Posts by SageSTEP Team
Guide to vegetation treatment costs for land management in the Great Basin region
View fact sheet. High and low costs represent those commonly reported by SageSTEP collaborators and the NRCS in 2010 and 2011. Costs reported here are meant to provide a starting point only and should be verified through additional research. Many of these treatments are eligible for cost share assistance through the NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives…
Read MoreApplication of Ecological Site information to transformative changes on Great Basin sagebrush rangelands
View article. The utility of ecological site descriptions (ESD) in the management of rangelands hinges on their ability to characterize and predict plant community change, the associated ecological consequences, and ecosystem responsiveness to management. We demonstrate how enhancement of ESDs with key ecohydrologic information can aid predictions of ecosystem response and targeting of conservation practices…
Read MoreCollaborating for healthy forests and communities: A guide for building partnerships among diverse interests
View guide. There are many reasons for building an alliance among agencies and citizens in forest and rangeland communities. In the big picture, the purpose is primarily to reach decisions that are objectively better. Essentially, the quality of decisions is improved by a multi-agency effort that includes a role for citizens and an environment in…
Read MoreAssessing impacts of fire and post-fire mitigation on runoff and erosion from rangelands
View fact sheet. • Amplified runoff and erosion responses are most likely where fire increases bare ground to 50 to 60 percent and slopes exceed 15 percent. Extensive bare ground promotes accumulation of runoff and formation of high velocity concentrated flow, capable of entraining and transporting a high sediment load. • Runoff and erosion responses…
Read MoreMeasuring resilience, resistance to aid in range restoration
View article. Two concepts that help scientists understand the vulnerability of the land are: resilience and resistance. Rating a place based on resilience and resistance gives managers information about how it will respond to disturbances such as wildfire and invasive grasses like cheatgrass as well as how effective management efforts are likely to be (such…
Read MorePinyon and juniper slowly invade sagebrush steppe
View article. Areas that were once scrubbed of their scattered wood by periodic low-intensity fires now burn with blistering wildfires that sterilize the soil and wipe out surviving perennial grasses. These changes have reduced forage, diverted soil water, promoted soil loss, and changed wildlife habitat. There are a lot of unknown factors about how to…
Read MoreA review of fire effects on vegetation and soils in the Great Basin region: Response and ecological site characteristics
View technical report. This review synthesizes the state of knowledge on fire effects on vegetation and soils in semi-arid ecosystems in the Great Basin Region, including the central and northern Great Basin and Range, Columbia River Basin, and the Snake River Plain. We summarize available literature related to: (1) the effects of environmental gradients, ecological…
Read MoreAn introduction to the Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project (SageSTEP): Fire science research to inform land management decision
View factsheet. Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project, known as SageSTEP, is an interdisciplinary, five-year research program that is exploring ways to improve the health of sagebrush rangelands across the Great Basin. The project is funded by the federal government’s Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) and is a collaborative effort among five universities, six federal agencies,…
Read MoreSageSTEP: A model collaboration for land managers
View factsheet. Public land managers in the Great Basin aim to maintain and restore healthy ecosystems. Climate change, private development pressures, and invasive plants are just a few of the challenges they face. Without regional collaboration, stewardship of public lands can be expensive and ineffective. SageSTEP (Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project) is a model collaborative…
Read MoreLong-term effects of tree expansion and reduction on soil climate in a semiarid ecosystem
View article. We sought to determine the effects of tree expansion, tree reduction treatments, and expansion phase at time of treatment over 12–13 yr post-treatment. Because the effects of tree reduction on vegetation can vary with the soil temperature/moisture regime, we also analyzed differences in soil climate variables between the mesic/aridic-xeric and frigid/xeric regime classifications…
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