Research and Publications
View report.
This report found that big sagebrush recovery following fire over a broad regional scale suggests an average recovery time of 25 to 35+ years. However, there was much variation in recovery rate associated with the timing of precipitation relative to the particular fire event. We found that precipitation in the pre-fire growing season was positively related to post-fire recovery of mountain big sagebrush, and that precipitation in the late winter following fire was similarly positively related to recovery rate.
View article.
This study investigated factors controlling cheatgrass invasions in sagebrush systems, including the influence of livestock grazing. It found that cheatgrass invasion was limited where few and small gaps existed between bunchgrass and where biological soil crusts were present to stabilize soil and limit cheatgrass establishment. Results also suggest that grazing reduces invasion resistance by decreasing bunchgrass abundance and trampling biological soil crusts. Managing grazing to ensure abundance and variety of bunchgrasses and to preserve biological soil crusts could help restore sagebrush ecosystems.
View article.
This study analyzed trends in surface air temperature and temperature extremes in the Great Basin during 1901–2010. Researchers found that annual average daily minimum temperature increased significantly during the study period, with daily maximum temperature increasing only slightly. The results of this study suggest that continuation of the overall warming trend would lead to markedly warmer conditions in upcoming decades.
View brief.
This brief highlights that recent fire patterns in the West confirm that warming is already causing changes in forested landscapes that are likely irreversible. Overall, the suite of JFSP studies on climate change and tipping points presents a number of strategies for adaptation to and mitigation of the effects of climate change, but the research also underscores that there is no one-size-fits all approach.
View article.
For this study, hydrothermal germination models and a soil energy and water flux model were used to evaluate intra- and interannual variability in seedbed microclimate relative to potential germination response of six perennial grasses and cheatgrass.
View synthesis.
This synthesis (Chapter 4 in Invasive Plant Ecology and Management) approaches restoration with the understanding that precipitation, solar radiation, wind speed, air temperature, and humidity are principal drivers controlling energy and water flux in plant communities.
View article.
Results of this study identify attributes important for delineating habitats or modeling connectivity, which will facilitate conservation and management of landscapes important for supporting current and future sage-grouse populations.
View abstracts.
Abstracts of recent papers on fire and fuels management in the West. Prepared by Craig Goodell, Fire Ecologist, USFS Pacific Northwest Region, Portland, OR.
View synthesis.
In this review of recent literature and meta-analysis of seeding after wildfires, the authors found that seeding has little effect on erosion during the first year after fire and is highly dependent upon initial establishment and coverage of species in successive years. Older seedings were more likely to show reductions in invasives than younger seedings. Seedings with high plant establishment were more likely to reduce invasives than those with low establishment.
View guidebook.
This guide provides a set of tools that will help field biologists, land managers, and private landowners conduct rapid qualitative field assessments that address the kind of site and its current state. These tools include a list of questions to be addressed and a series of photographs, keys, tables, and figures to help evaluate a site. Conducting this assessment will help prioritize sites to be treated, select the best treatment, and predict outcomes.