The plots in experiment A059 were enclosed by a fence to exclude mammalian herbivores. Galvanized welded-wire hardware cloth with 6mm x 6mm openings was buried to a depth of 84cm. Additional hardware cloth extends 60cm above the ground, and poultry netting extends to 1.8m above the ground.
Mammal Trapping
Small mammals are trapped as often as possible to keep the resident population low. A list of the number and kind of mammals taken from each field is in the small mammal documentation file. Pocket gophers are trapped out of the fields as soon as they appear. Gopher mounds are then removed and vegetation is unburied.
Burning and Rototilling
Certain plots were burned or rototilled in preparation for seed planting. For a list of ground preparation treatments for each plot, see file trmte59.