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

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.

In vitro Regeneration, Rooting, and Cloning of Artemisia tridentata

Artemisia tridentata (big sagebrush) is an ecologically important shrub found in western North America. In vitro techniques can be applied to big sagebrush for the purpose of studying gene function, genotypic and phenotypic plasticity studies, cloning, genotypic preservation, and restoration. I performed experiments to develop an indirect organogenesis protocol to regenerate whole Wyoming big sagebrush plants from leaf explants. Callus formation frequency was 88% (±4.0%) in leaf explants cultured on medium containing 0.5 mg/l BAP and 1.0 mg/l NAA. Shoot formation frequency was variable between replicates and was the highest when callus tissue was cultured on medium containing 1.5 mg/l BAP and 0.1 mg/l NAA, 37% to 80%. I tested several auxin treatments to induce root formation and concluded the best to be 0.5mg/l IBA, which yielded 42% to 60% rooting. Taking into account all these variables, I estimate the total regeneration efficiency to range between 14% to 43% on this set of treatments. This protocol was also applied to basin big sagebrush. Callus formation was 100% in leaf explants. Shoot formation was 34% (±14.6%), but shoots exhibited a hyperhydric phenotype and were not transferred to root induction medium. The in vitro regeneration protocol developed is a crucial element that would be required to transform big sagebrush using molecular approaches. Experiments were also conducted to determine the feasibility of shoot tip and nodal cuttings to develop adventitious roots in vitro. This method can provide genetically identical material much faster than in vitro regeneration. Adventitious root formation in Wyoming big sagebrush cuttings cultured on two media types was inconsistent, ranging from 10% in some experiments to 80% in others. Limited success was achieved in nodal cuttings cultured on modified MS medium containing auxin and cytokinin 12.5% (±5.6%). No root formation was achieved in mature plant tissue collected in the field. Results indicated that genotypic influences were likely more responsible for variations in rooting than the medium or vessel conditions tested. Cloning experiments in basin big sagebrush further supported this notion. All material for these experiments came from half-sibling individuals that was maintained separately throughout the course of the experiments. Some half-siblings formed no adventitious roots on any treatments tested whereas others had high rates of formation on all treatments. Further studies, utilizing exogenous PGRs, such as auxins, may provide more successful adventitious root formation in shoot tips from both big sagebrush subspecies.

Fire-Environment Analysis: An Example of Army Garrison Camp Williams, Utah

The planning of fuel treatments for ecological or societal purposes requires an in-depth understanding of the conditions associated with the occurrence of free-burning fire behavior for the area of concern. Detailed fire-environment analysis for Army Garrison Camp Williams (AGCW) in north-central Utah was completed as a prerequisite for fuel treatment planning, using a procedure that could be generally applied. Vegetation and fuels data, topographic and terrain features, and weather and climate data, were assessed and integrated into predictive fuel models to aid planning. A fire behavior fuel model map was developed from biophysical variables, vegetation type, and plot survey data using random forests, and resulted in an overall classification rate of 72%. The predominate vegetation type-fuel complex was grass, followed by lesser amounts of Gambel oak, Wyoming big sagebrush and Utah juniper. The majority of AGCW is mountainous in nature, characterized by slopes less than 40% in steepness with slightly more northerly and easterly aspects than south and west, and elevations that ranged from 1650 to 1950 m above mean sea level. Local fire weather data compiled from the three nearest remote automated weather stations indicated that average temperature maxima (32 °C) and relative humidity minima (12%) usually occurred between 1400 to 1500 h daily, and from July to August, seasonally. The semi-arid climate at AGCW, coupled with the corresponding preponderance of flashy fuel types and sloping terrain, constitutes a formidable fire environment in which to plan for mitigating against adverse fire behavior.

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

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.