Restoration of native perennial grasses along rural California roads may decrease the need for herbicides and tillage to control roadside weeds, according to UC Davis researchers. "These grasses may be grown in conjunction with other native plants and would provide habitat for desirable wildlife while potentially reducing the threat of flooding, erosion, wildfire and weed growth," says Robert L. Bugg, entomologist with the UC Davis-based Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program. In a review article published recently in the journal Restoration Ecology, Bugg and colleagues Cynthia S. Brown, an ecology postgraduate researcher, and John H. Anderson, a habitat restorationist, native grass seed farmer and retired UC Davis veterinarian, identified perennial grasses that thrive when planted as roadside vegetation management tools. "Perennial grasses were once common in much of California," Bugg says. "But by the mid-1800s, the native grasses were greatly reduced, presumably by a combination of prolonged drought, overgrazing by cattle, cultivation, and competition from introduced invasive annual grasses. "With the increased interest among farmers in reestablishing native plants along field edges, the study results raise the possibility of including native perennial grasses and incorporating the theme of restoration ecology into standard production-agriculture and right-of-way management," he says.