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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 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.
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This study highlights that forbs are important for survival of sage grouse chicks, but it can be hard to grow enough forbs under sagebrush canopies dense enough to meet recommended cover levels. Selective thinning and targeted cattle grazing may offer a path to a win/win solution.
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This review proposes a classification framework for aspen that is defined by key fire regime parameters (fire severity and probability), and that reflects underlying biophysical settings and correlated aspen functional types. Five aspen fire regime types are proposed: (1) fire-independent, stable aspen; (2) fire-influenced, stable aspen; (3) fire-dependent, seral, conifer-aspen mix; (4) fire-dependent, seral, montane aspen-conifer; and (5) fire-dependent, seral, subalpine aspen-conifer.
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Opinion piece in the Washington Post by Crystal Kolden, fire ecologist and assistant professor of geography at the University of Idaho, where she heads the pyrogeography lab.
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In a study of arid areas of western North America, soil inclusions called slickspots, which are saltier than adjacent soil and support different types of native vegetation, USGS scientists monitored slickspot size and cover of endangered slickspot peppergrass for two years to see if they were affected by the application of glyphosate or by a minimum-till drill in the Snake River Plain, ID. The researchers concluded that slickspot sizes were not affected by these treatments.
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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.
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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.