Research and Publications
View guide.
This guide is based on vegetation and fuels data collected by Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project (SageSTEP) researchers at study sites in six states throughout the Great Basin for two years prior to implementing land management treatments. It is divided into four sub-guides (one sagebrush and three woodland) based on regional differences in site physiognomy and ecology: sagebrush steppe, pinyon-juniper, Utah juniper, and western juniper.
View field guide.
This field guide is designed to help identify some of the common noxious and invasive weed species that are currently threatening Utah and have been identified on Utah’s state weed list.
View field guide.
This field guide provides substantial evidence that pinon-juniper woodlands have experienced major expansion in their distribution since the late 1800s by encroaching into surrounding landscapes once dominated by shrubs and herbaceous vegetation. Both infilling and expansion affects soil resources, plant community structure and composition, water and nutrient cycles, forage production, wildlife habitat, biodiversity, and fire patterns across the landscape. Another impact is the shift from historic fire regimes to larger and more intense wildfires that are increasingly determining the future of this landscape.
View article.
This study investigated downy brome and seeded species responses to variable rates of imazapic in two plant communities (salt desert shrub and Wyoming big sagebrush). Overall, imazapic was useful for helping establish desirable perennial species, but unless downy brome is reduced below a critical threshold, favorable precipitation can return sites to pretreatment levels within two years.
Visit the SageSTEP website, for links to all past newsletters.
View report.
The main objectives of this ecological risk assessment were to evaluate the potential ecological risks from imazapic to the health and welfare of plants and animals and their habitats and to provide risk managers with a range of generic risk estimates that vary as a function of site conditions. The categories and guidelines listed below were designed to help the BLM
determine which of the proposed alternatives evaluated in the EIS should be used on BLM lands.
View synthesis.
This synthesis documents what is known about the history, biology, ecology, and management of western juniper. This synthesis will provide guidance for defining long-term goals, setting management priorities, and developing management plans and strategies related to western juniper. It is separated into six major sections: 1) distribution and history of woodland expansion, 2) life history and biology, 3) ecology; 4) hydrology, 5) restoration and management, and 6) management guidelines.
View article.
This study describes a three-step process to reduce crested wheatgrass competition, introduce desired species, and manage to maintain desired species for use long term.
View article.
This study used BehavePlus to model fire behavior in fuel breaks created by treating annual grasses with herbicides and releasing perennial bunch grasses. Flame height reductions of up to 90% were possible.
View article.
This study evaluated bird occurrence on recently burned sites and found that of the 27 species evaluated, there was evidence for fire-induced changes in the proportion of sites occupied by 13 species. Of these, most were species that occurred at fewer sites after the fire than before. These changes were consistent with changes in vegetation composition, which included a decrease in the cover of conifer species and an increase in the cover of broadleaf species.