What is the Resilient Landscapes Resource List?

In planning and implementing conservation across the sagebrush sea, our partners often find themselves lost in a sea of science and resources. To help our partners access the latest science and tools related to sagebrush, wet meadow, and wetland conservation in the Western U.S., we created a one-stop-shop for these key resources. Use this curated (not exhaustive) list to search and sort resources by region, topic, and resource type to find the resources you need.

Find Science Papers and Resources!

Title Author Year Topic Region State Resource Summary Link
Protecting Carbon Stored In Sagebrush Rangelands Intermountain West Joint Venture 2021 Carbon Rangewide Multiple Factsheet Rangelands globally store a large amount of carbon in their soils, contributing to important climate regulation. In this factsheet, we break down threats to stored carbon in sagebrush rangelands and conservation actions that protect this carbon.
Storing Carbon in Sagebrush Rangelands Intermountain West Joint Venture 2021 Carbon Rangewide Multiple Synthesis or Guide The authors synthesized current science on rangeland carbon sequestration to summarize current knowledge, identify opportunities related to the Intermountain West Joint Venture’s programs, and assess the potential for management practices to affect carbon storage.
What can ecological science tell us about opportunities for carbon sequestration on arid rangelands in the United States? Booker et al. 2013 Carbon Rangewide Multiple Research Paper Highlights: Many proposed carbon policies are inconsistent with the ecology of arid rangelands. On arid sites non-equilibrium dynamics mean high uncertainty. Flux to and from soils and plants is low and variable spatially and temporally. Management cannot consistently or predictably sequester additional carbon. Conserving rangelands and soil stocks is a more realistic carbon sequestration approach.
Review of climate change impacts on future carbon stores and management of warm deserts of the United States. Thomey et al. 2014 Carbon Southwest Multiple Research Paper The authors present a brief overview of the wide variety of topics to consider related to the key components of carbon flux, including leaf-level photosynthesis, soil respiration, and plant community productivity across the warm deserts of North America and discuss links with management.
Profitability of Carbon Sequestration in Western Rangelands of the United States Ritten et al. 2012 Carbon Rangewide Multiple Research Paper This paper examines the potential firm-level revenues from voluntary carbon offset programs, such as the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) Rangeland Soil Carbon Offset program.
Carbon sequestration and rangelands: A synthesis of land management and precipitation effects Derner et al. 2007 Carbon Rangewide Multiple Research Paper The authors provide a review of current knowledge on the effects of land management practices (grazing, nitrogen inputs, and restoration) and precipitation on carbon sequestration in rangelands.
Baseline and Projected Future Carbon Storage and Greenhouse-Gas Fluxes in Ecosystems of the Western United States. Zhu et al. 2012 Carbon Rangewide Multiple Research Paper This USGS assessment examined carbon storage, carbon fluxes, and other GHG fluxes in all major terrestrial ecosystems and aquatic ecosystems in two time periods: baseline (Multiple Topicsly in the first half of the 2010s) and future (projections from baseline to 2050).
Accounting for aboveground carbon storage in shrubland and woodland ecosystems in the Great Basin Fusco et al. 2019 Carbon Great Basin Multiple Research Paper This paper uses a combination of field estimates, remotely sensed data, and existing land cover maps to create a spatially explicit estimate of aboveground carbon storage within the Great Basin.
Climate Change VulnerabilIty and Adaptation in the Intermountain Region USGS 2018 Climate Change Rangewide Multiple Report This report summarizes a state-of-science climate change vulnerability assessment and develop adaptation options for Federal lands.
Integrating Climate Change Considerations into Natural Resource Planning—An Implementation Guide USGS 2020 Climate Change Rangewide Multiple Synthesis or Guide The Climate Adaptation Integration Tool (CAIT) is a novel decision making framework to help resource managers use climate science and local knowledge to identify adaptation strategies appropriate for their specific situations.
Climate Change Impacts on Northwestern and Intermountain United States Rangelands Chambers et al. 2008 Climate Change Rangewide Multiple Research Paper This article summarizes climate change impacts on rangelands in the Northwest and Intermountain West United States.
The Green Glacier: What Is Conifer Encroachment and Why Is It Bad? Sage Grouse Initiative 2021 Conifer Expansion & Removal Rangewide Multiple Factsheet In this SGI Ask an Expert, learn from NRCS sagebrush ecosystem specialist Jeremy Maestas about conifer encroachment. This is a great resource to share with the public or interersted patners to provide science-based information on this topic.
Science You Can Use: Balancing Bird Habitat and Conifer Removal in the Great Basin Rocky Mountain Research Station 2022 Conifer Expansion & Removal Great Basin Multiple Factsheet This Science You Can Use in 5 MInutes covers research led by Dr. Katherine Zeller on balancing conifer removal treatments for sage-grouse with habitat needs for other bird species. This research provides maps that managers can use to inform work on-the-ground.
Science To Solutions: Wildfire and Cheatgrass: New Science Helps Reduce Threats To Sage Grouse Sage Grouse Initiative 2014 Conifer Expansion & Removal Rangewide Multiple Factsheet This Science to Solutions factsheet reviews a new strategy helps land managers reduce impacts from two of the most daunting challenges facing sage grouse: the threat of large-scale wildfires and invasion of exotic annual grasses like cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.) that can transform large expanses of sagebrush habitat into nonnative grasslands.
Science To Solutions: Sagebrush Songbirds Under the Sage Grouse Umbrella Sage Grouse Initiative 2016 Conifer Expansion & Removal Rangewide Multiple Factsheet This Science to Solutions factsheet reviews research examined whether benefits from sage grouse conservation extend to three species of sagebrush songbirds: Brewer’s sparrow, sagebrush sparrow and sage thrasher.
Science To Solutions: Sagebrush Rangelands Help Maintain Water AvailabilIty Sage Grouse Initiative 2017 Conifer Expansion & Removal Rangewide Multiple Factsheet This Science to Solutions factsheet reviews research demonstrating that removing encroaching conifer stands from sagebrush ecosystems can increase late season water retention in western rangelands by holding snow longer in the spring.
Science To Solutions: Conifer Removal Restores Sage Grouse HabItat Sage Grouse Initiative Conifer Expansion & Removal Rangewide Multiple Factsheet This Science to Solutions factsheet reviews key science on how targeted removal of encroaching conifers improves sage-grouse habitat.
Science To Solutions: Conifer Removal Boosts Sage Grouse Success Sage Grouse Initiative 2017 Conifer Expansion & Removal Great Basin Oregon Factsheet In this Science to Solutions factsheet, learn how targeted removal of encroachng conifers helps sage-grouse.
Restoration of Sagebrush HabItats Through Conifer Removal Sage Grouse Initiative 2020 Conifer Expansion & Removal Rangewide Multiple Factsheet This factsheet uses the latest science to address Frequently Asked Questions about conifer removal.
Conifer Removal in the Sagebrush Steppe Joint Fire Science Program 2015 Conifer Expansion & Removal Rangewide Multiple Factsheet This factsheet focuses on the benefits of conifer removal in the Great Basin region.
Conifer Removal BenefIts Sage-grouse, Other Sagebrush Birds, and Rangeland ProductivIty NRCS 2019 Conifer Expansion & Removal Rangewide Multiple Factsheet This factsheet discusses the benefits of conifer removal for sage grouse, other birds, and rangeland productivity
Science Framework For Conservation and Restoration of the Sagebrush Biome: Part 2. Management Applications USDA & DOI 2019 Conifer Expansion & Removal Rangewide Multiple Framework or Strategy The Science Framework Part 2 is intended to facilitate implementation of resource management priorities and use of management strategies that increase ecosystem resilience to disturbance and resistance to nonnative invasive annual grasses. The target audience of Part 2 is field managers, resource specialists, and regional and national-level managers.
Horizon to Horizon: Improving Habitat at a Landscape Scale Story Map Intermountain West Joint Venture, WAFWA 2021 Conifer Expansion & Removal Great Basin Idaho Other Strong evidence provides guidance for why and how to adapt western North American forests to climate change and future wildfires. A team of leading fire and forest scientists have summarized the consensus in the field on 10 common questions about fuel reduction in seasonally dry, fire-prone forests.
Pinyon Juniper Enroachment Education Project University of Nevada Reno, Partnering to Conserve Sagebrush Rangelands, Working Lands for Wildlife 2022 Conifer Expansion & Removal Rangewide Multiple Synthesis or Guide This website provides a science-based resource to help people better understand the science and management around woodland encroachment into sagebrush ecosystems.
Pinon and juniper field guide: Asking the right questions to select appropriate management actions Tausch et al. 2009 Conifer Expansion & Removal Great Basin Multiple Synthesis or Guide This guide provides a set of tools to help field biologists; land managers, including fuels specialists and fire managers; representatives of NGO’s; and private landowners conduct rapid, qualitative field assessments of Great Basin pinyon-juniper woodlands that address a site’s potential, current state, and relation to the surrounding landscape.
A field guide for selecting the most appropriate treatment in sagebrush and pinon-juniper ecosystems in the Great Basin: Evaluating resilience to disturbance and resistance to invasive annual grasses, and predicting vegetation response Miller et al. 2014 Conifer Expansion & Removal Great Basin Multiple Synthesis or 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. It can be used as a field guide to help select appropriate treatments in sagebrush and pinyon-juniper ecosystems.
Woody plant encroachment into grasslands leads to accelerated erosion of previously stable organic carbon from dryland soils Puttock et al. 2014 Conifer Expansion & Removal Southwest New Mexico Research Paper This study addrresses the impacts of conifer encrroachment in two grass-to-woody ecotones in southwestern United States on carbon stored in soils.
Woodland expansion’s influence on belowground carbon and nitrogen in the Great Basin U.S. Rau et al. 2011 Conifer Expansion & Removal Great Basin Multiple Research Paper The authors quantified the relationship between tree cover, belowground soil organic carbon (SOC), and total below ground nitrogen in expansion woodlands at 13 sites in Utah, Oregon, Idaho, California, and Nevada, USA.
What determines the effectiveness of Pinyon-Juniper clearing treatments? Evidence from the remote sensing archive and counter-factual scenarios Fick et al. 2022 Conifer Expansion & Removal Rangewide Multiple Research Paper The authors evaluated the outcomes of 302 PJ reduction treatments on tree, shrub, perennial herbaceous, and annual herbaceous cover for 10 or more years, identifying soil and geomorphic conditions that impacted treatment outcomes.
Understory Cover Responses to Piñon-Juniper Treatments Across Tree Dominance Gradients in the Great Basin. Roundy et al. 2014 Conifer Expansion & Removal Great Basin Multiple Research Paper The authors applied prescribed fire and tree felling to 8-20-ha treatment plots at 11 sites across the Great Basin to assess the impacts of conifer removal treatments on understory vegetation cover.
Targeting conifer removal to create an even playing field for birds in the Great Basin Zeller et al. 2021 Conifer Expansion & Removal Great Basin Multiple Research Paper To investigate impacts of conifer removal treatments on sagebrush- and woodland-obligate bird species, this study used community science data to develop species distribution models for two sagebrush and three pinyon-juniper associated bird species of conservation concern in the Great Basin and simulated habitat gains and losses that would result from total conifer removal in this region.
Special issue: Targeted woodland removal to recover at-risk grouse and their sagebrush-steppe and prairie ecosystems. Miller et al. 2017 Conifer Expansion & Removal Rangewide Multiple Research Paper The authors summarize key findings from a special issue of the journal Rangeland Ecology & Management examining socioecological aspects of woodland expansion and management actions to address this threat in sagebrush and prairie ecosystems.
Soil carbon storage responses to expanding pinyon-juniper populations in southern Utah Neff et al. 2009 Conifer Expansion & Removal Great Basin Utah Research Paper This study directly measured C and N stocks and use simple non-steady-state models to quantify the dynamics of soil C accumulation as a result of conifer encroachment in Utah.
Shrub-steppe early succession following juniper cutting and prescribed fire Bates et al. 2011 Conifer Expansion & Removal Great Basin Idaho Research Paper This study evaluated partial cutting of encroached woodlands (cutting 25-50% of the trees) to increase surface fuels, followed by prescribed fire treatments in late successional J. occidentalis woodlands of southwest Idaho to assess understory recovery.
Short-term response of sage-grouse nesting to conifer removal in the northern Great Basin. Severson et al. 2017 Conifer Expansion & Removal Great Basin Oregon Research Paper Using a before-after-control-impact design, the authors evaluated short-term effects of conifer removal on nesting habitat use by monitoring 262 sage-grouse nests in the northern Great Basin.
Short-Term Effects of Tree Removal on Infiltration, Runoff, and Erosion in Woodland-Encroached Sagebrush Steppe Pierson et al. 2014 Conifer Expansion & Removal Great Basin Multiple Research Paper This study used small-plot scale (0.5 m2) rainfall simulations and measures of vegetation, ground cover, and soils to investigate woodland response to tree removal (prescribed fire and mastication) at two late-succession woodlands.
Saving sage-grouse from the trees: A proactive solution to reducing a key threat to a candidate species. Baruch-Mordo et al. 2013 Conifer Expansion & Removal Great Basin Oregon Research Paper The authors mapped conifer stand characteristics using spatial wavelet analysis, and modeled lek activity as a function of conifer-related and additional lek site covariates using random forests. to identify sage-grouse impacts of conifer encroachment.
Sage grouse groceries: Forb response to piñon-juniper treatments. Bates et al. 2017 Conifer Expansion & Removal Great Basin Multiple Research Paper The authors synthesized data across the Great Basin characterizing cover response of perennial and annual forbs that are consumed by sage grouse to mechanical, prescribed fire, and low-disturbance fuel reduction treatments.
Runoff and Erosion After Cutting Western Juniper Pierson et al. 2007 Conifer Expansion & Removal Great Basin Oregon Research Paper The authors used rainfall and rill simulation techniques to evaluate infiltration, runoff, and erosion on cut and uncut field treatments 10 years after juniper removal in Oregon.
Restoring big sagebrush after controlling encroaching western juniper with fire: aspect and subspecies effects Davies et al. 2017 Conifer Expansion & Removal Great Basin Oregon Research Paper This study evaluated the efficacy of seeding mountain and Wyoming big sagebrush (A. tridentata Nutt. ssp. wyomingensis Beetle & Young) on north and south aspects after western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis ssp. occidentalis Hook) removal with prescribed burning.
Response of Conifer-Encroached Shrublands in the Great Basin to Prescribed Fire and Mechanical Treatments. Miller et al. 2014 Conifer Expansion & Removal Great Basin Multiple Research Paper To evaluate the Multiple Topics response of understory vegetation to tree canopy removal via fire and mechanical removal in conifer-encroached shrublands, the authors set up a region-wide study that measured treatment-induced changes in understory cover and density at eleven study sites located across four states in the Great Basin.
Regional Context for Balancing Sagebrush- and Woodland-Dependent Songbird Needs with Targeted Pinyon-Juniper Management Tack et al. 2023 Conifer Expansion & Removal Rangewide Multiple Research Paper Given concern for unintended impacts of conifer removal on pinyon-juniper woodland obligate species, the authors used Breeding Bird Survey data to model indices to abundance in relation to multiscale habitat features including landcover, fire, topography, and climate variables for nine songbird species reliant on sagebrush and pinyon-juniper woodlands for breeding. Predictive maps allowed them to also examine the overlap of conifer management conducted by the Sage Grouse Initiative (SGI), which targets management of early successional conifers among priority sage-grouse habitats, with predicted indices to abundance of songbirds.
Quantifying Pinyon-Juniper Reduction within North America’s Sagebrush Ecosystem. Reinhardt et al. 2020 Conifer Expansion & Removal Rangewide Multiple Research Paper This study mapped reductions in pinyon-juniper cover across the sage-grouse range as a result of management efforts and developed a method for rapidly updating maps of canopy cover.
Pinyon and juniper encroachment into sagebrush ecosystems impacts distribution and survival of greater sage-grouse. Coates et al. 2017 Conifer Expansion & Removal Great Basin Multiple Research Paper The authors employed a novel two-stage Bayesian model to link sage-grouse avoidance across different levels of pinyon-juniper cover to sage-grouse survival across six years and seven subpopulations within the Bi-State Distinct Population Segment on the border of Nevada and California.
Piñon-Juniper Reduction Increases Soil Water Availability of the Resource Growth Pool Roundy et al. 2014 Conifer Expansion & Removal Great Basin Multiple Research Paper The authors measured soil water matric potentials and temperatures on tree, shrub, and interspace microsites to characterize the seasonal soil climate of 13 tree-encroached sites across the Great Basin, addressing the impacts of conifer encroachment on soil water availability.
Optimizing Targeting of Pinyon-Juniper Management for Sagebrush Birds of Conservation Concern While Avoiding Imperiled Pinyon Jay Reinhardt et al. 2023 Conifer Expansion & Removal Rangewide Multiple Research Paper One challenge of conservation is balancing potentially competing habitat requirements of different species. The authors used a systematic conservation planning approach to compute spatial optimizations that prioritize areas for conifer removal across the sage-grouse range while incorporating woodland and sagebrush songbirds into decision making.
Long-Term Successional Trends Following Western Juniper Cutting Williams et al. 2005 Conifer Expansion & Removal Great Basin Oregon Research Paper This study assessed vegetatiion successional dynamics spanning 13 years following conifer removal treatments.
Long-Term Effectiveness of Tree Removal to Re-Establish Sagebrush Steppe Vegetation and Associated Spatial Patterns in Surface Conditions and Soil Hydrologic Properties Williams et al. 2020 Conifer Expansion & Removal Rangewide Multiple Research Paper This study evaluated the long-term (13 years post-treatment) effectiveness of prescribed fire and mechanical tree removal to re-establish sagebrush steppe vegetation and associated spatial patterns in ground surface conditions and soil hydrologic properties of two woodland-encroached sites.
Extending Conifer Removal and Landscape Protection Strategies from Sage-grouse to Songbirds, a Range-Wide Assessment Donnelly et al. 2017 Conifer Expansion & Removal Rangewide Multiple Research Paper The authors quantified co-occurrence of songbird abundance with sage-grouse lek distributions using point pattern analyses and evaluated the concurrence of songbird abundance within sage-grouse habitat restoration and landscape protection to assess if conservation efforts targeted at sage-grouse positively affected other sagebrush-obligate songbirds.
Ecological Scale of Bird Community Response to Pinon-Juniper Removal Knick et al. 2017 Conifer Expansion & Removal Great Basin Multiple Research Paper The authors surveyed bird communities before and after prescribed fire or mechanical conifer removal treatments to assess treatment effectiveness in establishing sagebrush bird communities at study sites in Utah, Nevada, Idaho, and Oregon.
Ecological Effects of Pinyon-Juniper Removal in the Western United States—A Synthesis of Scientific Research, January 2014–March 2021 Shinneman et al. 2023 Conifer Expansion & Removal Rangewide Multiple Research Paper In 2020, the BLM established the Pinyon-Juniper Management Categorical Exclusion (PJCX). To address areas of uncertainty relative to potential ecological effects of the PJCX, the authors conducted a review of the peer-reviewed science literature to better understand the likely responses of vegetation, environmental (for example, soils), and wildlife variables to specific tree removal techniques permitted by the PJCX.
Consequences of pinyon and juniper woodland reduction for wildlife in North America. Bombaci et al. 2016 Conifer Expansion & Removal Rangewide Multiple Research Paper The authors review and synthesize evidence from the scientific literature on wildlife responses to pinyon and juniper woodland reduction.
Comparing Burned and Mowed Treatments in Mountain Big Sagebrush Steppe Davies et al. 2012 Conifer Expansion & Removal Great Basin Oregon Research Paper This study evaluated the effects of prescribed burning and mowing to mimic natural fire cycles on vegetation cover, density, and prodcution for 3 years after treatment in mountain big sagebrush plant communities.
Bird Responses to Removal of Western Juniper in Sagebrush-Steppe Holmes et al. 2017 Conifer Expansion & Removal Great Basin Oregon Research Paper This study investigated bird abundance in response to western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) removal to generated estimates of density and responses to management for the most abundant species.
Better living through conifer removal: A demographic analysis of sage-grouse vital rates Severson et al. 2017 Conifer Expansion & Removal Great Basin Oregon Research Paper Using a before-after-control-impact design at the landscape scale, the authors evaluated effects of conifer removal on two important demographic parameters, annual survival of females and nest survival, by monitoring 219 female sage-grouse and 225 nests in the northern Great Basin from 2010 to 2014.
A multi-ecosystem prioritization framework to balance competing habitat conservation needs of multiple species in decline Van Lanen et al. 2023 Conifer Expansion & Removal Rangewide Multiple Research Paper The authors examined extents to which conifer removal, an approach frequently implemented to restore sagebrush ecosystems, can be conducted without detrimental effects to conifer-associated species, including the imperiled Pinyon Jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus).
A hidden cost of single species management: Habitat-relationships reveal potential negative effects of conifer removal on a non-target species Van Lanen et al. 2023 Conifer Expansion & Removal Rangewide Multiple Research Paper Given steep declines of the Pinyon Jay, the authors developed a Bayesian hierarchical model of jay abundance, using 13 years of point count data (2008–2020) collected across the western United States, to estimate regional population trends, model habitat requirements, assess conifer removal effects on jays, and generate hypotheses regarding jay population declines.
Wildland Fire Trends Tool USGS 2023 Fire & Fuels Rangewide Multiple Data Source or Tool The Wildland Fire Trends Tool (WFTT) is a data visualization and analysis tool that calculates and displays wildfire trends and patterns for the western U.S. based on user-defined regions of interest, time periods, and ecosystem types.
Fire Effects Information System USFS Fire & Fuels Rangewide Multiple Data Source or Tool This database allows users to find fire effects and fire regime information by species common or scientific name.
Burn Severity Portal USFS & USGS 2021 Fire & Fuels Rangewide Multiple Data Source or Tool This interagency burn severity portal provides comprehensive access to federal burn severity data. Information about the various burn severity mapping programs and access to current and historical data products are provided.
BLM Wildfire Risk Assessment Story Map BLM Fire & Fuels Rangewide Multiple Data Source or Tool This ESRI Story Map provides a summary of the methodology, data layer inputs, and data processing techniques used in the BLM Wildfire Risk Assessment. It is intended to be used as a communication tool internally within the BLM and externally with the public.
Science You Can Use: Getting More Fire on the Ground: Landscape-Scale Prescribed Burning Supported by Science Rocky Mountain Research Station 2022 Fire & Fuels Rangewide Multiple Factsheet Prescribed fire can restore fire’s ecological role, and it increases the likelihood that fuels treatments will slow large wildfires and reduce their severity. This Science You Can Use Bulletin explores how the addition of fire in western landscapes can be successfully complemented with other tools and treatments to promote forests that are more resilient to future disturbance.
Science You Can Use: Can Fuel Treatments Change How a Wildfire Burns Across a Landscape? Rocky Mountain Research Station 2023 Fire & Fuels Rangewide Multiple Factsheet This Science You Can Use Bulletic covers research led by Rocky Mountain Research Station forester Theresa Jain with in collaboration with others to synthesize existing scientific literature on landscape-scale fuel treatment effectiveness in North American ecosystems through a systematic literature review.
Rangeland Wildfires and Invasives Endanger Future of Western CommunIties and Economies Intermountain West Joint Venture, WAFWA 2020 Fire & Fuels Rangewide Multiple Factsheet Fire and invasive annual grasses drive the rapid loss of sagebrush ecosystems year after year. In this factsheet, learn about what needs to be done now to stop this harmful cycle.
Muddy Waters: Reducing post-fire erosion in an intensifying fire environment Rocky Mountain Research Station 2022 Fire & Fuels Rangewide Multiple Factsheet This Science You Can Use (In 5 Minutes) factsheet explores new science and tools that help managers to reduce post-fire erosion, testing practices like use of wood mulch and straw bale check dams to trap sediments.
Basic Fire Facts StoryMap Great Basin Fire Science Exchange 2021 Fire & Fuels Rangewide Multiple Factsheet This Fire Facts StoryMap was created to provide basic wildfire information, background, terminology, and resources to increase your knowledge and understanding of wildland fire and the ways we can all contribute to better fire outcomes.
Adapting western North American forests to climate change and wildfires: Ten common questions. Northern Arizona University Ecological Restoration Institute 2022 Fire & Fuels Rangewide Multiple Factsheet There is strong scientific evidence for why and how to adapt western forests to climate change and future wildfires. In this factsheet, the authors addressed 10 common questions about adaptive forest and wildfire management.
The Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy Actionable Science Plan DOI 2016 Fire & Fuels Rangewide Multiple Framework or Strategy The Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy outlined the need for coordinated, science-based adaptive management to achieve long-term protection, conservation, and restoration of the sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystem. A key component of this management approach is the identification of knowledge gaps that limit implementation of effective strategies to meet current management challenges. The tasks and actions identified in the Strategy address several broad topics related to management of the sagebrush ecosystem. This science plan is organized around these topics and specifically focuses on fire, invasive plant species and their effects on altering fire regimes, restoration, sagebrush and greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), and climate and weather.
National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy DOI & USDA 2014 Fire & Fuels Rangewide Multiple Framework or Strategy The National Strategy describes how the Nation can focus future efforts in making strategic investments to reduce the severe effects of wildfire on areas of high risk. The National Strategy is the result of a collaborative effort by Federal, state, local, and tribal governments and nongovernmental partners and public stakeholders, in conjunction with scientific data analysis
Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity Viewer USGS & USFS 2022 Fire & Fuels Rangewide Multiple Framework or Strategy Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (MTBS) is a joint USGS and USDA Forest Service program that consistently maps the burn severity and extent of large fires across all lands of the US from 1984 to present. This Viewer allows users to view this data.
An Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy USDA & DOI 2015 Fire & Fuels Rangewide Multiple Framework or Strategy An Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy is intended to improve the efficiency and efficacy of actions to address rangeland fire, to better prevent and suppress rangeland fire, and improve efforts to restore fire-impacted landscapes, including targeted investments to enhance efforts to manage rangeland fire in specific portions of the Great Basin region.
Adapting Western US Forests to Climate Change & Wildfires: Ten Common Questions Sustainable Northwest 2022 Fire & Fuels Rangewide Multiple Other However, strong evidence provides guidance for why and how to adapt western North American forests to climate change and future wildfires. A team of leading fire and forest scientists have summarized the consensus in the field on 10 common questions about fuel reduction in seasonally dry, fire-prone forests.
Working Paper 45: Evidence for Widespread Changes in the Structure, Composition, and Fire Regimes of Western North American Forest Landscapes Northern Arizona University Ecological Restoration Institute 2022 Fire & Fuels Rangewide Multiple Report In this working paper from the NAU Ecological Restoration Institute, the authors review the impacts of more than a century of unprecedented, human-caused fire exclusion on the structure and composition of fire-dependent forest landscapes.
A Review of Fire Effects On Vegetation and Soils in the Great Basin Region: Response and Ecological Site Characteristics USGS 2013 Fire & Fuels Great Basin Multiple Report This review synthesizes the state of knowledge on fire effects on vegetation and soils in semi-arid ecosystems in the Great Basin Region.
A Conservation Paradox in the Great Basin—Altering Sagebrush Landscapes With Fuel Breaks To Reduce Habitat Loss From Wildfire USGS 2018 Fire & Fuels Great Basin Multiple Report This report is intended to provide an initial assessment of both the potential effectiveness of fuel breaks and their ecological costs and benefits.
Mountain Big Sagebrush: Fire Regimes Northern Rockies Fire Science Network 2019 Fire & Fuels Northern Rockies Multiple Synthesis or Guide This report synthesis of information on historical patterns and contemporary changes in fuels and fire regimes in mountain big sagebrush communities (Innes and Zouhar 2018) is available in the Fire Effects Information System (FEIS).
Guide For Quantifying Fuels in the Sagebrush Steppe and Juniper Woodlands of the Great Basin USGS 2009 Fire & Fuels Great Basin Multiple Synthesis or Guide This guide provides the necessary landscape-level inputs required by fire behavior and fire effects models along with building custom fuelbeds. Through the use of photographs and tables with the range of values for each vegetation type, a user should be able to quickly appraise their site by fuel stratum.
A Field Guide for Rapid Assessment of Post-Wildfire Recovery Potential in Sagebrush and Pinyon-Juniper Ecosystems in the Great Basin Rocky Mountain Research Station 2015 Fire & Fuels Great Basin Multiple Research Synthesis or Guide This field guide provides a framework for rapidly evaluating post-fire resilience to disturbance, or recovery potential, and resistance to invasive annual grasses, and for determining the need and suitability of the burned area for seeding.
Weather affects post-fire recovery of sagebrush-steppe communities and model transferability among sites Applestein et al. 2021 Fire & Fuels Great Basin Idaho Research Paper To address impacts of wildlife on vegetation, the authors asked how plant functional group abundance responded to time since fire and antecedent weather, if long-term vegetation trajectories were better explained by initial post-fire weather conditions or by Multiple Topics five-year antecedent weather, and if weather effects helped predict post-fire vegetation abundances at a new site.
Using Virtual Fencing to Create Fuel Breaks in the Sagebrush Steppe Boyd et al. 2023 Fire & Fuels Great Basin Oregon Research Paper The authors investigated using virtual vencing thechnology for concentrating grazing to create fuel breaks.
Trends, Impacts, and Cost of Catastrophic and Frequent Wildfires in the Sagebrush Biome Crist et al. 2023 Fire & Fuels Rangewide Multiple Research Paper Here, the authors provide a synthesis on sagebrush wildfire trends and the impacts of uncharacteristic fire regimes on sagebrush plant communities, dependent wildlife species, fire-suppression costs, and ecosystem services. They also provide an overview of wildland fire coordination efforts among federal, state, and tribal entities.
Ten-year ecological responses to fuel treatments within semiarid Wyoming big sagebrush ecosystems Pyke et al. 2022 Fire & Fuels Northern Rockies Wyoming Research Paper After fuel reduction treatments (prescribed fire, mowing, and herbicide applications [tebuthiuron and imazapic]) in six Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis communities, the authors evaluated long-term effects of these fuel treatments on: (1) magnitude and longevity of fuel reduction; (2) Greater Sage-grouse habitat characteristics; and (3) ecological resilience and resistance to invasive annual grasses
Synthesis Paper: Assessment of Research on Rangeland Fire as a Management Practice Limb et al. 2016 Fire & Fuels Rangewide Multiple Research Paper The authors reviewed and summarized current literature on prescribed fire as a global management practice.
Sagebrush recovery patterns after fuel treatments mediated by disturbance type and plant functional group interactions Chambers et al. 2021 Fire & Fuels Rangewide Multiple Research Paper The authors evaluated 10-yr effects of woody fuel treatments on sagebrush recruitment and plant functional group interactions using Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project data.
Rethinking the focus on forest fires in federal wildland fire management: Landscape patterns and trends of non-forest and forest burned area Crist 2023 Fire & Fuels Rangewide Multiple Research Paper This paper uses summary statistics and landscape metrics to show wildfire spatial patterns and trends for non-forest and forest burned area over the past two decades across the U.S, and federal agency jurisdictions, highlighting the need for further management focus on non-forest ecosystems.
Restoration temporarily supports the resilience of sagebrush-steppe ecosystems subjected to repeated fires Power et al. 2023 Fire & Fuels Other Other Research Paper The authors investigated whether repeated restoration efforts provide greater resilience in sagebrush-steppe communities initially dominated by species with different post-fire regeneration traits and subjected to compounding wildfires and invasion by Bromus tectorum over 25 years.
Repeated fire altered succession and increased fire behavior in basin big sagebrush-native perennial grasslands Ellsworth et al. 2020 Fire & Fuels Great Basin Oregon Research Paper To improve understanding of interactions of vegetation and repreated burns, the authors quantified postfire patterns of vegetation accumulation and modeled potential fire behavior on sites that were burned and and then reburned in John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Oregon, USA.
Practical postfire sagebrush shrub restoration techniques Grant-Hoffman et al. 2021 Fire & Fuels Colorado Plateau Colorado Research Paper The authors investigated management-friendly restoration techniques aimed at increasing sagebrush cover in a sagebrush system important to Gunnison sage-grouse and impacted by fire in western Colorado.
Potential for post-fire recovery of Greater Sage-grouse habitat Riginos et al. 2019 Fire & Fuels Great Basin Multiple Research Paper The authors used long-term data from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Range Trend Project to assess short-term (1–4 yr post-treatment) and long-term (6–10 yr post-treatment) effects of fire on vegetation cover at 16 sites relative to sage-grouse habitat vegetation guidelines.
Limitations to Postfire Seedling Establishment: The Role of Seeding Technology, Water Availability, and Invasive Plant Abundance Jeremy et al. 2010 Fire & Fuels Rangewide Multiple Research Paper The objective of this study was to determine the degree to which water availability, invasive plant abundance, and seeding technology influence postfire seedling establishment.
Large-scale wildfire reduces population growth in a peripheral population of sage-grouse Dudley et al. 2021 Fire & Fuels Rangewide Multiple Research Paper Following a significant wildfire event in the southwest periphery of sage-grouse range, the authors implemented a before-after-control-impact study with long-term paired (BACIP) datasets of male sage-grouse surveyed from traditional breeding grounds (leks) within and outside the wildfire boundary. The study estimated sage-grouse population rate of change in apparent abundance (λ̂ ) at burned and unburned areas before and after wildfire and derived BACIP ratios, which provide controlled evidence of wildfire impact.
Grazing management to reduce wildfire risk in invasive annual grass prone sagebrush communities Davies et al. 2022 Fire & Fuels Great Basin Oregon Research Paper In this study, the authors synthesize and provide insight from a panel discussion on using grazing management to reduce wildfire probability that was part of the December 2020 Invasive Annual Grass Workshop organized by the High Desert Partnership, the SageCon Partnership, and Oregon State University
Grazing Intensity Effects on Fire Ignition Risk and Spread in Sagebrush Stepp Orr et al. 2023 Fire & Fuels Great Basin Oregon Research Paper This study investigated effects of grazing intensity (light, moderate, high) on fuel characteristics, fire ignition, and initial spread during the wildfire season in a native-dominated shrub steppe in eastern Oregon.
Future Direction of Fuels Management in Sagebrush Rangelands Shinneman et al. 2023 Fire & Fuels Rangewide Multiple Research Paper In this synthesis, the authors review current knowledge of fuel treatments in sagebrush ecosyetms, discuss challenges for fuel treaments in the context of climate change, invasive species, wildlifehabitat, and human populations, and describe approaches for future fuels management within the Resist-Accept-Direct framework.
Fuel treatments in shrublands experiencing pinyon and juniper expansion result in trade-offs between desired vegetation and increased fire behavior Williams et al. 2023 Fire & Fuels Great Basin Multiple Research Paper In this paper, the authors measured the accumulation of surface and canopy fuels over 10 years from ten sites across the Intermountain West in the Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project woodland network (www.SageSTEP.org), which received prescribed fire or mechanical (cut and drop) tree reduction treatments. They used the field data and the Fuel Characteristic Classification System (FCCS) in the Fuel and Fire Tools (FFT) application to estimate surface and canopy fire behavior in treated and control plots in tree expansion phases I, II, and III.
Fuel treatment response groups for fire-prone sagebrush landscapes Chambers et al. 2023 Fire & Fuels Rangewide Multiple Research Paper To optimize the types and locations of fuel treatments across large sagebrush landscapes, the authors developed treatment response groups (TRGs)—sagebrush and pinyon-juniper vegetation associations that differ in resilience to fire and resistance to annual grass invasion (R&R) and thus responses to fuel treatments.
Fuel reduction treatments reduce modeled fire intensity in the sagebrush steppe Ellsworth et al. 2022 Fire & Fuels Great Basin Multiple Research Paper This paper presents 10 years of data on fuel accumulation and the resultant modeled fire behavior in prescribed fire, mowed, herbicide (tebuthiuron or imazapic), and untreated control plots in the Sagebrush Treatment Evaluation Project (SageSTEP) network in the Great Basin, USA.
Fire frequency impacts soil properties and processes in sagebrush steppe ecosystems of the Columbia Basin Nichols et al. 2021 Fire & Fuels Other Other Research Paper This study evaluated how increased fire frequency affects soil biochemical properties (i.e. soil pH, soil organic matter (SOM), soil organic carbon (SOC), soil structure and mineral N) and processes (i.e. microbial and enzymatic activity) in a sagebrush-steppe ecosystem located in the Columbia Plateau Ecoregion, Washington, USA.
Effectiveness of prescribed fire to re-establish sagebrush steppe vegetation and ecohydrologic function on woodland-encroached sagebrush rangelands, Great Basin, USA: Part I: Vegetation, hydrology, and erosion responses (vol 185, 103477, 2020) Williams et al. 2020 Fire & Fuels Great Basin Multiple Research Paper This study is the first of a two-part study to evaluate effectiveness of prescribed fire to re-establish sagebrush steppe vegetation and improve ecohydrologic function on mid- to late-succession pinyon-and juniper-encroached sagebrush sites in the Great Basin.
Climate Change in Western US Deserts: Potential for Increased Wildfire and Invasive Annual Grasses Abatzoglou et al. 2011 Fire & Fuels Rangewide Multiple Research Paper The authors used a suite of downscaled climate projections for the mid–21st century to examine changes in critical physiological temperature thresholds, the timing and availability of moisture, and the potential for large wildfires.
A retrospective assessment of fuel break effectiveness for containing rangeland wildfires in the sagebrush biome Weise et al. 2023 Fire & Fuels Rangewide Multiple Research Paper The authors performed a retrospective assessment of probability of fuel break contributing to wildfire containment on recorded wildfire and fuel break interactions from 1985 to 2018 within the sagebrush biome in the western U.S.
Fuel Breaks in Sagebrush: Webinar Recordings Great Basin Fire Science Exchange 2021 Fire & Fuels Rangewide Multiple Webinar or Video The Fuel Breaks in Sagebrush: A Multidisciplinary Webinar Series and Discussion is made up of six webinars featuring topics important to fuel breaks in the Great Basin.
Fuel treatments in shrublands experiencing pinyon and juniper expansion result in trade-offs between desired vegetation and increased fire behavior Williams et al. 2023 Fire & Fuels Great Basin Multiple Research Paper Fuel treatments are commonly used to prevent continued tree infilling and growth and reduce fire risk, increase ecological resilience, improve forage quality and quantity, and/or improve wildlife habitat. Treatments may present a trade-off; they restore shrub and herbaceous cover and decrease risk of canopy fire but may increase surface fuel load and surface fire potential. To assess such tradeoffs, the authors measured the accumulation of surface and canopy fuels over 10 years from ten sites across the Intermountain West in the Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project woodland network (www.SageSTEP.org), which received prescribed fire or mechanical (cut and drop) tree reduction treatments.
Wildfire probability estimated from recent climate and fine fuels across the big sagebrush region Holdredge et al. 2024 Fire & Fuels Rangewide Multiple Research Paper The authors integrated wildfire observations with climate and vegetation data to derive a statistical model for the entire big sagebrush region that represents how annual wildfire probability is influenced by climate and fine fuel characteristics. Predicted wildfire probability across this region is one output of this paper.
Wildlife Corridors and Route Finder USGS Wildlife & Big Game Corridors Rangewide Multiple Data Source or Tool This tool allows users to view wildlife corridors and migration routes in the Western U.S.
Ungulate Migrations of the Western United States, Volume 1 USGS 2020 Wildlife & Big Game Corridors Rangewide Multiple Report This report synthes of research and mapping efforts on ungulate migrations in the United states. This report and associated data release provide the means for the habitats required for migration to be taken into account by stateand federal transportation officials, land and wildlife managers, planners, and other conservationists working to maintain biggame migration in the western states.
Ungulate Migration in a Changing Climate—An Initial Assessment of Climate Impacts, Management Priorities, and Science Needs Malpeli 2023 Wildlife & Big Game Corridors Rangewide Multiple Report This literature review addressed current knowledge on migration for big game species in the Western U.S., threats facing these species, and climate impacts on migration. Additionally, it identified management proprities, knowledge gaps, and science needs related to the effects of climate change on ungulate migration.
Pronghorn population genomics show connectivity in the core of their range LaCava et al. 2020 Wildlife & Big Game Corridors Northern Rockies Wyoming Research Paper To facilitate conserving connectivity among populations of pronghorn in North America, this study assessed the genetic structure and diversity of pronghorn in the core of their range by genotyping 4,949 genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphisms and 11 microsatellites from 398 individuals throughout the state of Wyoming.
Multi-scale habitat assessment of pronghorn migration routes Jakes et al. 2020 Wildlife & Big Game Corridors Rangewide Multiple Research Paper We studied the habitat selection of pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) during seasonal migration across the transboundary Northern Sagebrush Steppe region, assessing selection in relation to land cover, productiviy, and human activity.
Habitat selection by mule deer during migration: effects of landscape structure and natural-gas development Lendrum et al. 2012 Wildlife & Big Game Corridors Colorado Plateau Colorado Research Paper The authors assessed impacts of energy development on resource slection by migrating mule deer by comparing spring migration routes of adult female mule deer among four study areas that had varying degrees of natural-gas development from 2008 to 2010 in the Piceance Basin of northwest Colorado, USA.
Functional connectivity in a continuously distributed, migratory species as revealed by landscape genomics LaCava et al. 2021 Wildlife & Big Game Corridors Northern Rockies Multiple Research Paper Using a landscape genomics approach, the study characterized the genetic structure and diversity of migratory mule deer Odocoileus hemionus using 4051 single nucleotide polymorphisms in 406 individuals sampled across multiple habitats throughout Wyoming, USA and identified environmental variables associated with genomic variation within genetic groups and statewide.
Evaluating the influence of energy and residential development on the migratory behavior of mule deer Wyckoff et al. 2018 Wildlife & Big Game Corridors Northern Rockies Wyoming Research Paper The authors evaluated the influence of development on the migratory behavior of individual mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in western Wyoming, USA by using fine-scale movement data to evaluate the influence of anthropogenic infrastructure on deer movement rates, stopover use, and fidelity to migration routes for individual animals across multiple seasons and years.
Conserving migratory mule deer through the umbrella of sage-grouse Copeland et al. 2014 Wildlife & Big Game Corridors Northern Rockies Wyoming Research Paper The authors examined a landscape where conservation efforts for sage-grouse overlap spatially with mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) to determine whether sage-grouse conservation measures also might protect important mule deer migration routes and seasonal ranges.
Beyond protected areas: Private lands and public policy anchor intact pathways for multi-species wildlife migration Tack et al. 2019 Wildlife & Big Game Corridors Rangewide Multiple Research Paper Here, the authors identify migratory pathways for sage-grouse and pronhorn, and measure the ability of current conservation and policy to maintain cross-taxa migration in the face of continued cultivation in the Northern Great Plains.
Webinar Series: Wildlife Migration in the West Pew Charitable Trust Wildlife & Big Game Corridors Rangewide Multiple Webinar or Video The “Wildlife Migration in the West” forum webinar series brings together biologists who are researching and tracking migrations; state, tribal, and federal entities implementing policies to protect these corridors; and nonprofit organizations working to educate policymakers and the public about science-based strategies to protect migration routes.
Migration Mapper: Webinar For Managers Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit 2019 Wildlife & Big Game Corridors Rangewide Multiple Webinar or Video Through this webinar geared towards managers, learn to use the Migration Mapper software.
Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute Research Hub Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute 2024 Wildlife & Big Game Corridors Rangewide Multiple Data Source or Tool The Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute created a hub to search and sort research and technologies related to wildlife and renewable energy.
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers about Outcome-based Grazing Intermountain West Joint Venture, WAFWA 2020 Grazing Rangewide Multiple Factsheet Learn more about the pilot projects that kickstarted the BLM's Outcome-Based Grazing program.
The Need for Flexibility: Exploring Innovation in a Public Land Grazing System Intermountain West Joint Venture, WAFWA 2022 Grazing Rangewide Multiple Other In this video from the IWJV and partners, learn about the BLM's Outcome-based Grazing program and the producers that use this program to benefit the health of the rangeland for wildlife as well as its availability of forage for livestock.
Weather explains differences in sagebrush-obligate songbird nest success under various grazing regimes Schroeder et al. 2022 Grazing Great Basin Oregon Research Paper To understand the effects of grazing and weather on sagebrush-obligate songbirds, the authors compared the effects of precipitationm temperature, and grazing regime on Brewer's sparrow and sagebrush sparrow nest success.
Virtual Fencing Effectively Excludes Cattle from Burned Sagebrush Steppe Boyd et al. 2022 Grazing Great Basin Oregon Research Paper The authors evaluate virtual fencing as method to exclude cattle from burned areas in Oregon sagebrush steppe.
The Effect of Cattle Grazing on Native Ungulates: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Chaikina et al. 2006 Grazing Rangewide Multiple Research Paper This article provides a synthesis of the literature of the effects of grazing on native ungulates.
Songbird response to rest-rotation and season-long cattle grazing in a grassland sagebrush ecosystem Golding et al. 2017 Grazing Northern Rockies Montana Research Paper The authors compared songbird communities between two grazing systems in eastern Montana: rest-rotation, which is a conservation grazing system, and season-long graizing, measuring differences in abundance of eight songbird species over a two year period.
Response of Planted Sagebrush Seedlings to Cattle Grazing Applied to Decrease Fire Probability Davies et al. 2020 Grazing Great Basin Oregon Research Paper The authors investigated the effects of grazing by cattle, applied as a fine fuel management strategy, on planted sagebrush seedlings, exotic annual grasses, large perennial bunchgrasses, and total herbaceous cover over 5 years in Oregon.
Removal of cattle grazing correlates with increases in vegetation productivity and in abundance of imperiled breeding birds Poessel et al. 2020 Grazing Great Basin Oregon Research Paper The authors analyzed changes in vegetation and bird abundance at a wildlife refuge in southeastern Oregon over 24 years, following cessation of 120 years of livestock grazing, comparie the local responses of the focal species to population-scale trends of the same species at three different large spatial scales.
Recovery of the herbaceous component of degraded sagebrush steppe is unimpeded by 75 years of moderate cattle grazing Copeland et al. 2021 Grazing Great Basin Oregon Research Paper The authors evaluated whether recovery of herbaceous communities in eastern Oregon, USA, after the cessation of intense spring sheep grazing (1935) was affected by moderate cattle grazing in paired plots with or without grazing over the past 75 yr (1936–2011).
Prefire grazing by cattle increases postfire resistance to exotic annual grass (Bromus tectorum) invasion and dominance for decades Davies et al. 2016 Grazing Great Basin Oregon Research Paper The authors investigated the long-term postfire effects of prefire herbivory by cattle, an exotic herbivore, on invasive annual grasses and native vegetation in sagebrush plant communities in the northern Great Basin, USA.
Potential soil carbon sequestration in overgrazed grassland ecosystems Conant et al. 2002 Grazing Rangewide Multiple Research Paper The authors compiled data from the literature to evaluate the influence of grazing intensity on soil C
Patterns in Greater Sage-grouse population dynamics correspond with public grazing records at broad scales Monroe et al. 2017 Grazing Rangewide Multiple Research Paper With annual counts of male Sage-grouse from 743 leks (breeding display sites) during 2004–2014, the authors modeled population trends in response to grazing level (represented by a relative grazing index) and timing across a gradient in vegetation productivity as measured by the Normalized Vegetation Difference Index (NDVI).
Pathways of Grazing Effects on Soil Organic Carbon and Nitrogen. Pineiro et al. 2010 Grazing Other Multiple Research Paper The authors reviewed articles analyzing grazing effects on soil organic matter (SOM) stocks by comparing grazed vs. ungrazed sites.
Livestock Grazing, Wildlife Habitat, and Rangeland Values Krausman et al. 2009 Grazing Rangewide Multiple Research Paper In this paper, the authors review a representative sampling of scientific literature to document grazing impacts on wildlife and its habitat to better understand the roles of grazing strategies in wildlife habitat conservation.
Livestock Grazing and Sage-Grouse Habitat: Impacts and Opportunities Boyd et al. 2014 Grazing Rangewide Multiple Research Paper To illustrate the relative value of sagebrush habitats to sage-grouse on year-round and seasonal bases, the authors developed state and transition models to conceptualize the interactions between wildfire and grazing in mountain and Wyoming big sagebrush communities.
Influences of livestock grazing on sage-grouse habitat Beck et al. 2000 Grazing Rangewide Multiple Research Paper This article synthesizes literature on the effects of livestock grazing on sage-grouse, including the mechanisms by which grazing may impact sage-grouse and indirect impacts of grazing on sage-grouse.
Grazing intensity effects on herbaceous community composition in burned sagebrush steppe Bates et al. 2023 Grazing Great Basin Oregon Research Paper There is limited knowledge of grazing impacts on longer term plant community dynamics following fire in sagebrush steppe. This study evaluated vegetation response to different intensities of deferred rotation cattle grazing over 16 years (2007–2022) on burned Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis (Beetle & Young) Welsh) steppe in eastern Oregon.
Grazing Impacts on Rangeland Vegetation: What We Have Learned Holecheck et al. 2006 Grazing Rangewide Multiple Research Paper This synthesis provides an overview of the impacts of grazing on rangeland vegetation with the aim of providing public, ranchers, lawmakers, government planners, and conservationists with a sound basis for decision making
Grazing Effects on Fuels Vary by Community State in Wyoming Big Sagebrush Steppe Thomas & Davies 2023 Grazing Great Basin Oregon Research Paper The authors assessed the longterm (10+ years) effects of modern grazing on fuel characteristics in intact, degraded, and annual grass dominated Wyoming big sagebrush systems in Oregon.
Grazing disturbance promotes exotic annual grasses by degrading soil biocrust communities Root et al. 2020 Grazing Great Basin Idaho Research Paper The authors examine effects of livestock grazing in habitats at high risk for invasion to test the hypothesis that disturbance indirectly favors exotic annual grasses by reducing biocrust cover.
Fall-Winter Grazing After Fire in Annual Grass-Invaded Sagebrush Steppe Reduced Annuals and Increased a Native Bunchgrass Davies et al. 2021 Grazing Great Basin Oregon Research Paper The authors evaluated the effects of fall-winter grazing over 4 yr after wildfire in Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt. subsp. wyomingensis Beetle & Young) steppe invaded by exotic annual grasses on exotic annual grass, annual forb, ,and native perennial bunchgrass cover and density.
Evidence based review: positive versus negative effects of livestock grazing on wildlife. What do we really know? Schieltz et al. 2006 Grazing Rangewide Multiple Research Paper This article provides a synthesis of the literature on grazing impacts on wildlife.
Effects of livestock grazing on rangeland biodiversity: A meta-analysis of grouse populations Dettenmaier et al. 2017 Grazing Rangewide Multiple Research Paper The authors completed a data-driven and systematic review of the peer-reviewed literature to determine the current knowledge of the effects of livestock grazing on grouse populations (i.e., chick production and population indices) worldwide.
Effects of livestock grazing on nesting sage-grouse in central Montana Smith et al. 2018 Grazing Northern Rockies Montana Research Paper The authors tested how livestock use affects nesting habitat quality, nest site selection, and nest success for sage-grouse in a grazed landscape in central Montana, USA.
Combining active restoration and targeted grazing to establish native plants and reduce fuel loads in invaded ecosystems Porensk et al. 2018 Grazing Great Basin Nevada Research Paper Addressing the efficacy of seedling treatments, this study assessed how targeted grazing treatments interacted with seed rate, spatial planting arrangement (mixtures vs. monoculture strips), seed coating technology, and species identity (five native grasses) to affect standing biomass and seeded plant density in experimental greenstrips.
Grazing leases and permits explained BLM 2018 Grazing Rangewide Multiple Webinar or Video In this video, the BLM leases and permit system, under which ranchers pay grazing fees for the use of public land, is explained.
BLM Outcome-Based Grazing program webinar Intermountain West Joint Venture, WAFWA 2022 Grazing Rangewide Multiple Webinar or Video In this webinar for the Society for Range Management Annual Meeting, Kathryn Dyer, the BLM National Lead for the Outcome-Based Grazing Initiative, provided audiences with updates on the program. Also included were a series of presentations from the Outcome-Based Grazing demonstration projects.
Principles for successful livestock grazing management on western US rangelands Jablonski et al. 2023 Grazing Rangewide Multiple Research Paper The authors engaged hundreds of livestock grazing management experts in an iterative conversation to distill a set of evidence-based, adaptable principles for successful livestock grazing management in the semiarid and arid rangelands of the western United States. These principles are described in the manuscript.
Variable effects of long-term livestock grazing across the western United States suggest diverse approaches are needed to meet global change challenges Copeland et al. 2023 Grazing Rangewide Multiple Research Paper Livestock production is the most widespread land use globally and occurs across a diverse set of ecosystems. Variability in long-term livestock grazing impacts across ecosystems is poorly characterized, particularly at larger spatial scales, despite strong relationships with various ecosystem services related to soil fertility and stabilization and vegetation productivity. Here the authors examine the effects of grazing on vegetation and the implications for resistance and resilience to global change.
Invasive Annual Grass Spatial Dataset Compilation and Synthesis USGS 2022 Invasive Annual Grasses Rangewide Multiple Data Source or Tool The USGS and partners provides guidance on spatial datasets that describe measurable aspects of invasive annual grasses (e.g., biomass or presence) across the western United Stated and beyond. The products developed through this project provide guidance to practitioners, biologists, and natural resource managers tasked with combating the spread of invasive annual grasses.
Western Weed Action Plan WAFWA 2015 Invasive Annual Grasses Rangewide Multiple Framework or Strategy This multi-agency action plan addresses the challenges and barriers created by the establishment and expansion of invasive plant species in the west.
Invasive Annual Grass Management Toolkit Western Governors' Association 2020 Invasive Annual Grasses Rangewide Multiple Framework or Strategy This toolkit for invasive grass management includes a roadmap for invasive grass management in the West, case studies highlighting effecive practices in Idaho and Wyoming, and a geospatial data layer to assess invasion.
Wildfire and Invasive Plant Species in the Sagebrush Biome: Challenges That Hinder Current and Future Management and Protection WAFWA 2018 Invasive Annual Grasses Rangewide Multiple Report This report is an update of the “Gap Analysis Report”(Gap Report), which summarized the policy, fiscal, and science challenges that land managers have encountered regarding the control and reduction of the invasive annual grass/fire cycle, especially as it related to the 2015 status review for the Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus).
Wildfire, climate, and invasive grass interactions negatively impact an indicator species by reshaping sagebrush ecosystems Coates et al. 2015 Invasive Annual Grasses Great Basin Multiple Research Paper Within a Bayesian framework, the authors modeled 30 y of wildfire and climatic effects on population rates of change of a sagebrush-obligate species, the greater sage-grouse, across the Great Basin of western North America.
What Is Driving the Proliferation of Exotic Annual Grasses in Sagebrush Communities? Comparing Fire with Off-Season Grazing Davies et al. 2022 Invasive Annual Grasses Great Basin Oregon Research Paper The authors experimentally compared the effect of grazing verus fire on proliferation of invasive annual grasses over 5 years in southeastern Oregon.
Transition from sagebrush steppe to annual grass (Bromus tectorum): Influence on belowground carbon and nitrogen. Rau et al. 2011 Invasive Annual Grasses Great Basin Multiple Research Paper As part of a Joint Fire Sciences-funded project called the Sagebrush Treatment Evaluation Project (SageSTEP), the authors quantified the depth distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) and nitrogen at seven sites experiencing cheatgrass invasion, addressing impacts of cheatgrass on SOC.
Special issue: Changing with the range: Striving for ecosystem resilience in the age of invasive annual grasses Multiple 2022 Invasive Annual Grasses Rangewide Multiple Research Paper This special issue of Rangelands includes a variety of research papers and opinion pieces on invasive annual grasses in rangelands from experts across the West. These papers are highly management-relevant.
Selective herbicide control: using furrows and carbon seed coatings to establish a native bunchgrass while reducing cheatgrass cover Terry et al. 2021 Invasive Annual Grasses Other Other Research Paper This study evaluated two approaches to protect native seeds from herbicides that could allow for the restoration of a native species Pseudoroegneria spicata while reducing an invasive annual grass Bromus tectorum with a herbicide mixture in the sagebrush steppe ecosystem (the United States).
Prioritizing limited resources in landscape-scale management projects Smith et al. 2022 Invasive Annual Grasses Rangewide Multiple Research Paper In this paper, the authors present case studies highlighting examples where collaborative landscape-scale management is occurring and offer insights on how different groups approach collaboration with its inherent challenges and opportunities. Lessons learned from these different groups are presented to help advance future collaborative landscape-scale efforts.
Prescribed Summer Fire and Seeding Applied to Restore Juniper-Encroached and Exotic Annual Grass-Invaded Sagebrush Steppe Davies et al. 2019 Invasive Annual Grasses Great Basin Oregon Research Paper This study leveraged a project in the Crooked River National Grassland to restore juniper-encroached and annual grass-invaded sagebrush steppe using summer (mid-July) applied prescribed fires and postfire seeding to assess the impacts of treatments (unburned, burned, burned and seeded with a native seed mix, and burned and seeded with an introduced seed mix) on juniper, bunchgrass, forb, biological soil crust, and exotic annual grass cover.
Patterns of post-fire invasion of semiarid shrub-steppe reveals a diversity of invasion niches within an exotic annual grass community Applestein et al. 2022 Invasive Annual Grasses Great Basin Multiple Research Paper The authors assessed relationships between different exotic annual grass species and native and introduced perennial bunchgrasses and determined if and how medusahead and ventenata differed in their environmental relationships and thus invasion niches.
Long-Term Trends in Vegetation on Bureau of Land Management Rangelands in the Western United States Klienhesselink et al. 2023 Invasive Annual Grasses Rangewide Multiple Research Paper The authors used newly developed remote-sensing tools to conduct an unprecedented assessment of trends in vegetation cover and production, with a focus on annual species, for all BLM rangelands from 1991 to 2020
Invasive annual grasses—Reenvisioning approaches in a changing climate Archer et al. 2023 Invasive Annual Grasses Rangewide Multiple Research Paper As a part of a special issue on climate change impacts on soil and water conservation, this paper reviews current knowledge and research needs on invasive annual grasses and climate change.
Integrated Management of Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) with Sheep Grazing and Herbicide Lehnhoff et al. 2019 Invasive Annual Grasses Great Basin Oregon Research Paper The authors assessed the efficacy of herbicide application, targeted sheep grazing and integrated herbicide and grazing on for controlling cheatgrass and the impacts on plant communities in rangeland in southwestern Montana from 2015 until 2017.
Indaziflam Reduces Seed Bank Richness and Density but not Sagebrush-Grassland Plant Diversity Courkamp et al. 2022 Invasive Annual Grasses Northern Rockies Wyoming Research Paper The authors test the potential for nontarget impacts of indaziflam (Rejuvra) on native vegetation and the seedbank in a study conducted in Wyoming.
Indaziflam reduces downy brome (Bromus tectorum) density and cover five years after treatment in sagebrush-grasslands with no impact on perennial grass cover Courkamp et al. 2022 Invasive Annual Grasses Northern Rockies Wyoming Research Paper The authors evaluated the effectiveness of indaziflam (Rejuvra) and imazapic for reducing cheatgrass density and cover over a period of 5 years. They also assessed effects on perennial grass cover.
Herbicide Protection Pods (HPPs) Facilitate Sagebrush and Bunchgrass Establishment under Imazapic Control of Exotic Annual Grasses Clenet et al. 2020 Invasive Annual Grasses Great Basin Oregon Research Paper To assess efficacy of revegetation strategies for exotic annual grass-invaded rangelands after wildfire, this study evaluated the use of herbicide protection pods to protect native plant seeds from herbicides during seeding.
Fire needs annual grasses more than annual grasses need fire Smith et al. 2023 Invasive Annual Grasses Rangewide Multiple Research Paper In this paper, using a dynamic, remotely-sensed vegetation dataset in tandem with remotely-sensed fire perimeter and burn severity datasets, the authors examine the role of fire in transitions to and persistence of annual grass dominance in the U.S. Great Basin over the past 3 decades.
Fire and Grazing Influence Site Resistance to Bromus tectorum Through Their Effects on Shrub, Bunchgrass and Biocrust Communities in the Great Basin (USA) Condon et al. 2018 Invasive Annual Grasses Great Basin Multiple Research Paper To assess the impacts of fire on cheatgrass, native vegetation, and lichens and mosses, the authors assessed cover of Bromus tectorum, shrubs, native bunchgrasses, lichens and mosses in 99 burned and unburned plots located on similar soils where fires occurred between 12 and 23 years before sampling.
Effects of Using Indaziflam and Activated Carbon Seed Technology in Efforts to Increase Perennials in Ventenata dubia–Invaded Rangelands Davies et al. 2023 Invasive Annual Grasses Great Basin Oregon Research Paper To test restoration tactics in ventenata-invaded rangelands, the authors evaluated 1) applying indaziflam (Rejuvra) to control ventenata and 2) broadcast-seeding perennial grass seed incorporated in activated carbon pellets with a simultaneous indaziflam application at two sites for 3 yr post treatment.
Defend the core: Maintaining intact rangelands by reducing vulnerability to invasive annual grasses Maestas et al. 2022 Invasive Annual Grasses Rangewide Multiple Research Paper This article advocates for the "defend the core, grow the core" approach in managing invasive annual grasses. The authors descrbie how this approach can be used to priortize management around rangeland cores, rather than spending most resources in heavily invaded areas with low chance of recovery.
A warmer and drier climate in the northern sagebrush biome does not promote cheatgrass invasion or change its response to fire Larson et al. 2017 Invasive Annual Grasses Northern Rockies Montana Research Paper The authors tested impacts of warming and drying on expansion of cheatgrass with a factorial experiment with two levels of burning (spring burn and none) and three climate treatments (warming, warming + drying, and control) that was repeated over 3 years in a Montana sagebrush steppe.
A synthesis of the effects of cheatgrass invasion on US Great Basin carbon storage Nagy et al. 2021 Invasive Annual Grasses Great Basin Multiple Research Paper This synthesis addresses the impacts of cheatgrass invasion on carbon storage in the Great Basin.
A geographic strategy for cross-jurisdictional, proactive management of invasive annual grasses in Oregon Creutzburg et al. 2022 Invasive Annual Grasses Rangewide Multiple Research Paper This article provides a case study for the greation of a geographic study for addressing invasive annual grasses at landscape scales across eastern Oregon. They describe key concepts underpinning Oregon's geographic strategy, how it was created, and how it can be operationalized to support locally-led collaboration.
Tips, Tricks and Tactics for Treating Invasive Annaul Grasses Good Grazing Makes Cent$ 2023 Invasive Annual Grasses Rangewide Multiple Webinar or Video In this virtual webinar hosted by the Good Grazing Makes Cent$ Invasive Annual Grasses series, a virtual panel discussion tackles the difficult topic of controlling invasive species including cheatgrass, ventanata, and medusahead. Experts include Brian Mealor, Chalrlie Cliements, and Justin Hossfield.
Threat and Resource Mapping Seed Zone Map USFS 2022 Native Plants & Restoration Rangewide Multiple Data Source or Tool This TRM Seed Zone Map allows end-users to view and acquire data on seed zones for use in plant material development, gene conservation and native plant restoration activities. Users can also evaluate seed zones in relation to other map services and wildland threats such as climate change projections or wildfire risk.
Southern Rockies Reforestation Tool USFS 2022 Native Plants & Restoration Southwest Multiple Data Source or Tool The Southern Rockies Reforestation Tool (SRRT) identifies climatically and topographically suitable sites to plant ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir seedlings after wildfire in the Southern Rocky Mountains, USA.
Seedlot Selection Tool USFS 2022 Native Plants & Restoration Rangewide Multiple Data Source or Tool The Seedlot Selection Tool (SST) is a web-based mapping application designed to help natural resource managers match seedlots (seed collections from a known origin) with planting sites based on climatic information.
Climate Smart Restoration Tool USFS 2022 Native Plants & Restoration Rangewide Multiple Data Source or Tool The Climate Smart Restoration Tool (CSRT) was developed to provide information on seed collection and transfer of native plants. The CSRT maps current and future seed transfer limits for plant species with or without genetic information using climate data generating from ClimateNA
BLM National Seed Strategy For Rehabilitation and Restoration BLM 2020 Native Plants & Restoration Rangewide Multiple Framework or Strategy The National Seed Strategy fosters interagency collaboration to guide the development, availability, and use of seed needed for timely and effective restoration. The Strategy includes four goals, with associated objectives and initial actions (2015-2020) to improve seed supplies for restoring healthy and productive native plant communities.
Native Seeds: Supplying Restoration Society for Ecological Restoration 2023 Native Plants & Restoration Rangewide Multiple Other Native Seeds: Supplying Restoration is a nine-part video series that explores the native seed supply chain in the western United States. Filmed over four seasons, this series weaves together footage of seed collectors, farmers, researchers, and land managers working to scale up the supply of native seeds to meet the growing restoration demand. We see the staggering scale of damage to vast landscapes and meet tenacious people who are finding creative, scrappy solutions to restore ecosystems.
Western Forbs: Biology, Ecology, and Use in Restoration Great Basin Fire Science Exchange 2023 Native Plants & Restoration Rangewide Multiple Synthesis or Guide Forbs (wildflowers) are essential components of resilient, biologically and functionally diverse communities, but their use in restoration and rehabilitation in the Intermountain West remains limited. This online book, Western Forbs: Biology, Ecology, and Use in Restoration, synthesizes all existing research and practical experience gained over the last 20 years. It is designed to aid seed collectors, seed growers, nurserymen, landowners, restoration practitioners, and land managers as they increase the supply and use of native forbs.
Seed and seedling traits have strong impacts on establishment of a perennial bunchgrass in invaded semi-arid systems Leger et al. 2019 Native Plants & Restoration Great Basin Multiple Research Paper Focusing on the perennial grass Elymus elymoides in the Great Basin, the authors asked if seed and seedling traits could predict field establishment during restoration efforts.
Manipulating rangeland soil microclimate with juniper biochar for improved native seedling establishment Phillips et al. 2021 Native Plants & Restoration Great Basin Oregon Research Paper The authors evaluated whether juniper that is converted to biochar could be used in restoration seeding to improve establishment of native bunchgrasses.
Long-term evaluation of restoring understories in Wyoming big sagebrush communities with mowing and seeding native bunchgrasses Davies et al. 2021 Native Plants & Restoration Great Basin Oregon Research Paper To test the efficacy of restoration techniques for restablishing native species after disturbance, the authors evaluated the effects of mowing followed by drill-seeding large native perennial bunchgrasses on cover and density of bunchgrasses, biological soil crruts, and exotic annual grrasses.
Four paths toward realizing the full potential of using native plants during ecosystem restoration in the Intermountain West Baughman et al. 2022 Native Plants & Restoration Rangewide Multiple Research Paper The authors discuss and promote the use of native plants in restoration programs, specifically those of the sagebrush steppe ecosystems of the Intermountain West of the United States. They review the history and current trends of using native plants in seed-based restoration at large scales, and then suggest and discuss several promising paths forward for improving the success of native plant restoration.
Arid and Semi-Arid Lands Seed Technology and Restoration Online Course BLM, Great Basin Fire Science Exchange, Society for Ecological Restoration 2022 Native Plants & Restoration Rangewide Multiple Other This self-paced on-line course is intended to serve as an introduction to seed technology and arid and semi-arid lands restoration as a first step towards more in-depth in person restoration and revegetation courses. It provides world-class training on restoring dry land ecosystems, which are critical resources in tackling the climate crisis. By the end of the course, participants will have an understanding of:​ Ecological restoration principles, standards of practice, and concepts to increase the success of restoration efforts​, arid/semi-arid ecosystems and the challenges they pose to successful restoration​, and how to apply ecological restoration best practices and concepts in restoration planning in arid and semi-arid ecosystems​.
Science You Can Use: The Rapidly Vanishing Pinyon Jays: Understanding their HabItat Use May Be the Key To Saving Them Rocky Mountain Research Station 2021 Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands Rangewide Multiple Factsheet This Science You Can Use Factsheet addresses recent science on why pinyon jays, a woodland-obligate species throughout the West, is declining so rapidly despite widespread increase in their habitat.
Science You Can Use: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Understanding and Managing Pinyon and Juniper Woodlands in a Changing Climate Rocky Mountain Research Station 2021 Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands Rangewide Multiple Factsheet This factsheet provides an overview of the ecology, history, and hydrology of semiarid woodland ecosystems, addresses threats to these systems, and providessome management considerations.
The Ecology, History, Ecohydrology, and Management of Pinyon and Juniper Woodlands in the Great Basin and Northern Colorado Plateau of the Western United States USGS 2019 Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands Rangewide Multiple Report This synthesis reviews current knowledge of pinyon and juniper ecosystems, in both persistent and newly expanded woodlands, for managers, researchers, and the interested public.
Improving Climate Resilience of Persistent Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands Intermountain West Joint Venture 2023 Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands Rangewide Multiple Report This report highlights recent science on primary threats to persistent woodlands, identifies the role of changing climate, and highlights new efforts and approaches to develop management strategies focusing on building pinyon-juniper woodland health and climate resilience.
Conservation Strategy for the Pinyon Jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) Somershoe et al. 2020 Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands Rangewide Multiple Report As Pinyon Jays decline, land managers need information on their biology and the effects of management actions on this species. This Strategy, produced by the Pinyon Jay Working Group, summarizes existing knowledge on Pinyon Jays and provides suggestions for how managers may consider this species in their work.
Great Basin Pinyon and Juniper Ecology, History, Restoration WebsIte Rick Miller 2021 Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands Great Basin Multiple Synthesis or Guide This website from Dr. Rick Miller (Oregon State University) focuses on pinyon-juniper woodland science and management.
Where can managers effectively resist climate-driven ecological transformation in pinyon–juniper woodlands of the US Southwest? Noel et al. 2023 Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands Rangewide Multiple Research Paper Two of five common pinyon and juniper species are projected to experience population declines in the future, increasing concern about ecosystem transformations. In this paper, the authors assess the effectiveness of management to reduce tree density and mitigate competition, and use the results to classify southwest woodlands into areas where transformation is (a) unlikely and can be passively resisted, (b) likely but may be resisted by active management, and (c) likely unavoidable, requiring managers to accept or direct the trajectory.
Monitoring pinyon-juniper cover and aboveground biomass across the Great Basin Filippelli et al. 2020 Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands Great Basin Multiple Research Paper As pinyon-juniper woodlands undergo changes like expansion into adjacet shrublands and grasslands, infill, and dieoff as a result of drought, wildfire, and insects and disease, there is interest in understanding their dynamics over large spatial scales. The authors present a carbon monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) system for characterizing total aboveground biomass stocks and flux of PJ ecosystems across the Great Basin.
Influence of prescribed fire on ecosystem biomass, carbon, and nitrogen in a pinyon juniper woodland. Rau et al. 2010 Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands Great Basin Multiple Research Paper The authors quantified effects of prescribed fire as a fuels reduction and ecosystem maintenance treatment on fuel loads, ecosystem carbon, and nitrogen in a pinyon­juniper woodland in the central Great Basin.
Historical and Modern Disturbance Regimes, Stand Structures, and Landscape Dynamics in Piñon–Juniper Vegetation of the Western United States Romme et al. 2009 Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands Rangewide Multiple Research Paper This article summarizes what we know (and don't know) about three fundamentally different kinds of piñon–juniper vegetation: persistent woodlands, pinyon-juniper savannas, and wooded shrublands.
Fire and restoration of pinyon–juniper woodlands in the western United States: a review Baker & Shinneman 2004 Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands Rangewide Multiple Research Paper As interest in pinyon-juniper woodlands grows, understanding fire regimes in these systems is important to inform management. The authors undertook a systematic review of seven questions about fire history, fire severity, and the role of fire in these woodlands to evaluate the scientific basis for these trends.
Fire and restoration of piñon–juniper woodlands in the western United States: a review Romme & Baker 2004 Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands Rangewide Multiple Research Paper National assessments suggest that many woodlands have missed one or more low-severity surface fires and are thus in poor condition, requiring restoration. The authors undertook a systematic review of seven questions about fire history, fire severity, and the role of fire in pinyon-juniper woodlands to evaluate the scientific basis for the national assessment.
Fine-scale stand structure mediates drought-induced tree mortality in pinyon–juniper woodlands Flake & Weisberg 2018 Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands Great Basin Nevada Research Paper The authors sampled permanent plots in central Nevada woodlands dominated by single-leaf pinyon pine and Utah juniper before and after a severe multi-year drought (2013–2015) to investigate the importance of climate, tree attributes, and local-neighborhood stand structure on tree mortality and canopy dieback at the level of individual trees and 0.1-ha plots.
Dry forest decline is driven by both declining recruitment and increasing mortality in response to warm, dry conditions Shriver et al. 2022 Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands Rangewide Multiple Research Paper In this paper, the authors developed range-wide population models for dry forest tree species (pinyon pine and juniper), quantifying both mortality and recruitment, to better understand where and under what conditions species range contractions are occurring.
Behavior-specific occurrence patterns of Pinyon Jays (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) in three Great Basin study areas and significance for pinyon-juniper woodland management Boone et al. 2021 Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands Great Basin Multiple Research Paper The goal of this study was to identify the characteristics of areas used by Pinyon Jays for several critical life history components in the Great Basin, which is home to nearly half of the species’ global population, and to thereby facilitate the inclusion of Pinyon Jay conservation measures in the design of vegetation management projects.
Behavior-specific occurrence patterns of Pinyon Jays (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) in three Great Basin study areas and significance for pinyon-juniper woodland management Boone et al. 2021 Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands Great Basin Multiple Research Paper It is important to better understand if and how targeted removal of pinyon-juniper woodland, a common and widespread vegetation management practice, affects Pinyon Jays. The goal of this study was to identify the characteristics of areas used by Pinyon Jays for several critical life history components in the Great Basin, which is home to nearly half of the species’ global population, and to thereby facilitate the inclusion of Pinyon Jay conservation measures in the design of vegetation management projects.
A review of Pinyon Jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) habitat ecology Johnson & Sadoti 2023 Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands Rangewide Multiple Research Paper Management for Pinyon Jays is an urgent need, and an improved understanding of their habitat ecology is a priority. Although Pinyon Jay social behavior has been well studied for decades, only recently has the habitat ecology of Pinyon Jays been investigated and only in New Mexico, the Great Basin, and the Colorado Plateau. Knowledge gaps remain, and less is known in other areas. Here, the authors assemble and integrate information on Pinyon Jay habitat ecology from a diverse set of sources.
Putting Resilience and Resistance Concepts into Practice Great Basin Fire Science Exchange 2015 Resistance & Resilience Great Basin Multiple Factsheet Land managers are increasingly interested in improving resilience to disturbances, such as wildfire, and resistance to invasive species, such as cheatgrass and medusahead. This factsheet is designed to assist land managers in using resilience and resistance concepts to assess risks, prioritize management activities, and select appropriate treatments.
Mapping Potential Ecosystem Resilience and Resistance Across Sage-Grouse Range Using Soil Temperature and Moisture Regimes Sage Grouse Initiative 2012 Resistance & Resilience Rangewide Multiple Factsheet This factsheet reviews new data products that map sagebrush resilience and resistance to invasive species, detailing analysis that can be done with these new products.
Using Resistance and Resilience Concepts To Reduce Impacts of Invasive Annual Grasses and Altered Fire Regimes On the Sagebrush Ecosystem and Greater Sage-Grouse: A Strategic Multi-Scale Approach Rocky Mountain Research Station 2014 Resistance & Resilience Rangewide Multiple Framework or Strategy This Report provides a strategic approach for conservation of sagebrush ecosystems and Greater SageGrouse (sage-grouse) that focuses specifically on habitat threats caused by invasive annual grasses and altered fire regimes.
Tapping soil survey information for rapid assessment of sagebrush ecosystem resilience and resistance Maestas et al. 2016 Resistance & Resilience Rangewide Multiple Research Paper This paper provides examples of products and tools that leverage the extensive information available through the soil survey program to put resilience and resistance concepts into action in sagebrush ecosysems.
Resilience to Stress and Disturbance, and Resistance to Bromus tectorum L. Invasion in Cold Desert Shrublands of Western North America Chambers et al. 2014 Resistance & Resilience Rangewide Multiple Research Paper In this review, the authors discuss ecosystem attributes that determine resilience and resistance along environmental gradients, effects of disturbances like livestock grazing and altered fire regimes and of stressors like rapid climate change, rising CO2, and N deposition on resilience and resistance, and interacting effects of resilience and resistance on ecosystems with different environmental conditions. They also provide strategies for the use of resilience and resistance concepts in a management context
Resilience and Resistance of Sagebrush Ecosystems: Implications for State and Transition Models and Management Treatments. Chambers et al. 2014 Resistance & Resilience Rangewide Multiple Research Paper The authors used Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project data to test predictions on effects of fire vs. mechanical treatments on resilience and resistance for three site types exhibiting cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.) invasion and/or piñon and juniper expansion.
Resilience and resistance in sagebrush ecosystems are associated with seasonal soil temperature and water availability Roundy et al. 2018 Resistance & Resilience Great Basin Multiple Research Paper In this study, the authors used longer-term data to evaluate the relationships among soil climate conditions, perennial herbaceous cover, and cheatgrass cover following fuel management treatments across the environmental gradients that characterize sagebrush ecosystems in the Great Basin.
New indicators of ecological resilience and invasion resistance to support prioritization and management in the sagebrush biome, United States Chambers et al. 2022 Resistance & Resilience Rangewide Multiple Research Paper The authors update indicators of resilience and resistance for sagebrush steppe ecosystems using variables derived from process-based ecohydrological models that alllow predictions of future conditions.
Combining resilience and resistance with threat-based approaches for prioritizing management actions in sagebrush ecosystems Chambers et al. 2023 Resistance & Resilience Rangewide Multiple Research Paper The authors used a spatially explicit approach for prioritizing management actions that combined a threat-based model with models of resilience to disturbance and resistance to annual grass invasion. The threat-based model assessed geographic patterns in sagebrush ecological integrity (SEI) to identify core sagebrush, growth opportunity, and other rangeland areas. The resilience and resistance model identified ecologically relevant climate and soil water availability indicators from process-based ecohydrological models.
Geomorphic Sensitivity and Ecological Resilience of Great Basin Streams and Riparian Ecosystems: A Rapid Assessment Protocol Rocky Mountain Research Station 2022 Riparian & Wet Meadow Restoration Great Basin Multiple Data Source or Tool This protocol provides a multi-scale approach for assessing the sensitivity of streams and resilience of riparian ecosystems, including meadows, in upland watersheds of the Great Basin to disturbances and management actions. The target audience is managers and stakeholders interested in assessing and adaptively managing Great Basin stream systems and riparian and meadow ecosystems.
Beaver Restoration Assessment Tool Utah State University Riparian & Wet Meadow Restoration Rangewide Other Data Source or Tool The Beaver Restoration Assessment Tool (BRAT) is planning tool intended to help researchers, restoration practitioners and resource managers assess the potential for beaver as a stream conservation and restoration agent over large regions and watersheds.
The Shape of Streams to Come: New decision tools for assessing watershed sensitivity and ecological resilience in the Great Basin Rocky Mountain Research Station 2022 Riparian & Wet Meadow Restoration Great Basin Multiple Factsheet In this Science You Can Use Bulletin from the RMRS, learn about a new decision tool for assessing watershed sensitivty an decological resilience in the Great Basin.
Science You Can Use: The Shape of Streams to Come: New decision tools for assessing watershed sensitivity and ecological resilience in the Great Basin Rocky Mountain Research Station 2022 Riparian & Wet Meadow Restoration Great Basin Multiple Factsheet This Science You Can Use Bulletin features a multiscale approach to help land managers rapidly assess watersheds and categorize them based on resilience and sensitivity to disturbance. The framework is intended to help managers determine and prioritize where management actions are most likely to be successful.
On the Range, Water Is Life Sage Grouse Initiative 2017 Riparian & Wet Meadow Restoration Rangewide Multiple Factsheet In the arid American West, water is as good as gold. Wet “mesic” habitats—places where water meets land—comprise less than 2 percent of the entire landscape. Today, most vital water resources are on private lands. In this factsheet, learn about conservation practices that help to conserve these key resources.
Montana/Dakotas Low-Tech, Process-Based Riverscape Restoration Programmatic Environmental Assessment BLM 2022 Riparian & Wet Meadow Restoration Northern Rockies Montana Report The Bureau of Land Management Montana/Dakotas State Office (BLM) is proposing to utilize a suite of relatively simple, cost-effective restoration methods (commonly referred to as “low-tech, process-based restoration”) to improve the condition of riverscapes1 on BLM managed lands in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. This programmatic environmental assessment (EA) identifies the proposed restoration techniques, establishes the scope and sideboards for their future use, analyzes the potential environmental consequences of the typical projects, and compares those outcomes to a No Action Alternative.
State of the Science on Restoring Western Headwater Mountain Streams American Rivers 2022 Riparian & Wet Meadow Restoration Rangewide Multiple Synthesis or Guide Over the last decade, interest in designing and implementing LTPBR projects has grown considerably, and projects have been implemented across the west. This report reviews both published and unpublished research, case studies and project information on the effects of restoring incised and degraded headwater streams in Colorado and other western states with LTPBR.
NRCS Mesic Habitat Conservation Planning Guide NRCS 2017 Riparian & Wet Meadow Restoration Rangewide Multiple Synthesis or Guide This NRCS Planning Guide aims to support state and local planning of wet meadow restoration for sage-grouse.
NRCS Conservation Practice 643 Specification Sheet: Restoration of Rare or Declining Natural Communities: Zeedyk Structures for Riparian Areas and Wet Meadows NRCS Riparian & Wet Meadow Restoration Rangewide Multiple Synthesis or Guide This NRCS Conservation Practice Specification Sheet describes Conservation Practices related to Zeedyk structures in riparian areas and wet meadows, including treatment descriptions and construction steps for One Rock Dams, Zuni Bowls, Rock Mulch Rundowns, and Media Lunas.
Low-Tech Processed-Based Restation of Riverscapes Design Manual Wheaton et al. 2019 Riparian & Wet Meadow Restoration Rangewide Other Synthesis or Guide The purpose of this design manual is to provide restoration practitioners with guidelines for implementing a subset of low-tech tools—namely post-assisted log structures (PALS) and beaver dam analogues (BDAs)—for initiating process- based restoration in structurally-starved riverscapes.
Low-Tech Process Based Restoration of Riverscapes Pocket Guide Utah State University 2019 Riparian & Wet Meadow Restoration Rangewide Multiple Synthesis or Guide The Low-Tech Process Based Restoration of Riverscapes Pocket Guide is an illustrated and condensed version of the Low-Tech Process Basd Restoration of Riverscales Design Manual.
Hand-Built Structures for Restoring Degraded Meadows in Sagebrush Rangelands Maestas et al. 2018 Riparian & Wet Meadow Restoration Colorado Plateau Colorado Synthesis or Guide This technical note provides conservation practitioners with information on simple yet effective “Zeedyk” restoration techniques. The emphasis here is on structures that can be built by hand to address shallow headcuts or small incised channels (< 4 ft deep) impacting meadows and low-to-moderate gradient (< 3% slope) intermittent/ephemeral drainages in sagebrush rangelands. The note provides examples and lessons learned from partners in the Gunnison Climate Working Group who have been implementing a landscape-scale project using these techniques in the Upper Gunnison River Basin, Colorado. T
Survey of Beaver-related Restoration Practices in Rangeland Streams of the Western USA Pilliod et al. 2018 Riparian & Wet Meadow Restoration Rangewide Multiple Research Paper To identify gaps in knolwedge on beaver-related stream restoration proejcts, the authors inventoried 97 projects implemented by 32 organizations, assessing the purpose of these projects and whether monitoring occurred.
Smokey the Beaver: beaver‐dammed riparian corridors stay green during wildfire throughout the western United States Fairfax et al. 2020 Riparian & Wet Meadow Restoration Rangewide Multiple Research Paper The authors used remotely sensed Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data to compare riparian vegetation greenness in areas with and without beaver damming during wildfire, addressing the impacts of beaver dams on protecting vegetation during wildfires.
Riparian vegetation communities change rapidly following passive restoration at a northern Utah stream Hough-Snee et al. 2013 Riparian & Wet Meadow Restoration Great Basin Utah Research Paper The authors tested the hypothesis that riparian vegetation communities can shift quickly from ruderal grasslands to hydrophytic shrubs and graminoids when grazing is largely eliminated from riparian areas by using a before-after-control study design to collect vegetation community data at six restored reaches and two grazed control reaches prior to and immediately following the construction of a cattle exclosure.
Restoring riparian meadows currently dominated by Artemisia using alternative state concepts - the establishment component Chambers et al. 2001 Riparian & Wet Meadow Restoration Great Basin Nevada Research Paper We evaluated the potential for restoring riparian grass and sedge meadows currently dominated by Artemisia tridentata var. tridentata with burning, assessing the impacts of treatments on soils, soil water, and vegetation.
Restoration of wet meadows to enhance Gunnison sage-grouse habitat and drought resilience in arid rangelands Rondeau et al. 2023 Riparian & Wet Meadow Restoration Colorado Plateau Colorado Research Paper The authors used a before-after-control-impacts design to assess the vegetation response six years after construction of Zeedyk structures aimed at enhancing wet meadow drought resilience by slowing water, reconnecting floodplains, and increasing wetland vegetation.
Restoration of riparian meadows degraded by livestock grazing: above- and belowground responses Martin et al. 2002 Riparian & Wet Meadow Restoration Great Basin Nevada Research Paper This study aimed to increase our understanding of both the functional responses and restoration potential of mesic meadow systems in central Nevada, USA by using Nitrogen addition and clipping treatments to examine grazing effects, while aeration and revegetation were included to evaluate potential restoration treatments.
Public lands and private waters: scarce mesic resources structure land tenure and sage-grouse distributions Donnelly et al. 2016 Riparian & Wet Meadow Restoration Rangewide Multiple Research Paper This study used remote sensing and point process analyses to evaluate spatio–temporal variability in limited mesic resources in relation to greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) distributions in Oregon, California, and northwest Nevada, USA, 1984–2011, linking sage-grouse population distribution to changes in resource availability over time, space, and land tenure.
Natural infrastructure in dryland streams (NIDS) can establish regenerative wetland sinks that reverse desertification and strengthen climate resilience Norman et al. 2022 Riparian & Wet Meadow Restoration Rangewide Multiple Research Paper This review paper discusses how Natural Infrastructure in Dryland Streams (NIDS) can be used to create and restore riparian wetlands in degraded dryland riparian systems, store water, carbon, and sediment, and sustain and restore functions that increase climate resilience.
Managing Forbs Preferred by Greater Sage-Grouse and Soil Moisture in Mesic Meadows with Short-Duration Grazing Randall et al. 2022 Riparian & Wet Meadow Restoration Great Basin Idaho Research Paper To support identifying grazing strategies compatible with maintenance and production of mesic resources that balance livestock production with suitable conditions for sage-grouse, the authors evaluated relationships between short-duration grazing treatments and habitat components important to sage-grouse in mesic meadows.
Low-tech riparian and wet meadow restoration increases vegetation productivity and resilience across semiarid rangelands. Silverman et al. 2019 Riparian & Wet Meadow Restoration Great Basin Multiple Research Paper In this study, the authors use freely available, satellite remote sensing to explore changes in vegetation productivity of three distinct, low-tech, riparian and wet meadow restoration projects.
Five Year Analyses of Vegetation Response to Restoration using Rock Detention Structures in Southeastern Arizona, United States Wilson et al. 2022 Riparian & Wet Meadow Restoration Southwest Arizona Research Paper Rock detention structures (RDS) are used in restoration of riparian areas around the world. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of RDS installation on vegetation in terms of species abundance and composition over 5 years.
Ecosystem carbon and nitrogen gains following 27 years of grazing management in a semiarid alluvial valley Morra et al. 2023 Riparian & Wet Meadow Restoration Great Basin Nevada Research Paper Using riparian meadows alongside Maggie Creek in central Nevada, the authors show that 27 years of modified grazing practices can repair ecosystem processes and increase the C stocks. They compared C and nitrogen (N) stocks (of soils and plant biomass) on floodplains, terraces, and uplands of reaches where grazing was either modified or excluded to reaches where no changes to grazing practices were made.
Changes in Forage Quality and Cattle Performance with Short-Duration Grazing of Mesic Meadows in the Intermountain West Randall et al. 2023 Riparian & Wet Meadow Restoration Great Basin Idaho Research Paper The objectives of this paper were to compare the effects of short-duration grazing treatments that varied by season and intensity on the quantity and nutrient quality of pasture forage and average daily gains (ADG) of yearling cattle.
Beaver-related restoration in Owyhee County, Idaho: opportunities and challenges. Abrams et al. 2019 Riparian & Wet Meadow Restoration Great Basin Idaho Research Paper The purpose of this exploratory study was to understand the opportunities and challenges associated with beaver-related restoration in Owyhee County rangeland systems by interviewing 19 Owyhee County landowners, ranchers, and key stakeholders.
Reading the Landscape Intermountain West Joint Venture, WAFWA 2020 Riparian & Wet Meadow Restoration Rangewide Multiple Webinar or Video In this webinar, Jeremy Maestas and Shawn Connor will introduce participants to how to use Bill Zeedyk’s principles of “Reading the Landscape and Thinking like Water” to recognize and prioritize meadow restoration.
Low-Tech Riverscape Restoration Workshop Modules NRCS 2020 Riparian & Wet Meadow Restoration Rangewide Multiple Webinar or Video This virtual workshop will introduce conservationists to ‘low-tech’ process-based approaches for restoring streams and their associated riparian areas (riverscapes) to benefit fish, wildlife, and working lands
Low-Tech Process-Based Riverscape Restoration NRCS Working Lands For Wildlife 2020 Riparian & Wet Meadow Restoration Rangewide Multiple Webinar or Video This virtual workshop will introduce conservationists to ‘low-tech’ process-based approaches for restoring streams and their associated riparian areas (riverscapes) to benefit fish, wildlife, and working lands.
Introduction to Low-Tech Wet Meadow Restoration Intermountain West Joint Venture, WAFWA 2021 Riparian & Wet Meadow Restoration Rangewide Wyoming Webinar or Video This module provides videos and learning materials from a virtual workshop on low-tech wet meadow restoration. Participants will be introduced to: reading the landscape to recognize meadow conservation opportunities, various low-tech “Zeedyk” structures (e.g., One Rock Dams, Zuni Bowls), project planning, implementation, and monitoring.
Digging Deeper into Flood Irrigation Intermountain West Joint Venture, WAFWA 2020 Riparian & Wet Meadow Restoration Rangewide Multiple Webinar or Video This webinar focuses on enablers and constraints to maintaining flood irrigation on the landscape that supports working wet meadows for ranchers and the environment.
Beaver-Related Restoration Training Series National Association of Wetland Managers & BLM 2022 Riparian & Wet Meadow Restoration Rangewide Multiple Webinar or Video The National Association of Wetland Managers (NAWM) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) collaborated to develop a series of webinars introducing the topic of restoration of aquatic ecosystems through the reintroduction of beavers, the use of beaver dam analogues (BDAs) or restoration designed to attract beavers to an area to contribute to changing hydrology and restoring ecosystem services.
Are You a Beaver Believer? Reasonable Expectations for Beaver-Related Restoration Pacific Northwest Research Station 2024 Riparian & Wet Meadow Restoration Rangewide Multiple Factsheet Gordon Grant and Susan Charnley, scientists with the USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station, studied beaver-related restoration projects throughout the U.S. West. This research revealed uncertainties and unintended consequences involved with beaver projects, providing a reality check for anyone wanting to invest in this type of restoration. With their colleague, Caroline Nash and others, Grant and Charnley devised a framework that identifies the processes that must occur to achieve commonly desired outcomes. This framework is covered in this Science Findings factsheet.
Sage Grouse Initiative Interactive Web Application Sage Grouse Initiative 2022 Sage-grouse Rangewide Multiple Data Source or Tool This web map application for the NRCS-funded Sage Grouse Initiative visualizes, distributes, and interactively analyzes spatial data produced by the SGI’s science team. Additional information on the data available in the map can be found here: https://www.sagegrouseinitiative.com/sgi-map-description-and-instructions/
A Case Study of the Bi-State People and Sage-grouse Intermountain West Joint Venture, WAFWA 2017 Sage-grouse Great Basin Multiple Factsheet Research led by the IWJV examines how a successful conservation effort known as the Bi-State Collaborative used the social-ecological systems (SES) approach to prevent an ESA listing of this specific sage grouse population.
Range-wide population trend analysis for greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus)—Updated 1960–2022 Coates et al. 2023 Sage-grouse Rangewide Multiple Report This report upates population trend analyis for the Greater sage-grouse with the intention of providing wildlife managers with best-available science to guide manageent and conservation.
Restoration Handbook For Sagebrush Steppe Ecosystems WIth Emphasis On Greater Sage-Grouse HabItat Part II - Site Level Restoration Decisions USGS 2015 Sage-grouse Rangewide Multiple Synthesis or Guide This handbook will guide decision makers through the important process steps of restoration decision making at the site level.
Restoration Handbook For Sagebrush Steppe Ecosystems WIth Emphasis On Greater Sage-Grouse HabItat Part I - Concepts for Understanding and Applying Restoration USGS 2015 Sage-grouse Rangewide Multiple Synthesis or Guide This restoration handbook discusses concepts surrounding landscape and restoration ecology of sagebrush ecosystems and greater sage-grouse that habitat managers and restoration practitioners need to know to make informed decisions regarding where and how to restore specific areas.
Annotated Bibliography of Scientific Research On Greater Sage-Grouse Published from 2015 To 2019 USGS 2020 Sage-grouse Rangewide Multiple Synthesis or Guide This annotated bibliography summarizes and synthesizes research on the Greater Sage-grouse published from 2015-2019.
Seasonal drought in North America’s sagebrush biome structures dynamic mesic resources for sage‐grouse Donnelly et al. 2018 Sage-grouse Rangewide Multiple Research Paper This paper estimates biome-wide mesic resource productivity from 1984 to 2016 using remote sensing to identify patterns of food availability influencing selective pressures on sage-grouse.
Forb and Invertebrate Response to Treatments for Greater Sage-grouse in Wyoming Big Sagebrush Smith et al. 2019 Sage-grouse Northern Rockies Wyoming Research Paper The authors evaluated the effects of treatments aimed at improving habitat for sage-grouse by assessing response of forbs and invertebrates in Wyoming big sagebrush that had been mowed or aerially treated with tebuthiuron compared with untreated reference areas.
Conserving the Greater Sage-Grouse: A Social-Ecological Systems Case Study from the California-Nevada Region Duvall et al. 2017 Sage-grouse Great Basin Multiple Research Paper The authors present a case study of Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) conservation efforts in the “Bi-State” region of California and Nevada, United States that uses key-informant interviews to explore dimensions and drivers of this landscape-scale conservation effort.
Are Sage‐Grouse Fine‐Scale Specialists or Shrub‐Steppe Multiple Topicsists? Smith et al. 2020 Sage-grouse Rangewide Multiple Research Paper This paper employed meta-analyses of studies published from 1991 to 2019 to help resolve the role of fine-scale vegetation structure in nest site selection and nest success across the geographic range of greater sage-grouse (C. urophasianus) and evaluate the validity of established habitat management objectives.
SageDAT USGS Sagebrush Ecosystem Rangewide Multiple Data Source or Tool SageDAT is a platform that provides accessible data and tools related to sagebrush ecosystems and facilitates collaboration between scientists and managers. https://sagedat.org/
Sagebrush Ecosystem Data Viewer USGS 2022 Sagebrush Ecosystem Rangewide Multiple Data Source or Tool Use the Sagebrush Ecosystem Data viewer to view over 50 datasets included in the SageDAT data sharing platform.
Sagebrush Conservation Efforts Database USGS & USFWS 2023 Sagebrush Ecosystem Rangewide Multiple Data Source or Tool The Conservation Efforts Database Sagebrush Module is designed to capture any action or effort related to the conservation, enhancement, or restoration of sagebrush habitats or activities that benefit the sagebrush species.
Sagebrush Biome SHC Layer Visualizations Interactive Map USFWS 2023 Sagebrush Ecosystem Rangewide Multiple Data Source or Tool This tool allows visualization of a variety of sagebrush-related data products, including those related to the Sagebrush Conservation Design, invasive annual grass estimates, tree cover, core areas for priority bird species, etc.
Resilient Land Mapping Tool The Nature Conservancy 2022 Sagebrush Ecosystem Rangewide Multiple Data Source or Tool This tool created by the Nature Conservancy maps resilient lands, lands with microclimatic diversity and low levels of human modification provide species with connected, diverse climatic conditions they will need to persist and adapt to changing regional climates.
Rangeland Condition, MonItoring, Assessment, and Projection Data Viewer USGS Sagebrush Ecosystem Rangewide Multiple Data Source or Tool View USGS RCMAP data, including percent cover of shrubs, sagebrush, bare ground, herbaceous species, and litter and change in these components over time.
Rangeland Condition, MonItoring, Assessment, and Projection Data Download USGS Sagebrush Ecosystem Rangewide Multiple Data Source or Tool Download USGS RCMAP data products, including percent cover of shrubs, sagebrush, bare ground, herbaceous species, and litter and change in these components over time.
Rangeland Analysis Platform NRCS, BLM, University of Montana 2021 Sagebrush Ecosystem Rangewide Multiple Data Source or Tool Fast, powerful, and free, the Rangeland Analysis Platform is an innovative online tool that quickly visualizes and analyzes vegetation data for the western US. Use the app to examine trends at the pasture, ranch, watershed, or county scale. Datasets include: continuous vegetation cover, annual and 16-day aboveground biomass.
Oregon Explorer Maps & Tools Institute for Natural Resources Sagebrush Ecosystem Great Basin Oregon Data Source or Tool A list of tools for mapping, data viewing, and tracking in Oregon. Examples include Wildlifre Risk Explorer Map, SageCon Landscape Planning Tool, and Biodiversity Map Viewer.
Landscape Explorer NRCS Working Lands For Wildlife 2023 Sagebrush Ecosystem Rangewide Multiple Data Source or Tool Explore past and present landscapes from the Great Plains to the Pacific coast. This easy-to-use map uses historic and current aerial imagery to highlight how our landscapes have changed since the mid-20th century and how we can conserve our natural heritage.
LANDFIRE USDA & DOI Sagebrush Ecosystem Rangewide Multiple Data Source or Tool This multi-partner program produces consistent, comprehensive, geospatial data and databases that describe vegetation, wildland fuel, and fire regimes across the United States and insular areas.
Land Treatment Exploration Tool USGS Sagebrush Ecosystem Rangewide Multiple Data Source or Tool To assist land managers with the rangeland restoration and/or rehabilitation planning process, this tool assembles for a given site past treatments from the Land Treatment Digital Library and wildfires and allows users to identify past treatments that most closely match your planned treatment area based on climate and topography indices.
Land Treatment Digital Library BLM & USGS Sagebrush Ecosystem Rangewide Multiple Data Source or Tool The Land Treatment Digital Library (LTDL) catalogs legacy land treatment information on Bureau of Land Management lands in the western United States.
Conservation Efforts Database USFWS & USGS 2022 Sagebrush Ecosystem Rangewide Multiple Data Source or Tool The CED is a secure, cloud-based, spatially-enabled tool that can be used to document and track conservation actions across large, multi-jurisdictional landscapes. The tool allows users to upload and view data related to conservation actions, with separate modules for sagebrush, cutthroat trout, and Gunnison Sage-grouse.
Climate Engine Climate Engine 2023 Sagebrush Ecosystem Rangewide Multiple Data Source or Tool Climate Engine provides a user-friendly interface to view and analyze climate and vegetation data, including Landsat data, Rangeland Analysis Platform data, TerraClimate data, and more. Simple analysis can be done and exported.
Threat-Based Land Management in the Northern Great Basin: A Field Guide Johnson et al. 2019 Sagebrush Ecosystem Great Basin Multiple Factsheet This field guide to threat-based land management in the Northern Great Basin presents a simplified framework to help land managers assess and monitor these threats at large scales.
Sagebrush Conservation Design Information Sheet Intermountain West Joint Venture, WAFWA 2022 Sagebrush Ecosystem Rangewide Multiple Factsheet This factsheet provides a digestible overview of the WAFWA Sagebrush Conservation Design remote sensing tool.
Great Basin Fire Science Exchange Fact Sheet/Research Brief Great Basin Fire Science Exchange Sagebrush Ecosystem Rangewide Multiple Factsheet The Great Basin Factsheets are series of fact sheets produced by the Great Basin Fire Science Exchange and others highlighting science relevant to Great Basin land management. The website includes a search function to find topics of interest.
WAFWA Sagebrush Conservation Strategy Part I—Challenges To Sagebrush Conservation WAFWA 2021 Sagebrush Ecosystem Rangewide Multiple Framework or Strategy This “Sagebrush Conservation Strategy—Challenges to Sagebrush Conservation,” is an overview and assessment of the challenges facing land managers and landowners in conserving sagebrush ecosystems.
Range-Wide Greater Sage-Grouse Hierarchical Monitoring Framework: Implications For Defining Population Boundaries, Trend Estimation, and a Targeted Annual Warning System USGS 2021 Sagebrush Ecosystem Rangewide Multiple Framework or Strategy The authors describe a novel, range-wide hierarchical monitoring framework for sage-grouse centered on four objectives: (1) create a standardized database of lek counts, (2) develop spatial population structures by clustering leks, (3) estimate spatial trends at different temporal extents based on abundance nadirs (troughs), and (4) develop a targeted annual warning system to help inform management decisions.
NRCS Working Lands For Wildlife Framework For Conservation in the Sagebrush Biome NRCS Working Lands For Wildlife 2021 Sagebrush Ecosystem Rangewide Multiple Framework or Strategy e Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy (hereafter Strategy, DOI 2015) outlined the need for coordinated, science-based adaptive management to achieve long-term protection, conservation, and restoration of the sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystem. This science plan specifically focuses on fire, invasive plant species and their effects on altering fire regimes, restoration, sagebrush and greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), and climate and weather.
A Sagebrush Conservation Design to Proactively Restore America’s Sagebrush Biome USGS, WAFWA, & USFWS 2022 Sagebrush Ecosystem Rangewide Multiple Framework or Strategy This report summarizes the WAFWA Sagebrush Conservation Design. The goal was to leverage recent advancements in remotely sensed landcover products to develop spatially and temporally explicit maps of sagebrush rangeland condition and landscape threats. In addition, the group sought to provide a common basis for understanding the state of sagebrush rangelands through time.
U.S. Geological Survey Sagebrush Ecosystem Research Annual Report For 2020 USGS 2020 Sagebrush Ecosystem Rangewide Multiple Report This report summarizes USGS research efforts focused on the Sagebrush Biome for the year 2020.
Science Framework For Conservation and Restoration of the Sagebrush Biome: Part 1 USGS 2017 Sagebrush Ecosystem Rangewide Multiple Report The Science Framework provides a multiscale approach for prioritizing areas for management and determining effective management strategies within the sagebrush biome.
Year-Round Field Identification of Common Northern Great Basin Grasses Oregon State University Extension 2021 Sagebrush Ecosystem Great Basin Multiple Synthesis or Guide This field guide provides information on the identification of Great Basin Grasses.
Threat-Based Land Management in the Northern Great Basin: A Manager’s Guide Johnson et al. 2019 Sagebrush Ecosystem Great Basin Multiple Synthesis or Guide This guide to threat-based land management in the Northern Great Basin for managers presents a simplified framework to help land managers assess and monitor these threats at large scales. By mapping out different ecological states on your land, identifying their level of risk, and estimating how those states might change, you can choose appropriate management actions.
Science For Resource Managers Bibliography Search Tool USGS 2022 Sagebrush Ecosystem Rangewide Multiple Synthesis or Guide The Science for Resource Managers tool provides online, searchable access to USGS published annotated bibliographies on priority management topics for resource managers, currently focused primarily on issues relevant to lands in the western U.S.
Evaluating Remotely Sensed Rangeland Vegetation Maps Institute for Natural Resources 2020 Sagebrush Ecosystem Rangewide Multiple Synthesis or Guide This primer provides information on selecting and using remotely sensed vegetation maps.
Systematic Process for Determining Field-Sampling Effort Required to Know Vegetation Changes in Large, Disturbed Rangelands Where Management Treatments Have Been Applied Applestein et al. 2024 Sagebrush Ecosystem Rangewide Multiple Research Paper The authors created a flexible and scalable process for assessing sampling effort requirement for monitoring (i.e., identifying the number of plots necessary to estimate cover or other variables with 20% relative standard error).
How do accuracy and model agreement vary with versioning, scale, and landscape heterogeneity for satellite-derived vegetation maps in sagebrush steppe? Applestein et al. 2022 Sagebrush Ecosystem Rangewide Multiple Research Paper This paper compared modeled maps of vegetation cover types derived from satelive data (Rangeland Analysis Platform, Rangeland Condition Monitoring Assessment and Projection, and USGS fractional estimate of exotic annual grass cover) for accuracy in a burned area.
Guiding principles for using satellite-derived maps in rangeland management Allred et al. 2022 Sagebrush Ecosystem Rangewide Multiple Research Paper Here, the authors advance the practice of using satellite-derived maps with four guiding principles designed to increase end user confidence and thereby accessibility of these data for decision-making.
Ecological services to and from rangelands of the United States Havstad et al. 2007 Sagebrush Ecosystem Rangewide Multiple Research Paper This review paper summarizes the ecological services produced and used by rangeland systems.
Coproducing Science to Inform Working Lands: The Next Frontier in Nature Conservation. Naugle et al. 2020 Sagebrush Ecosystem Rangewide Multiple Research Paper The authors emphasize the importance of linking private land conservation and coproduction of science, presenting five elements of coproduction, contrasting how they differ from traditional approaches, and describing the role of scientists in successful partnerships.
Beyond Inventories: Emergence of a New Era in Rangeland Monitoring Jones et al. 2020 Sagebrush Ecosystem Rangewide Multiple Research Paper In this paper, 20-yr trends in plant functional type cover are presented, confirming two widespread national rangeland resource concerns: widespread increases in annual grass cover and tree cover. This data is now avaialbe in the Rangeland Analysis Platform (RAP).
Science-based guidelines for safe application of vegetation maps derived from satellite imagery Great Basin Fire Science Exchange 2023 Sagebrush Ecosystem Rangewide Multiple Webinar or Video Cara Applestein, Samuel “Jake” Price, and Matt Germino, USGS, present their latest work on accuracy assessments of the newest mapped products for burned areas. They share examples from burned, at-risk, and treated sagebrush steppe, and give guidelines for reliable application, including stating what is “unsafe” application, and the scientific basis for the guidelines. They address RAP, RCMAP, and LandCart.
Response of Big Sagebrush Plant Communities To Climate Change, Grazing, and Cheatgrass Throughout the 21st Century USGS 2020 Sagebrush Ecosystem Rangewide Multiple Webinar or Video This presentation describes research that uses a simulation model to evaluate the availability of water for plants under future climate scenarios to evaluate how climate change will affect 200 widespread big sagebrush sites and identify which locations will be especially impacted. Additional pressures from grazing and cheatgrass-wildfire interactions under future climate are also discussed.
Wetland Evaluation Tool Intermountain West Joint Venture, WAFWA 2023 Wetlands Rangewide Multiple Data Source or Tool To understand how wetland drying is affecting the Intermountain West, IWJV researchers are using satellite imagery to monitor the timing and duration of seasonal flooding on both natural and agricultural wetland habitats (the latter being primarily flood-irrigated hay or grain fields flooded postharvest) from the mid-1980’s to the present-day. This data is being shared with our partners through the Wetland Evaluation Tool (WET).
Conservation science for flyway connectivity Intermountain West Joint Venture, WAFWA 2021 Wetlands Rangewide Multiple Data Source or Tool Check out this tool to explore data on Sandhill crane flyway connectivity, identifying key stopovers sites for cranes and wetland resiliency of those sites.
Working Science for Working Landscapes: Valuing Private Land and Seasonal Water Availability in Wetland Conservation Efforts Intermountain West Joint Venture, WAFWA 2021 Wetlands Rangewide Multiple Factsheet Learn how conservation efforts on private lands adjacent to Wildlife Refuges in the Southern Oregon and Northeastern California (SONEC) region provide critical habitat for water birds.
Vulnerable, Valuable, Variable: Science-Based Assessments of Riparian and Groundwater-Dependent Ecosystems Rocky Mountain Research Station 2020 Wetlands Rangewide Multiple Factsheet In this Science You Can Use (In 5 Minutes) factsheet, learn about how Rocky Mountain Research Station scientists are working together with the Intermountain Region and National Forests to identify drivers, identify stressors, and evaluate current conditions of riparian and groundwater-dependent ecosystems.
The Call of the Cranes: What Sandhill Crane Migration Can Tell Us About Water Availability in the West Intermountain West Joint Venture, WAFWA 2021 Wetlands Rangewide Multiple Factsheet Learn how new IWJV science identifies the landscapes that are most important for Sandhill Crane migration and the conservation practices that can conserve them.
Science To Solutions: Private Lands VItal To Conserving Wet Areas Sage Grouse Initiative 2014 Wetlands Rangewide Multiple Factsheet This Science to Solutions factsheet reviews science demonstrating the importance of private lands to Sage-grouse conservation.
Science for Flood Irrigated Wet Meadows Intermountain West Joint Venture, WAFWA 2021 Wetlands Rangewide Multiple Factsheet This factsheet covers the science showing the role that flood-irrigated agricultural lands in natural floodplains are playing a key role in maintaining migratory bird populations in water-limited landscapes.
Maintaining Resiliency of Continental Waterbird Flyways Intermountain West Joint Venture, WAFWA 2021 Wetlands Rangewide Multiple Factsheet This factsheet explores how IWJV science mapping wetland resiliency to changing climate informs conservation in key sites for waterbird migration.
Intermountain Insights: Digging Deeper into Flood Irrigation Intermountain West Joint Venture, WAFWA 2020 Wetlands Rangewide Multiple Factsheet This Intermountain Insights summarizes findings from facilitated discussions with ranchers on the use of flood irrigation and how these practices benefit wet meadows.
Western Ranchers’ Perspectives on Enablers and Constraints to Flood Irrigation Sketch et al. 2020 Wetlands Rangewide Multiple Research Paper This study qualitatively addressed factors influencing ranchers who flood irrigate and how these factors interrelate by applying the Community Capitals Framework to explore what considerations act as enablers and constraints to maintaining flood irrigation and to evaluate the role of each type of capital in enabling and constraining the coproduction of working wet meadows for ranchers and the environment.
The importance of flood irrigation in water supply to wetlands in the Laramie Basin, Wyoming, USA Peck et al. 2001 Wetlands Northern Rockies Wyoming Research Paper To assess potential impacts of increased irrigation efficiency, we determined how flood irrigation affects the hydrology and types of wetlands in the Laramie Basin for 74 wetlands with 80 total inflows.
Synchronizing conservation to seasonal wetland hydrology and waterbird migration in semi‐arid landscapes Donnelly et al. 2019 Wetlands Rangewide Multiple Research Paper To better inform conservation planning, the authors quantified synchrony of wetland flooding and waterbird migration by reconstructing bi-monthly surface water patterns from 1984 to 2015 across 11.4 million ha of the semi-arid Great Basin, USAnd linking results to seasonal migration chronologies for seven dabbling ducks species.
Migration efficiency sustains connectivity across agroecological networks supporting sandhill crane migration Donnelly et al. 2021 Wetlands Rangewide Multiple Research Paper The authors examine flyway connectivity in water-limited ecosystems of western North America using 108 GPS tagged greater sandhill crane, using bird movements to reconstruct wetland stopover networks across three geographically unique sub-populations spanning 12 U.S.–Mexican states and Canadian provinces and identify long-term (1988–2019) trends in wetland and agricultural resources supporting migration.
Ecosystem Services Provided by Prairie Wetlands in Northern Rangelands. Johnson 2019 Wetlands Rangewide Multiple Research Paper This article summarizes ecosystem services provided by wetlands in Northern rangelands.
Climate and human water use diminish wetland networks supporting continental waterbird migration Donnelly et al. 2020 Wetlands Rangewide Multiple Research Paper The authors investigate the resiliency of waterbird migration networks across western North America by reconstructing long-term patterns (1984–2018) of terminal lake and wetland surface water area in 26 endorheic watersheds.
The Intersection of Bird Habitat and Forest Restoration in the Southwest The Greater Santa Fe Fireshed Coalition Wildlife & Big Game Corridors Rangewide Multiple Factsheet How does thinning for habitat restoration or to reduce hazardous fuels affect birds in the southwest? Learn about reserach on this topic from this factsheet from the Greater Santa Fe Fireshed Coalition.
A field guide companion to Western Forbs: Biology, ecology, and use in restoration Great Basin Fire Science Exchange 2024 Native Plants & Restoration Rangewide Multiple Synthesis or Guide Forbs (wildflowers) are essential components of resilient, biologically and functionally diverse communities, but their use in restoration and rehabilitation in the Intermountain West remains limited. This guide is a companion field resource to Western Forbs: Biology, Ecology, and Use in Restoration. This field guide summarizes plant, seed, and fruit identification information, general species ecology, and important tips related to seed collection and planting. It is designed to aid seed collectors, seed growers, nursery staff, landowners, restoration practitioners, and land managers as they increase the supply and use of native forbs
Not just another cheatgrass: The ventenata invasion in the interior Northwest Pacific Northwest Research Station 2023 Invasive Annual Grasses Other Oregon Factsheet In the Blue Mountain ecoregion of Oregon, ventenata (Ventenata dubia) is spreading in forest gaps, turning what were once firebreaks into highly flammable invasive grasslands. This Science Findings factsheet from the Pacific Northwest Research Station covers research lead by Becky Kerns on this topic.
A field guide companion to Western Forbs: Biology, Ecology, and Use in Restoration Rocky Mountain Research Station 2023 Native Plants & Restoration Rangewide Multiple Synthesis or Guide Forbs (wildflowers) are essential components of resilient, biologically and functionally diverse communities, but their use in restoration and rehabilitation in the Intermountain West remains limited. This guide is a companion field resource to Western Forbs: Biology, Ecology, and Use in Restoration, an online book that synthesizes existing research on and practical experience with western forb species. This first volume field guide summarizes plant, seed, and fruit identification information, general species ecology, and important tips related to seed collection and planting. It is designed to aid seed collectors, seed growers, nursery staff, landowners, restoration practitioners, and land managers as they increase the supply and use of native forbs.
Review of fuel treatment effects on fuels, fire behavior and ecological resilience in sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystems in the Western U.S. Chambers et al. 2024 Fire & Fuels Rangewide Multiple Research Paper The authors review causes of altered fire regimes and summarize literature on the longer-term effects of treatments that modify (1) shrub fuels, (2) pinyon and juniper canopy fuels, and (3) fine herbaceous fuels. The paper describes treatment effects on fuels, fire behavior, ecological resilience, and resistance to invasive annual grasses.
Sagebrush & Climate: Training for Sagebrush Conservation Practitioners USFWS 2024 Sagebrush Ecosystem Rangewide Multiple Webinar or Video This virtual training introduces sagebrush managers to topics related to climate change in sagebrush systems, covering general climate effects, wildlife vulnerabilities, and climate adaptation tools. The workshop was held virtually and recordings are available to view at your own pace. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Science Applications Program worked with the regional Climate Adaptaiton Science Centers and Boise State University to develop this series.
Defending and Growing the Core by Breaking the Cylce of Annual Grass Invasion Virtual Workshop IMAGINE 2024 Invasive Annual Grasses Rangewide Multiple Webinar or Video The IMAGINE Invasive Annual Grass Technical Transfer Partnership hosted a virtual workshop to support managers across the West in addressing invasive annuals grasses. Topics covered include invasion biology and ecology, landcape scale planning, project scale planning, herbicide considerations, and more.
Impacts of umbrella species management on non-target species Zarri et al. 2023 Conifer Expansion & Removal Northern Rockies Montana Research Paper The authors quantified the demographic effects of landscape-level restoration of sagebrush communities through conifer removal on an assemblage of sagebrush-obligate, shrubland generalist and woodland-associated songbirds. The researchers compared songbird density and reproduction between adjacent restored and uncut coniferencroached sagebrush plots in southwest Montana. They found and monitored nests to record nest fate and number of offspring produced.
Rangeland Wildlife Ecology and Conservation McNew et al. 2023 Wildlife & Big Game Corridors Rangewide Multiple Other This open access textbook covers the topics of rangeland wildlife ecology and conservation. The book inlcudes a section on rangeland ecosystem processes, a suite of species-specific chapters, and a section on socio-ecological considerations.
Conservation Outcomes Webinar: Mapping Riverscapes to Target Wetland Restoration NRCS 2024 Riparian & Wet Meadow Restoration Rangewide Multiple Webinar or Video This webinar featuring Joe Wheaton (USU) and Jeremy Maestas (NRCS) shows an approach to prioritizing low-tech process-based restoration work using the Valley Bottom Extraction Tool.
Evidence for the Multiple Benefits of Wetland Conservation in North America: Carbon, Biodiversity, and Beyond Point Blue Conservation Science 2024 Wetlands Rangewide Multiple Report To provide access to support in the literature for wetland conservation and restoration, the authors synthesized evidence from 160 studies for the wide range of benefits associated with wetland conservation and restoration, how they vary by wetland class, and factors contributing to their variation.
Rangeland Gateway Virtual Fence Website Rangeland Gateway 2024 Grazing Rangewide Multiple Webinar or Video This digital guide was created to empower ranchers and land managers to effectively evaluate and use VF for improved rangeland management. Explore the foundations of VF factsheets, watch the videos, access geospatial resources, and explore handouts from workshops and webinars to better understand a VF system.
Colorado Beaver Activity Mapper Colorado Wetland Information Center 2024 Riparian & Wet Meadow Restoration Colorado Plateau Colorado Data Source or Tool The Colorado Beaver Activity Mapper (COBAM) is a tool for watershed managers, planners, ecologists, restoration practitioners, and others to explore recent and historical beaver activity alongside potential habitat suitability to identify opportunities for conservation and riverscape restoration.
Colorado River Basin Dynamic Wetland Mapper Colorado Natural Heritage Center 2024 Riparian & Wet Meadow Restoration Colorado Plateau Colorado Data Source or Tool The Colorado River Basin Dynamic Wetland Mapper is intended to assist watershed managers, planners, and restoration practitioners explore modeled wetland and open water areas, along with recent beaver activity and potential beaver habitat suitability across the basin for riverscape restoration.
Prioritizing Mesic and Riparian Restoration across Large Rangeland Landscapes SageCon Partnership 2024 Riparian & Wet Meadow Restoration Great Basin Multiple Synthesis or Guide Riparian areas are important everywhere, but are especially vital in rangelands as a rare source of water in an arid environment, providing critical and limiting habitat for many species. This workflow highlights a step-by-step process using a combination of remotely sensed data layers and field-based assessment for prioritizing mesic and riparian areas in rangelands. This workflow prioritizes areas for mesic protection and restoration based primarily on ecological importance and climate resilience.
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