Fuels & Fuel Treatments

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Guide for quantifying post-treatment fuels in the sagebrush steppe and juniper woodlands of the Great Basin

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This guide assimilates post-treatment vegetation and fuels data from Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project (SageSTEP) study sites across six Great Basin states into an assessment tool that can help managers better estimate percent cover, stem density and fuel loadings for post-treatment sites. The post-treatment Guide uses photographs and tables to provide the range of values for each vegetation type allowing users to quickly appraise a site by fuel stratum using an ocular estimate.

 

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Conservation benefits of rangeland practices: assessments, recommendations, and knowledge gaps

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This synthesis addresses seven major conservation practices and two crosscutting issues:  prescribed grazing, prescribed burning, brush management, range planting, riparian herbaceous cover, upland wildlife habitat management, herbaceous weed control, landscape analysis, socioeconomics and ecosystem services.

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Review of fuel treatment effectiveness in forests and rangelands and a case study from the 2007 megafires in central Idaho, USA

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This report provides managers with the current state of knowledge regarding the effectiveness of fuel treatments for mitigating severe wildfire effects.  A literature review examines the effectiveness of fuel treatments that had been previously applied and were subsequently burned through by wildfire in forests and rangelands. A case study focuses on WUI fuel treatments that were burned in the 2007 East Zone and Cascade megafires in central Idaho. Both the literature review and case study results support a manager consensus that forest thinning followed by some form of slash removal is most effective for reducing subsequent wildfire severity.

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Cumulative watershed effects of fuel management in the western United States

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This synthesis contains 14 chapters that cover fire and forests, machinery, erosion processes, water yield and quality, soil and riparian impacts, aquatic and landscape effects, and predictive tools and procedures. These chapters provide an overview of our current understanding of the cumulative watershed effects of fuel management in the western United States.

A closed bound booklet with binoculars

Guide for quantifying fuels in sagebrush steppe and juniper woodlands of the Great Basin

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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.

A closed bound booklet with binoculars

Pinon and juniper field guide: asking the right questions to select appropriate management actions

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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.

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Biology, ecology, and management of western juniper

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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.

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New technology for fuel breaks and green strips in urban interface and wildland areas

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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.

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Invasive plants and fire in the deserts of North America

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This synthesis discusses that fire can be used to either control invasive species or to restore historical fire regimes. However, the decision to use fire as a management tool must consider the potential interrelationships between fire and invasive species. Historical fire regimes did not occur in the presence of many invasive plants that are currently widespread, and the use of fire may not be a feasible or appropriate management action if fire-tolerant invasive plants are present. The management of fire and invasive plants must be closely integrated for each to be managed effectively.

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