Fact Sheet / Brief

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Conserve our western roots – Educational posters and postcards from the Sage Grouse Initiative

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The Sage Grouse Initiative developed posters and postcards designed to promote conversations about the importance of taking care of sagebrush community plant health and diversity, above and below ground.

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Sage-grouse and sagebrush steppe restoration – An infographic

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This infographic developed by SageSTEP.org describes sagebrush steppe restoration  prioritization and methods to benefit sage-grouse habitat.

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Sagebrush songbirds benefit from sage-grouse habitat restoration

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This study shows that conifer removal for sage-grouse also benefits sagebrush-dependent songbirds. In the Warner Mountains of southern Oregon, Brewer’s sparrow abundance increased by +55% and green-tailed towhee jumped +81% following cuts. Annual increases each year post tree removal suggest that songbird use may increase even more with time. Abundances of species less dependent on shrublands including mountain bluebird and rock wren were unaffected by treatments.

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Social barriers to landscape restoration after fire

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This research brief summarizes a series of interviews with land managers who make decisions about post-fire rehabilitation and restoration. These interviews explored barriers to improving post-fire recovery that included: policies and funding cycles that constrain managers’ ability to monitor and re-treat effectively, pressure and legal action from interest groups, pressure from concerned public/neighbors, climate change, and
ecological debates such as native vs. non-native species use. These identified barriers provide a social-political-ecological framework that may influence on-the-ground manager decisions after wildfires in the Great Basin.

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Conifer removal in the sagebrush steppe

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This fact sheet provides land managers with a brief summary of the effects of conifer expansion and infill in sagebrush ecosystems and of potential management strategies.

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Seed harvester ants and fire recovery in Utah deserts

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This research brief summarizes research that found seed harvester ants, along with small mammals, could have a large impact on reseeding
efforts after a fire. But the populations over time are not well known. The number of ants in burned areas is significantly greater than unburned areas, but this may be an initial, short-lived response.

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Secretarial Order 3336 – Rangeland fire prevention, management, and restoration

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This Order sets forth enhanced policies and strategies for preventing and
suppressing rangeland fire and for restoring sagebrush landscapes impacted by fire across the West. These actions are essential for conserving habitat for the greater sage-grouse as well as other
wildlife species and economic activity, such as ranching and recreation, associated with the sagebrush-steppe ecosystem in the Great Basin region.

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Mapping potential ecosystem resilience and resistance across sage-grouse range using soil temperature and moisture regimes

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This fact sheet from the Sage Grouse Initiative discusses a new soils product that provides the ability to depict potential ecosystem resilience and resistance across the range of sage-grouse using soil temperature and moisture regimes.

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Fire, small mammals, and plant rehabilitation

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This brief highlights a study that found rodents foraged differently in burned and unburned areas. They took seeds and ate seedlings from unburned areas. They were more likely to leave seeds and seedlings in the burned areas.

 

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Bees in the desert: Plant reproduction after fire

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This fact sheet summarizes findings from a study comparing insect populations in burned and unburned areas. The study showed greater reproductive success for isolated plant survivors of generalist species, and less success for specialist species. The more specialized your reproductive strategy, the harder fire is on your sex life.

 

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