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This California Fire Regime Ecoregion classification map (i.e., using clustered driver variability layers) aims to devise a fire regime classification that better aligns with ecosystem types.
This brief aims to clarify basic liability laws in California, using state law and case examples to further the collective understanding and comfort around prescribed fire liability.
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Forest Service researchers Becky Kerns and Michelle Day conducted a long-term experiment in the Malheur National Forest, Oregon, to assess how season and time between prescribed burns affect understory plant communities in ponderosa pine forests. They found that some native plants persisted and recovered from fire but didn’t respond vigorously, while invasive species tended to spread. These findings may help forest managers design more effective prescribed-fire treatments and avoid unintended consequences.
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This longer-term study essentially shows that native seed mixes do well in suppressing cheatgrass in the Great Basin, even when compared to familiar conventional mixes that include the highly competitive nonnative crested and Siberian wheatgrass. The conventional seed mixes lived up to their reputation and were effective at keeping cheatgrass cover below 2 percent, but the native seed mixes were not far behind, with cheatgrass cover of 3 percent to 6 percent–in contrast to unseeded control treatments where cheatgrass cover reached 9 percent to 15 percent. And using native seed mixes may not be cost-prohibitive anymore—the scientists found that the price of native species seed has come down over the years to be much closer to that of introduced mixes.
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View the complete pinyon-juniper synthesis
View fact sheet on pinyon-juniper ecology
View fact sheet on pinyon-juniper history
View fact sheet on pinyon-juniper ecohydrology
View fact sheet on pinyon-juniper management and restoration
This synthesis reviews current knowledge of pinyon and juniper ecosystems, in both persistent and newly expanded woodlands, for managers, researchers, and the interested public. We draw from a large volume of research papers to centralize information on these semiarid woodlands. The first section includes a general description of both the Great Basin and northern Colorado Plateau. The ecology section covers woodland and species life histories, biology, and ecology and includes a detailed discussion of climate and the potential consequences of climate change specific to the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau. The history section discusses 20,000 years of woodland dynamics and geographic differences among woodland disturbance regimes and resilience. The ecohydrology section discusses hydrologic processes in woodlands that influence soil conservation and loss; water capture, storage, and release; and the effect that woodland structure and composition have on these processes. The final section, restoration and management, covers the history of woodland management, the different methods used, the advantages and disadvantages of different vegetation treatments, and posttreatment vegetation responses. We also discuss successes and failures and key components that determine project outcomes important for consideration when restoring ecosystem function, integrity, and resilience.
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This example features a training program that has extended beyond one student and classroom to involve a team of learners and multiple classrooms.
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With concern over the health of aspen in the Intermountain West, public and private land managers need better guidance for evaluating aspen condition and selecting and implementing actions that will be effective in restoring aspen health. The Utah Forest Restoration Group collaboratively synthesized a step-by-step approach for aspen restoration that was applicable to western U.S. forests. In a successful case study in shared stewardship, these restoration guidelines were applied to a challenging real-world setting.
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This study specifically surveyed county emergency managers; the individuals who are responsible for mitigating and responding to disaster events. The results suggest that emergency managers are subject to decision biases and by knowing this, we can improve emergency management and decision-making processes.
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This brief explains how to find out what is in that container of seed. It is divided into three sections:
- How to decipher a seed analysis label
- How to comprehend a certified seed label
- How to take a representative seed sample for analysis
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The Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies (AOSCA) has implemented certification requirements and standards that accommodate plant germplasm (whether newly acquired accessions or named varieties) of native grasses, forbs, and woody plants. These certification procedures provide third-party verification of source, genetic identity, and genetic purity of wildland collected or field or nursery grown plant germplasm materials. This bulletin defines AOSCA plant germplasm types, describes certification procedures and labeling, and summarizes supporting guidelines, tables, and flow charts.