Cutting or cutting and burning of juniper to conserve sagebrush

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Read interviews with the researchers Kirk Davies and Chad Boyd.

This study evaluated the conservation effectiveness of reintroducing fire with a fire surrogate (cutting) applied over the last ~30 years to control juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) encroachment on 77 sagebrush‐steppe sites. Reintroducing fire was more effective than cutting at reducing juniper abundance and extending the period of time that juniper was not dominating the plant community. Sagebrush was reduced more with burning than cutting. Sagebrush, however, was predicted to be a substantial component of the overstory longer in burned than cut areas because of more effective juniper control. Variation in exotic annual grass cover was explained by environmental variables and perennial grass abundance, but not treatment, with annual grasses being problematic on hotter and drier sites with less perennial grass. This suggests that ecological memory varies along an environmental gradient. Reintroducing fire was more effective than cutting at conserving sagebrush‐steppe encroached by juniper over extended time frames; however, cutting was more effective for short‐term conservation. This suggests fire and fire surrogates both have critical roles in conservation of imperiled ecosystems.