Drag coefficients (Cd) for the desert shrub greasewood (Sarcobatus vermiculatus) were developed from force versus wind speed data collected with an omnidirectional force balance. The average Cd for a small (0.6 m high, 0.5 m wide) shrub and a larger (1.6 m high, 1.3 m wide) shrub were 1.425 (¿0.103) and 0.435 (¿0.200), respectively. These values are much larger than similarly shaped solid elements and previously reported values for creosote bush (Larrea tridentata, Cd=0.485) and an artificial tree (0.4). The greater Cd value for greasewood probably results from factors related to porosity and vegetation structure that gives this shrub-type greater momentum extracting potential. The drag coefficients for the greasewood shrubs were found to show dependence upon flow Reynolds numbers >6¿105, corresponding to wind speeds greater than 18 m s-1 at 10 m. The developed greasewood Cd values were used in a shear stress partitioning model that indicated they would be extremely effective at reducing wind-generated sediment transport at low-percent coverage. ¿ 2000 American Geophysical Union