Post-fire Environment & Management

Page with a big block above lines to signify text

Nevada Society for Range Management Suggested Reading – Summer 2015

View abstracts.

These abstracts of recent papers on rangeland management in the West were prepared by Charlie Clements, Rangeland Scientist, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Reno, NV.

Open book with a bar chart on left page and line graph and lines simulating text on the right page

Secretarial Order 3336 – The final report: an integrated rangeland fire management strategy

View report.

This final report includes actions to be implemented by Interior’s bureaus to immediately address the threat of rangeland fire and other disturbances to Western sagebrush-steppe landscapes and improve fire and fuels management efforts.

Open book with lines simulating text on left and right pages

Nest-site selection and reproductive success of greater sage-grouse in a fire-affected habitat of northwestern Nevada

View article.

This study monitored the habitat-use patterns of 71 radio-marked sage-grouse inhabiting an area affected by wildfire in the Virginia Mountains of northwestern Nevada during 2009–2011 to determine the effect of micro-habitat attributes on reproductive success. Sage-grouse selected micro-sites with greater shrub canopy cover and less cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) cover than random sites. Total shrub canopy, including sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) and other shrub species, at small spatial scales (0.8 ha and 3.1 ha) was the single contributing selection factor to higher nest survival. These results indicate that reducing the risk of wildfire to maintain important sagebrush habitats could be emphasized in sage-grouse conservation strategies in Nevada. Managers may seek to mitigate the influx of annual grass invasion by preserving large intact sagebrush-dominated stands with a mixture of other shrub species. For this area of Nevada, the results suggest that ≥40% total shrub canopy cover in sage-grouse nesting areas could yield improved reproductive success.

Single sheet of paper with bullet points

Social barriers to landscape restoration after fire

View research brief.

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.

Open book with a bar chart on left page and line graph and lines simulating text on the right page

Secretarial Order 3336 – The initial report: A strategic plan for addressing rangeland fire prevention, management, and restoration in 2015

View report.

The initial report includes actions to be implemented by Interior’s bureaus to immediately address the threat of rangeland fire to Western sagebrush-steppe landscapes and improve fire management efforts before the start of the 2015 wildfire season.

Single sheet of paper with bullet points

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

View the Order.

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.

Treatment selecting field guide cover

A field guide for selecting the most appropriate treatment in sagebrush and piñon-juniper ecosystems in the Great Basin: Evaluating resilience to disturbance and resistance to invasive annual grasses, and predicting vegetation response

View field guide.

This field guide identifies seven primary components that largely determine resilience to disturbance, as well as resistance to invasive grasses and plant succession following treatment of areas of concern. An evaluation score sheet is included for rating resilience to disturbance and resistance to invasive annual grasses and the probability of seeding success.

Single sheet of paper with bullet points

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

View fact sheet.

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.

Single sheet of paper with bullet points

Fire, small mammals, and plant rehabilitation

View brief.

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.

 

Single sheet of paper with bullet points

Bees in the desert: Plant reproduction after fire

View fact sheet.

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.

 

Narrow your search

Resource Types
No results found
Article / Book (61)
Webinar (55)
Synthesis / Tech Report (20)
Fact Sheet / Brief (17)
Field Guide (5)
Field Tour / Workshop (5)
Story Map (4)
Abstract (3)
Conference / Meeting (3)
Database (2)
Topic
No results found
Case Study (6)
Climate & Fire & Adaptation (12)
Decision Support (5)
Fire & Economics (2)
Fire Behavior (1)
Fire Communication & Education (5)
Fire Ecology & Effects (23)
Fire History (1)
Fire Policy (4)
Fire Regimes (5)
Fire Risk (1)
Firefighter Safety (1)
Fuels & Fuel Treatments (20)
Human Dimensions of Fire (8)
Invasive Species (15)
Landscape Analysis (2)
Monitoring (3)
Post-fire Environment & Management (177)
Rehabilitation (6)
Resistance & Resilience (6)
Restoration (20)
Sage-grouse (8)
Sagebrush (19)
Smoke (2)
Traditional Ecological Knowledge (1)
Weather Effects (2)
Wildland Urban Interface (2)

Stay Connected