Consequences of Treating Wyoming Big Sagebrush to Enhance Wildlife Habitats

Beck, Jeffrey L.; Connelly, John W.; Wambolt, Carl L.

doi:10.2111/rem-d-10-00123.1

Cited by 83 publications

(71 citation statements)

References 84 publications

(167 reference statements)

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“…As of 2000, 50-60% of native sagebrush steppe had an understory of exotic annual grasses or had been entirely converted to nonnative annual grasslands (West 2000). Landscape conversion and fragmentation have isolated local populations of sagebrush obligates and left them vulnerable to habitat disturbances (Knick et al 2003, Beck et al 2012, as other areas of suitable habitat may not be nearby or easily accessible. Landscape conversion and fragmentation have isolated local populations of sagebrush obligates and left them vulnerable to habitat disturbances (Knick et al 2003, Beck et al 2012, as other areas of suitable habitat may not be nearby or easily accessible.…”

Section: Managing Fluctuating Sagebrush Landscapesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Historical fire regimes, reconstructed from land‐survey data, led to complexity and fluctuation in sagebrush landscapes

Bukowski

Baker

2013

Ecological Applications

105

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Sagebrush landscapes provide habitat for Sage-Grouse and other sagebrush obligates, yet historical fire regimes and the structure of historical sagebrush landscapes are poorly known, hampering ecological restoration and management. To remedy this, General Land Office Survey (GLO) survey notes were used to reconstruct over two million hectares of historical vegetation for four sagebrush-dominated (Artemisia spp.) study areas in the western United States. Reconstructed vegetation was analyzed for fire indicators used to identify historical fires and reconstruct historical fire regimes. Historical fire-size distributions were inverse-J shaped, and one fire > 100 000 ha was identified. Historical fire rotations were estimated at 171-342 years for Wyoming big sagebrush (A. tridentata ssp. wyomingensis) and 137-217 years for mountain big sagebrush (A. tridentata ssp. vaseyana). Historical fire and patch sizes were significantly larger in Wyoming big sagebrush than mountain big sagebrush, and historical fire rotations were significantly longer in Wyoming big sagebrush than mountain big sagebrush. Historical fire rotations in Wyoming were longer than those in other study areas. Fine-scale mosaics of burned and unburned area and larger unburned inclusions within fire perimeters were less common than in modern fires. Historical sagebrush landscapes were dominated by large, contiguous areas of sagebrush, though large grass-dominated areas and finer-scale mosaics of grass and sagebrush were also present in smaller amounts. Variation in sagebrush density was a common source of patchiness, and areas classified as "dense" made up 24.5% of total sagebrush area, compared to 16.3% for "scattered" sagebrush. Results suggest significant differences in historical and modern fire regimes. Modern fire rotations in Wyoming big sagebrush are shorter than historical fire rotations. Results also suggest that historical sagebrush landscapes would have fluctuated, because of infrequent episodes of large fires and long periods of recovery and maturity. Due to fragmentation of sagebrush landscapes, the large, contiguous expanses of sagebrush that dominated historically are most at risk and in need of conservation, including both dense and scattered sagebrush. Fire suppression in Wyoming big sagebrush may also be advisable, as modern fire rotations are shorter than their historical counterparts.

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Section: Managing Fluctuating Sagebrush Landscapesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Large unfragmented expanses are also critical for continued survival of sagebrush-obligate species (Beck et al 2012). These treatments are generally detrimental to sagebrush-obligate species (Beck et al 2012). These treatments are generally detrimental to sagebrush-obligate species (Beck et al 2012).…”

Section: Managing Fluctuating Sagebrush Landscapesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Historical fire regimes, reconstructed from land‐survey data, led to complexity and fluctuation in sagebrush landscapes

Bukowski

Baker

2013

Ecological Applications

105

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“…This study has important implications for the management of alpine and sub‐alpine ecosystems in the White Mountains. Management efforts in sagebrush ecosystems often aim to reduce the quantity of woody vegetation in order to increase herbaceous forage for livestock (Beck, Connelly, & Wambolt, ). Shrub removal can also reduce fuel loads, thus increasing the system's resistance to fire, a primary source of disturbance and degradation (Chambers et al., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant community response to Artemisia rothrockii (sagebrush) encroachment and removal along an arid elevational gradient

Kopp

Cleland

2018

J Vegetation Science

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Questions Shrub expansion into alpine ecosystems worldwide raises important questions regarding the influence of shrub encroachment on alpine species diversity. The stress gradient hypothesis (SGH) predicts interactions will be competitive when resources are plentiful and the environment is benign, but that facilitative interactions will dominate when conditions are stressful. We asked how Artemisia rothrockii (sagebrush) encroachment in an arid mountain range is affecting alpine plant species there and how the plant community responds to the experimental removal of sagebrush at three sites along an elevational gradient. Location The White Mountains, California, USA (37°30′N, 118°10′W). Methods A shrub removal experiment was established at three elevations (2,900, 3,100 and 3,750 m) to evaluate how sagebrush interacts with alpine and sub‐alpine plant communities. Results The study sites experienced a strong drought over the 4 yrs of the experiment and plant cover declined overall. However, in the sagebrush removal treatment, cover of co‐occurring species increased at both the high‐elevation and low‐elevation sites, with no differences observed at the mid‐elevation site. Conclusions We observed the greatest inhibitory effects of sagebrush at high and low elevations, where plants experience the largest temperature and moisture stress, respectively, and no evidence of facilitation anywhere along the elevational gradient. These results demonstrate that while sagebrush has important influences on herbaceous species composition in the White Mountains, they are inconsistent with the classic predictions of the SGH.

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“…In contrast, the Yakima population continued a long-term decline. Beck et al (2012) advocated eliminating sagebrush control management actions in sagebrush communities until new studies can demonstrate their positive consequences for sage-grouse and other wildlife species yet these still persist (Connelly 2014).…”

Section: Evidence For Stabilized or Increasing Populationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The relative importance of intrinsic and extrinsic drivers to population growth vary among local populations of Greater Sage-Grouse: An integrated population modeling approach

Coates

Prochazka

Ricca

et al. 2018

The Auk

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Abstract. We updated our earlier comprehensive analysis of Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) population dynamics and probability of persistence from 1965 to 2007 throughout the species range by accumulating and analyzing additional counts of males from 2008 to 2013. A total of 89,749 counts were conducted by biologists and volunteers at 10,060 leks from 1965 through 2013 in 11 states occupied by Greater Sage-Grouse. In spite of survey effort increasing substantially (12.6%) between 2007 and 2013, the reconstructed estimate for minimum number of breeding males in the population, using standard approximations for missing values from Colorado, fell by 56% from109,990 breeding males in 2007 to 48,641 breeding males in 2013. The best model of annual rates of change of populations estimated across the Sage-Grouse Management Zones was a stochastic density dependent Gompertz model with 1-year time lags and declining carrying capacities through time. Weighted mean estimates of carrying capacity for the minimum number of males counted at leks for the entire range-wide distribution, excepting Colorado, were 40,505 (SE 6,444) in 2013 declining to 19,517 (SE 3,269) in 30 years and 8,154 (SE 1,704) in 100 years. Starting with the estimated abundance of males counted at leks in 2007 a simple effort to evaluate the validity of future forecasts of abundance was conducted by forecasting abundance in 2013 from Gompertz density dependent models with 1-year time lag and declining carrying capacity models of 6 of the 7 management zone populations. Estimated mean abundance in 2013 predicted 97.8% of the variation in true abundance in management zones. Concerted efforts across both public and private land ownerships that are intended to benefit Greater Sage-Grouse show little current evidence of success but more will be required to stabilize these declining populations and ensure their continued persistence in the face of ongoing development and habitat modification in the broad sagebrush region of western

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Consequences of Treating Wyoming Big Sagebrush to Enhance Wildlife Habitats

Abstract: Consequences of treating Wyoming big sagebrush to enhance wildlife habitats. Rangeland Ecology & Management, 65(5), 444-455.

Cited by 83 publications

References 84 publications

Historical fire regimes, reconstructed from land‐survey data, led to complexity and fluctuation in sagebrush landscapes

Historical fire regimes, reconstructed from land‐survey data, led to complexity and fluctuation in sagebrush landscapes

Plant community response to Artemisia rothrockii (sagebrush) encroachment and removal along an arid elevational gradient

The relative importance of intrinsic and extrinsic drivers to population growth vary among local populations of Greater Sage-Grouse: An integrated population modeling approach

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