Monotypic stands of big sagebrush and pinyon-juniper cover vast areas throughout the western United States. Millions of acres of these vegetative types have been converted to monoculture grasslands rather than mixture seedings. The consequence has been the harmful alteration of wildlife habitat for many wildlife species. Mixture seedings that result in the establishment of a variety of shrubs, grasses and forbs provide four basic advantages. These advantages involve satisfying wildlife food and cover requirement, and are described as: (1) variety in nourishment; (2) extended succulence; (3) early forage as well as a long-term source of food and cover; and (4) protective vegetative cover.
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