Topographic control of vegetation in a mountain big sagebrush steppe

Vegetatio ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 84 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingrid C. Burke ◽  
William A. Reiners ◽  
Richard K. Olson
Keyword(s):  
Sagebrush Steppe ◽  
Big Sagebrush

scholarly journals Aboveground and Belowground Carbon Pools After Fire in Mountain Big Sagebrush Steppe

2010 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meagan B. Cleary ◽  
Elise Pendall ◽  
Brent E. Ewers
Keyword(s):  
Sagebrush Steppe ◽  
Carbon Pools ◽  
Big Sagebrush ◽  
Belowground Carbon

Restoration of Mountain Big Sagebrush Steppe Following Prescribed Burning to Control Western Juniper

2014 ◽  
Vol 53 (5) ◽  
pp. 1015-1022 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. W. Davies ◽  
J. D. Bates ◽  
M. D. Madsen ◽  
A. M. Nafus
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Sagebrush Steppe ◽  
Big Sagebrush ◽  
Western Juniper

scholarly journals The Seasonal Water Balance of Western-Juniper-Dominated and Big-Sagebrush-Dominated Watersheds

Hydrology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 156
Author(s):  
Nicole Durfee ◽  
Carlos G. Ochoa
Keyword(s):  
Water Balance ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
Potential Evapotranspiration ◽  
Shallow Aquifer ◽  
Annual Precipitation ◽  
Sagebrush Steppe ◽  
Deep Percolation ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Big Sagebrush ◽  
Western Juniper

The combined impacts of woody plant encroachment and climate variability have the potential to alter the water balance in many sagebrush steppe ecosystems in the Western USA, leading to reduced water availability in these already water-scarce regions. This study compared the water-balance characteristics of two adjacent semiarid watersheds in central Oregon, USA: one dominated by big sagebrush and one dominated by western juniper. Precipitation, springflow, streamflow, shallow groundwater levels, and soil moisture were measured. The potential evapotranspiration was calculated using the Hargreaves–Samani method. Potential evapotranspiration and a water-balance approach were used to calculate seasonal actual evapotranspiration. The shallow aquifer recharge was calculated using the Water-Table-Fluctuation-Method. Evapotranspiration, followed by deep percolation, accounted for the largest portion (83% to 86% of annual precipitation) of water output for both watersheds. Springflow and streamflow rates were generally greater at the sagebrush-dominated watershed. Snow-dominated years showed greater amounts of groundwater recharge and deep percolation than years where a larger portion of precipitation fell as rain, even when total annual precipitation amounts were similar. This study’s results highlight the role of vegetation dynamics, such as juniper encroachment, and seasonal precipitation characteristics, on water availability in semiarid rangeland ecosystems.

Longer-term post-fire succession on Wyoming big sagebrush steppe

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 229
Author(s):  
Jonathan D. Bates ◽  
Chad S. Boyd ◽  
Kirk W. Davies
Keyword(s):  
Total Yield ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Sagebrush Steppe ◽  
Burn Treatment ◽  
Burned Areas ◽  
Big Sagebrush ◽  
Annual Component ◽  
Wyoming Big Sagebrush ◽  
Two Stages ◽  
Sagebrush Obligate

We assessed plant community succession following prescribed fire on ungrazed Wyoming big sagebrush steppe, eastern Oregon. Treatments were burned (Burn; September and October, 2002) and unburned (Control) sagebrush steppe. Herbaceous yield, vegetation canopy cover and density were compared between treatments after fire (2003–18). Herbaceous yield in the Burn treatment was about double the Control for most of the study period. Prior to fire, native perennials comprised 90–95% of herbaceous yield. After fire, native perennials represented 78% (range 67–93%) and exotic annuals 22% (range 7–33%) of total yield. Exotic annuals increased after fire and responded in two stages. In the first 8 years after fire, desert alyssum dominated the annual plant composition. In the last half of the study, cheatgrass co-dominated the annual component with alyssum. Sagebrush recovery was slow and we estimated sagebrush cover would return to pre-burn levels, at the earliest, in 115 years. Burning Wyoming big sagebrush steppe would be detrimental to sagebrush-obligate wildlife for an extended time period, because of lost cover and structure provided by sagebrush. The additional forage provided on burned areas may give livestock manager’s greater flexibility to rest or defer unburned habitat for wildlife species of critical concern.

scholarly journals Short-term Effects of Burning Wyoming Big Sagebrush Steppe in Southeast Oregon

2007 ◽  
Vol 60 (5) ◽  
pp. 515-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirk W. Davies ◽  
Jonathan D. Bates ◽  
Richard F. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Sagebrush Steppe ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Big Sagebrush ◽  
Wyoming Big Sagebrush ◽  
Short Term Effects

Identifying key climate and environmental factors affecting rates of post-fire big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) recovery in the northern Columbia Basin, USA

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (9) ◽  
pp. 933 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas J. Shinneman ◽  
Susan K. McIlroy
Keyword(s):  
Artemisia Tridentata ◽  
Fire Frequency ◽  
Mixed Effects Models ◽  
Sagebrush Steppe ◽  
Columbia Basin ◽  
Percentage Cover ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Big Sagebrush ◽  
Wyoming Big Sagebrush

Sagebrush steppe of North America is considered highly imperilled, in part owing to increased fire frequency. Sagebrush ecosystems support numerous species, and it is important to understand those factors that affect rates of post-fire sagebrush recovery. We explored recovery of Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis) and basin big sagebrush (A. tridentata ssp. tridentata) communities following fire in the northern Columbia Basin (Washington, USA). We sampled plots across 16 fires that burned in big sagebrush communities from 5 to 28 years ago, and also sampled nearby unburned locations. Mixed-effects models demonstrated that density of large–mature big sagebrush plants and percentage cover of big sagebrush were higher with time since fire and in plots with more precipitation during the winter immediately following fire, but were lower when precipitation the next winter was higher than average, especially on soils with higher available water supply, and with greater post-fire mortality of mature big sagebrush plants. Bunchgrass cover 5 to 28 years after fire was predicted to be lower with higher cover of both shrubs and non-native herbaceous species, and only slightly higher with time. Post-fire recovery of big sagebrush in the northern Columbia Basin is a slow process that may require several decades on average, but faster recovery rates may occur under specific site and climate conditions.

scholarly journals The Effect of Seeding Treatments and Climate on Fire Regimes in Wyoming Sagebrush Steppe

Fire ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 16
Author(s):  
Chris Bowman-Prideaux ◽  
Beth A. Newingham ◽  
Eva K. Strand
Keyword(s):  
Fire Regime ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Fire Frequency ◽  
Western United States ◽  
Sagebrush Steppe ◽  
Annual Grass ◽  
Big Sagebrush ◽  
Return Interval ◽  
Arid Steppe ◽  
Wyoming Big Sagebrush

Wildfire size and frequency have increased in the western United States since the 1950s, but it is unclear how seeding treatments have altered fire regimes in arid steppe systems. We analyzed how the number of fires since 1955 and the fire return interval and frequency between 1995 and 2015 responded to seeding treatments, anthropogenic features, and abiotic landscape variables in Wyoming big sagebrush ecosystems. Arid sites had more fires than mesic sites and fire return intervals were shortest on locations first treated between 1975 and 2000. Sites drill seeded before the most recent fire had fewer, less frequent fires with longer fire return intervals (15–20 years) than aerially seeded sites (intervals of 5–8 years). The response of fire regime variables at unseeded sites fell between those of aerial and drill seeding. Increased moisture availability resulted in decreased fire frequency between 1994 and 2014 and the total number of fires since 1955 on sites with unseeded and aerially pre-fire seeding, but fire regimes did not change when drill seeded. Greater annual grass biomass likely contributed to frequent fires in the arid region. In Wyoming big sagebrush steppe, drill seeding treatments reduced wildfire risk relative to aerial seeded or unseeded sites.

scholarly journals Postfire Succession in Big Sagebrush Steppe With Livestock Grazing

2009 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 98-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan D. Bates ◽  
Edward C. Rhodes ◽  
Kirk W. Davies ◽  
Robert Sharp
Keyword(s):  
Livestock Grazing ◽  
Sagebrush Steppe ◽  
Big Sagebrush ◽  
Postfire Succession

Comparing Burned and Mowed Treatments in Mountain Big Sagebrush Steppe

2012 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 451-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. W. Davies ◽  
J. D. Bates ◽  
A. M. Nafus
Keyword(s):  
Sagebrush Steppe ◽  
Big Sagebrush
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