Soils

A 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…

Long-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…

Soils mediate the impact of fine woody debris on invasive and native grasses as whole trees are mechanically shredded into firebreaks in pinon-juniper woodlands

View article. To stem wildfires, trees are being mechanically shredded into firebreaks with the resulting fine woody debris (FWD) potentially exerting immense control over soil and plants. We linked FWD-induced changes in microbial activity and nutrient availability to the frequency of Bromus tectorum and three native, perennial grasses across 31 piñon-juniper woodlands, UT, USA. Using…

Frost dynamics of sagebrush steppe soils

View article. Recent research has indicated that seeds may germinate too soon after fall sowing and seedlings suffer high mortality from frost during the winter. To help determine the length of germination delay needed to avoid seedling frost mortality and to help guide frost‐tolerance experiments, we analyzed fall to spring soil temperatures from 2010 to…

Conditions favoring Bromus tectorum dominance of endangered sagebrush steppe ecosystems

View article. Grazing exacerbates Bromus tectorum dominance in one of North America’s most endangered ecosystems by adversely impacting key mechanisms mediating resistance to invasion. If the goal is to conserve and restore resistance of these systems, managers should consider maintaining or restoring: (i) high bunchgrass cover and structure characterized by spatially dispersed bunchgrasses and small…

Influence of prescribed fire on ecosystem biomass, carbon, and nitrogen in a pinyon juniper woodland

View article. Increases in pinyon and juniper woodland cover associated with land-use history are suggested to provide offsets for carbon emissions in arid regions. However, the largest pools of carbon in arid landscapes are typically found in soils, and aboveground biomass cannot be considered long-term storage in fire-prone ecosystems. Also, the objectives of carbon storage…

Hydrologic response to mechanical shredding in a juniper woodland

View article. We investigated soil compaction and hydrologic responses from mechanically shredding Utah juniper to control fuels in a sagebrush/bunchgrass plant community on a gravelly loam soil with a 15% slope in the Onaqui Mountains of Utah. Rain simulations were applied on 0.5-m2 runoff plots at 64 mm · h−1 (dry run: soil initially dry) and 102…

Hydrologic vulnerability of sagebrush steppe following pinyon and juniper encroachment

View article. Woodland encroachment on United States rangelands has altered the structure and function of shrub steppe ecosystems. The potential community structure is one where trees dominate, shrub and herbaceous species decline, and rock cover and bare soil area increase and become more interconnected. Research from the Desert Southwest United States has demonstrated areas under…

Vegetation, ground cover, soil, rainfall simulation, and overland-flow experiments before and after tree removal in woodland-encroached sagebrush steppe: The hydrology component of the Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project (SageSTEP)

View article. Rainfall simulation and overland-flow experiments enhance understanding of surface hydrology and erosion processes, quantify runoff and erosion rates, and provide valuable data for developing and testing predictive models. We present a unique dataset (1021 experimental plots) of rainfall simulation (1300 plot runs) and overland-flow (838 plot runs) experimental plot data paired with measures…

Not all fuel-reduction treatments degrade biocrusts: Herbicides cause mostly neutral to positive effects on cover of biocrusts

View article. In response to increasing fire, fuel-reduction treatments are being used to minimize large fire risk. Although biocrusts are associated with reduced cover of fire-promoting, invasive grasses, the impact of fuel-reduction treatments on biocrusts is poorly understood. We use data from a long-term experiment, the Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project, testing the following fuel-reduction…

Posts Tagged ‘Soils’