Research and Publications
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This research brief from the California Fire Science Consortium discusses that detrimental consequences from future fires under changing climates could be reduced by recognizing diverse adaptions to fire in different forest types and by preparing forests and people for larger and more frequent fires.
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This brief summarizes a study that provides empirical support for distances between 5 and 7.5 km from leks for surface use designation. It is important to note that sage-grouse space use does not fully inform the extent of no-activity areas. Some industrial activities, such as those generating acoustic pollution, can contribute to negative impacts which extend beyond the physical footprint of each installation.
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This review synthesizes the state of knowledge on fire effects on vegetation and soils in semi-arid ecosystems in the Great Basin Region. It identifies knowledge gaps and presents a framework for predicting plant successional trajectories following wild and prescribed fires and fire surrogate treatments. Possibly the three most important ecological site characteristics that influence a site’s resilience (ability of the ecological site to recover from disturbance) and resistance to invasive species are soil temperature/moisture regimes and the composition and structure of vegetation on the ecological site just prior to the disturbance event.
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This review examines the effects of disturbances, such as grazing, and changes in climate on resilience and resistance of cold desert shrublands that span temperature and precipitation gradients across the western United States. It demonstrates how to use information about cold desert resilience and resistance to help manage this ecosystem and describes the benefits of using protection, prevention, restoration, and monitoring strategies to determine priority management areas and appropriate management actions.
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Abstracts of recent papers on fire and fuels management in the West. Prepared by Craig Goodell, Fire Ecologist, USFS Pacific Northwest Region, Portland, OR.
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This study examined stand structure and development of mixed-conifer ecosystems in the south-central Great Basin where pinyon (Pinus monophylla) and juniper (Juniperus osteosperma) are found together with other species, such as ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa). Because wildfire regime and land-use changes were not identical between the study sites, and increases of pinyon-juniper populations have occurred in other Great Basin areas at about the same time, climate was the most likely driver. Therefore, pinyon-juniper woodlands, which have recently experienced dramatic episodes of climate-related dieoffs in regions where pinyon is present, have not been negatively impacted by climate in the Great Basin, where the pinyon species is Pinus monophylla.
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In this study, researchers measured particulate sediments transported by wind to assess risks to areas downwind of burned rangelands in SE Idaho. Results indicate that wildfire can convert a relatively stable landscape into one that is a major dust source.
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This brief summarizes fire ecology and management issues in California mixed-conifer forests for an audience without a background in fire, including the general public and media.
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This study explored how fire and various other natural events might shape sagebrush ecosystems in eastern Oregon, USA, and whether those events could affect fire rotation. Results suggested other disturbance events were important in shaping all but the most productive sagebrush communities and influenced fire rotation in drier sagebrush communities. Insects and pronghorn browsing may have been as important as fire in shaping sagebrush-steppe landscapes with freezekill and snow mold locally important.