Posts Tagged ‘Fire behavior’
Fuel reduction treatments reduce modeled fire intensity in the sagebrush steppe
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…
Read MoreFuel treatments in shrublands experiencing pinyon and juniper expansion result in trade-offs between desired vegetation and increased fire behavior
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…
Read MoreReview of fuel treatment effects on fuels, fire behavior and ecological resilience in sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystems in the Western U.S.
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…
Read MoreGuide for quantifying post-treatment fuels in the sagebrush steppe and juniper woodlands of the Great Basin
View guide. This Guide for Quantifying Post-treatment Fuels in the Sagebrush Steppe and Juniper Woodlands of the Great Basin assimilates the SageSTEP post-treatment vegetation and fuels data into an assessment tool that will help users better estimate post-treatment percent cover, stem density and fuel loadings. Designed similarly to the Natural Fuels Photo Series, produced by…
Read MoreFuels guide for sagebrush and pinyon-juniper treatments: 10 years post-treatment
View field guide. Using data collected as part of the Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project (SageSTEP), this guide summarizes fuel loads, vegetation cover by functional group, and shrub and tree stem density 10 years after sagebrush and pinyon-juniper reduction treatments. The data was collected at 16 study sites in Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, and Utah,…
Read MoreWhat has SageSTEP learned about sagebrush ecosystems after 10+ yrs of post-treatment monitoring?
View recorded presentations. The SRM Symposium (February 2021) shared some of what’s been learned after at least 10 years post-treatment. Researchers present findings from conifer-encroached and cheatgrass-invaded sites, focusing on: effects of treatments on herbaceous plants, ground surface properties, and hydrologic and erosion processes in woodlands; and on fire behavior and Wyoming big sagebrush in…
Read MoreDo fuel treatments modify fire behavior in the sagebrush steppe?
Invasive species, land cover change, altered fire regimes, and a changing climate interact to imperil sagebrush steppe ecosystems that are critically important for local economies, as well as for species of conservation concern (e.g. greater sage-grouse). One of the major challenges in sagebrush steppe conservation is altered fire regimes and the resultant uncharacteristic fire behavior…
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