Cultural Tools for Vegetation Management

Written by Rachel Frost, Montana State University

Cultural management tools involve changing the timing, intensity or duration of a land use or management action to achieve a desired vegetation composition or structure. Targeted grazing, fire and reseeding or planting desirable vegetation are all forms of cultural control. These management practices can be implemented at different seasons, intensities or durations to accomplish clearly defined vegetation management goals. Cultural control is most often employed to manage invasive herbaceous weeds. Planting desirable, competitive plants that can capture soil and moisture resources, preventing weeds from obtaining these resources, and limiting their abundance is an example of cultural control on rangelands.