Mulching with plastic film, cinders or juniper slash, and deep furrowing and fallowing increased penetration and retention of soil moisture, delayed soil surface crusting and lowered seeding-zone temperatures in tests at 5 different pinyon-juniper range locations. Responses of 7 forage species [Agropyron smithii, A. intermedium, Atriplex canescens, Boutelona curtipendula, Eragrostis curvula, Muhlenbergia wrightii] to these practices varied. The combination of plastic film mulching, deep furrowing, cinder mulching and fallowing uniformly resulted in greater soil moisture, more seedlings and better early growth than other combinations. Plants under juniper slash had a longer growing season and were protected from excessive grazing by rabbits, with no evidence of toxic effects from the juniper. Cinder mulch increased seedling emergence and establishment, but in 1 yr apparently was toxic to the planted species. Deep furrowing generally had no advantage over surface drilling. Fallowing benefited pubescent wheatgrass [A. intermedium] and fourwing saltbush [A. canescens] at a cold-moist pinyon-juniper site. The number of seedlings emerging gave little indication of the plant stand several years later.