roughly 3 years ago for what that’s worth. I know there are several ways to go about removing it. We were thinking borrowing a D6 from a friend or renting a brush hog to remove a small portion of it around the house. We ultimately want horses on a portion of the property as well. Can anyone recommend some native grasses that would be good replacement?

Hesperostipa comata

 

[jimh406]

Just a tractor will work for removing a limited amount of sagebrush. It also can be removed by mowing. Finally, Spike can be used to make openings.

There are some good videos on YouTube that describe what’s possible.

 

[HighDesertSage]

I just mowed it once in the spring and again the following year. It’s all grass now.

 

[GigiBobert]

What's the soil type, moisture and elevation? If it wants to be sagebrush it probably will be. Maybe some variety of crested wheat grass and intermediate wheat grass seeded with some natives (including forbs and shrubs) which will eventually take over. Also, any time a realtors lips are moving they are lying.