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Review of fuel treatment effects on fuels, fire behavior and ecological resilience in sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystems in the Western U.S. (2024)

View synthesis. Our review revealed tradeoffs in woody fuel treatments between reducing canopy fuels vs. increasing understory herbaceous vegetation (fuels) and fire behavior. In pinyon-juniper expansion areas, all treatments decreased crown fire risk. Prescribed fire and cut and broadcast burn treatments reduced woody fuels long-term but had higher risk of invasion. Mechanical treatments left understory…

Fire behavior, Fuels, Shrubland | Article, Synthesis

Under drought conditions, fungicide seed coating does not increase emergence of two native grass species in sagebrush stands of the Intermountain West (2023)

View article. Coating seeds with amendments to increase germination, emergence, and establishment is a promising strategy for dryland restoration. Seed coatings containing fungicides offer a potential solution in regions where fungal pathogens cause seed mortality during the winter stratification period between late fall seeding and spring germination. The effectiveness of the fungicide treatment, however, may…

Restoration, Shrubland | Article

Goldilocks forbs: Survival is highest outside – but not too far outside – of Wyoming big sagebrush canopies (2023)

View article. In arid and semiarid systems, positive effects of nurse shrubs generally occur immediately underneath and around shrub canopies, creating microsites that can be targeted to promote plant establishment in restoration settings. Alternatively, the best microsites may occur in the interspace zone immediately surrounding nurse shrubs if positive abiotic effects extend beyond nurse shrub…

Restoration, Shrubland | Article

Estimating effective hydraulic conductivity (Ke) for the Rangeland Hydrology and Erosion Model (RHEM) (2023)

View article. Effective hydraulic conductivity (Ke) is an important parameter for the prediction of infiltration and runoff by the Rangeland Hydrology and Erosion Model (RHEM). Three sets of equations to predict Ke have previously been used in RHEM. These equations are mainly based on rainfall simulation data representing undisturbed sites and have not undergone comprehensive…

Soils | Article

Fuel treatments in shrublands experiencing pinyon and juniper expansion result in trade-offs between desired vegetation and increased fire behavior (2023)

View article. Increased herbaceous surface fuel following prescribed fire treatments increased the modeled rate of surface fire spread (ROS) 21-fold and nearly tripled fame length (FL) by year ten post-treatment across all expansion phases. In mechanical treatments, modeled ROS increased 15-fold, FL increased 3.8-fold, and reaction intensity roughly doubled in year ten post-treatment compared to…

Fire behavior, Shrubland, Woodland | Article

New erodibility parameterization for applying WEPP on rangelands using ERMiT (2022)

View article. The USDA Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) is a process-based soil erosion prediction model. WEPP uses three soil erodibility parameters: rill erodibility (Kr), interrill erodibility (Ki), and critical hydraulic shear stress (τc). In this study, a new parameterization approach for estimating erodibility was developed for WEPP applications on rangelands. Data from overland flow…

Erosion | Article

Assessing runoff and erosion on woodland‐encroached sagebrush steppe using the Rangeland Hydrology and Erosion Model (2022)

View article. The transition of sagebrush-dominated shrublands to pinyon and juniper woodlands markedly alters resource-conserving vegetation structure typical of these landscapes. Land managers and scientists in the western United States need knowledge and predictive tools for assessment and effective targeting of tree-removal treatments to conserve or restore sagebrush vegetation and associated hydrologic function. This study…

Erosion, Woodland | Article

Pinyon and juniper tree removal increases available soil water, driving understory response in a sage-steppe ecosystem (2022)

View article. Over the past century, pinyon and juniper trees have encroached into sagebrush steppe lands of the interior United States, and managers have for many years removed trees to stimulate the favored understory. While consistent understory response to tree removal in these semiarid lands suggests that trees outcompete other plants for water, no studies…

Fuels treatment, Soils | Article

Epigaeic spider response to sagebrush steppe restoration treatments (2022)

View article.  Epigaeic (ground-active) spiders are dominant predators of arthropods and are important prey for vertebrates in sagebrush steppe systems. As part of the Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project (SageSTEP), the response of epigaeic spiders to sagebrush steppe restoration treatments was evaluated. Spiders were pitfall trapped pre-treatment and for up to 7 years post-treatment at 20…

Fuels treatment, Herbicide treatment, Wildlife | Article

Fuel reduction treatments reduce modeled fire intensity in the sagebrush steppe (2022)

View article. Increased fire size and frequency coupled with annual grass invasion pose major challenges to sagebrush ecosystem conservation, which is currently focused on protecting sagebrush community composition and structure. A common strategy for mitigating potential fire is to use fuel treatments that alter the structure and amount of burnable material, thus reducing fire behavior…

Fire behavior, Fuels treatment, Herbicide treatment, Shrubland | Article