Research and Publications
View report.
In this literature synthesis and meta-analysis, researchers found that the overall mean effect of fuel treatments on fire responses is large and significant, equating to a reduction in canopy volume scorch from 100% in an untreated stand to 40% in a treated stand, a reduction in scorch height from 30.5 m to 16.1 m, or an inferred reduction in flame length from 3.4 m to 2.1 m. But our synthesis demonstrates that fuel treatments vary widely in effectiveness, which is largely explained by vegetation and treatment type.
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This special report from the Ecological Restoration Institute at Northern Arizona University was presented to the U.S. Department of Interior, Office of Wildland Fire. The goal of this synthesis was to find, analyze and synthesize the best available evidence that policy makers need to make decisions about how to spend the limited money available to address the nation’s growing fire problem.
View strategy.
This Research Strategy provides an outline of important research topics to ensure that science information gaps are identified and documented in a comprehensive manner. Further, by identifying priority topics and critical information needed for planning, research, and resource management, it provides a structure to help coordinate members of an expansive research and management community in their efforts to conduct priority research.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.