Evaluating economic efficiency of fuel treatments in sagebrush that vary in ecological resilience and invasion resistance

View factsheet.

In mountain big sagebrush associations, simulations of prescribed burn fuel treatments indicated that treatments were economically efficient in ecosystems dominated by sagebrush or in the early to mid-phases of pinyon-juniper expansion when compared to expected suppression costs. For low sagebrush, mechanical fuel treatments were not economically efficient, mainly due to higher associated costs. For black sagebrush, mechanical fuel treatments led to increased suppression costs in three of six potential treatment settings largely due to increases in surface fuels and fire behavior.

While wildfire suppression cost savings were the primary benefit, economic benefits included enhanced wildlife habitat, water availability, livestock grazing, and recreational opportunities. This research suggests that if land managers consider treatment costs along with specific sagebrush associations and their resilience and resistance levels, they can plan more effective and efficient fuel treatments.