Longer-Term Evaluation of Sagebrush Restoration After Juniper Control and Herbaceous Vegetation Trade-offs

Davies, Kirk W.; Bates, Jon D.

doi:10.1016/j.rama.2018.10.006

Cited by 13 publications

(13 citation statements)

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“…, but see Davies and Bates ). Restoration is usually more successful at wetter, cooler sites (Davies and Bates ) and associated with limited non‐native cover, whereas low‐elevation sites and sagebrush seedings tend to have limited success (Knutson et al. ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…We found limited biologically meaningful associations for post-fire restoration treatments. Unfortunately, restoration treatments have limited success in the Great Basin (Knutson et al 2014, Pyke et al 2015, but see Davies and Bates 2019). Restoration is usually more successful at wetter, cooler sites (Davies and Bates 2019) and associated with limited non-native cover, whereas lowelevation sites and sagebrush seedings tend to have limited success (Knutson et al 2014).…”

Section: Additional Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The B. tectorumdominated areas in the Great Basin have more frequent fires, which further impact community structure and function to favor B. tectorum (Balch et al 2013. Wetter and cooler sites, typified by increasing elevation, more herbaceous (grass and forb) cover, and changes in sagebrush taxa, show increased resilience and resistance to invasion, that is, a greater ability to return to their prior state following disturbance, more success in restoration treatments, and a lessened positive fire feedback with non-native species , Knutson et al 2014, Taylor et al 2014, Davies and Bates 2019.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fire and development influences on sagebrush community plant groups across a climate gradient in northern Nevada

et al. 2019

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The sagebrush biome covers much of the western United States yet is at risk from ongoing disturbances. Physical disturbances such as fire often overcome the resistance of sagebrush communities to biological disturbances such as invasion by non‐native species, but the impact of burn severity or combined disturbance types on sagebrush community composition remains unclear. We examined the relationship between native functional groups and non‐native annual grass cover to the number of fires, burn severity, anthropogenic development, and vegetation treatments in northern Nevada, USA. We used Bureau of Land Management vegetation monitoring plots and existing climate, fire, and vegetation treatment databases to explore relationships using beta regression. After accounting for mean annual precipitation and temperature, and elevation, we quantified functional group mean cover related to levels of burn severity, numbers of fires, development, and vegetation treatments. Native herbaceous (grass and forb) groups were resilient to fire, but fire caused large declines in shrub and sagebrush cover. Non‐native annual grass cover was associated with higher burn severity and the first fire at a site. We did not find evidence that post‐fire restoration treatments were associated with increased native cover or decreased non‐native cover. However, shrub control and soil disturbing treatments (discing and chaining) were associated with decreased native perennial grass cover and increased non‐native annual grass cover. Functional groups displayed varying patterns related to anthropogenic development and fire. For example, development had a larger impact on non‐native cover at lower levels of burn severity, whereas forbs increased following fire only at lower levels of development. Although in some cases sagebrush communities showed resilience to disturbance, our results showed resistance to invasion by non‐native annual grasses can be overcome by combinations of disturbances at lower levels or by severe events.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Additional Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fire and development influences on sagebrush community plant groups across a climate gradient in northern Nevada

et al. 2019

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“…Burning during the winter season or on snow cover can protect perennial bunchgrasses, but can also be challenging to implement [75,76]. Seeding is commonly incorporated into treatment plans to re-establish desired species, but its success also varies with weather conditions in the year following treatment [57,63,68,69,77]. Photographs of the Onaqui site in this study showing: (a) the common woodland vegetation structure on sagebrush (Artemisia spp.)…”

Section: Tree Removal Practices To Conserve Sagebrush Steppementioning

confidence: 99%

Long-Term Effectiveness of Tree Removal to Re-Establish Sagebrush Steppe Vegetation and Associated Spatial Patterns in Surface Conditions and Soil Hydrologic Properties

Williams

Johnson

Pierson

et al. 2020

Water

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Pinyon (Pinus spp.) and juniper (Juniperus spp.) woodland encroachment into sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) steppe communities throughout western North America has substantially altered the vegetation structure and hydrologic function of one of the most ecologically important rangeland ecosystems in the world. Various pinyon and juniper tree removal practices are employed to re-establish sagebrush steppe vegetation and an associated resource-conserving ecohydrologic function. The effectiveness of these practices is highly variable owing to the vast domain in which woodland encroachment occurs, climate fluctuations, differences in treatment applications, and myriads of pre-treatment conditions and post-treatment land uses. 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. Specifically, we assessed the effects of tree removal on: (1) vegetation and ground cover at the hillslope scale (990 m2 plots) and (2) associated spatial patterns in point-scale ground surface conditions and soil hydrologic properties along transects extending from tree bases and into the intercanopy areas between trees. Both sites were in mid to late stages of woodland encroachment with extensive bare conditions (~60–80% bare ground) throughout a degraded intercanopy area (~75% of the domain) surrounding tree islands (~25% of domain, subcanopy areas). All treatments effectively removed mature tree cover and increased hillslope vegetation. Enhanced herbaceous cover (4–15-fold increases) in burned areas reduced bare interspace (bare area between plants) by at least 4-fold and improved intercanopy hydraulic conductivity (> than 2-fold) and overall ecohydrologic function. Mechanical treatments retained or increased sagebrush and generally increased the intercanopy herbaceous vegetation. Intercanopy ground surface conditions and soil hydrologic properties in mechanical treatments were generally similar to those in burned areas but were also statistically similar to the same measures in untreated areas in most cases. This suggests that vegetation and ground surface conditions in mechanical treatments are trending toward a significantly improved hydrologic function over time. Treatments had limited impact on soil hydrologic properties within subcanopy areas; however, burning did reduce the soil water repellency strength and the occurrence of strong soil water repellency underneath trees by three- to four-fold. Overall, the treatments over a 13-year period enhanced the vegetation, ground surface conditions, and soil hydrologic properties that promote infiltration and limit runoff generation for intercanopy areas representing ~75% of the area at the sites. However, ecological tradeoffs in treatment alternatives were evident. The variations in woodland responses across sites, treatments, and measurement scales in this long-term study illustrate the complexity in predicting vegetation and hydrologic responses to tree removal on woodland-encroached sagebrush sites and underpin the need and value of multi-scale long-term studies.

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“…Tree‐reduction treatments in pinyon‐juniper woodlands, including mechanical treatments (such as cut‐and‐leave and mastication) and prescribed fire, have been widely implemented to reduce woody fuels and improve sagebrush‐dependent wildlife habitat (Miller et al 2019; Reinhardt et al 2020). Tree‐reduction treatment types differ in severity and can lead to long‐term changes in ecosystem structure and function (Williams et al 2018, Davies and Bates 2019). Effective ecosystem management requires identifying where on the landscape particular treatments achieve desired objectives while minimizing unanticipated consequences.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant functional groups and species contribute to ecological resilience a decade after woodland expansion treatments

et al. 2021

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Woody plant expansions are altering ecosystem structure and function, as well as fire regimes, around the globe. Tree-reduction treatments are widely implemented in expanding woodlands to reduce fuel loads, increase ecological resilience, and improve habitat, but few studies have measured treatment outcomes over long timescales or large geographic areas. The Sagebrush Treatment Evaluation Project (SageSTEP) evaluated the ecological effects of prescribed fire and cut-and-leave treatments in sagebrush communities experiencing tree expansion in North American cold desert shrublands. We used 10 yr of data from the SageSTEP network to test how treatments interacted with pre-treatment tree dominance, soil climate, and time since treatment to affect plant functional groups and dominant species. Non-sprouting shrub (Artemisia spp.), sprouting shrub, perennial graminoid, and annual grass responses depended on tree dominance and soil climate, and responses were related to the dominant species' life-history traits. Sites with warm and dry soils showed increased perennial graminoid but reduced Artemisia shrub cover across the tree dominance gradient after prescribed burning, while sites with cool and moist soils showed favorable post-burn responses for both functional types, particularly at low to moderate tree dominance. Cut-and-leave treatments sustained or increased native perennial plant functional groups and experienced smaller increases in exotic annual plants in both soil climates across the tree dominance gradient. Both treatments reduced biocrust cover. Selecting appropriate tree-reduction treatments to achieve desired longterm outcomes requires consideration of dominant species, site environmental conditions, and the degree of woodland expansion. Careful selection of management treatments will reduce the likelihood of undesirable consequences to the ecosystem.

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Longer-Term Evaluation of Sagebrush Restoration After Juniper Control and Herbaceous Vegetation Trade-offs

Cited by 13 publications

References 61 publications

Fire and development influences on sagebrush community plant groups across a climate gradient in northern Nevada

Fire and development influences on sagebrush community plant groups across a climate gradient in northern Nevada

Long-Term Effectiveness of Tree Removal to Re-Establish Sagebrush Steppe Vegetation and Associated Spatial Patterns in Surface Conditions and Soil Hydrologic Properties

Plant functional groups and species contribute to ecological resilience a decade after woodland expansion treatments

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