Post‐Fire Control of Invasive Plants Promotes Native Recovery in a Burned Desert Shrubland

Steers, Robert J.; Allen, Edith B.

doi:10.1111/j.1526-100x.2009.00622.x

Cited by 42 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…B. tournefortii has high rates of rapid, early emergence (Marushia 2009). This difference in phenology between exotic and native species could create a window of opportunity for management during the period between exotic and native emergence (Steers & Allen 2009). Removing exotic species just after emergence could prevent impacts to natives from competition and reduce the number of exotic plants overall, even if later rain events produced new cohorts (Steers 2008; Steers & Allen 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phenology as a basis for management of exotic annual plants in desert invasions

Marushia

Cadotte

Holt

2010

Journal of Applied Ecology

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1. Exotic annual plants are an increasingly important ecological issue and new, creative approaches to management are required. In desert ecosystems of the southwestern USA, the forbs Brassica tournefortii, Erodium cicutarium and Schismus spp. dominate and alter native annual communities. Hand weeding B. tournefortii is currently the most common control method employed, but weeding is inadequate and expensive for managing large-scale invasions. New methods must be developed to conserve and restore desert ecosystems. 2. Exotic annuals in desert systems have rapid germination and phenology compared to natives, indicating that a window for selective control of exotic annuals may occur immediately after exotic seedling emergence. We tested the role of timing in control methods by comparing a cotyledon-stage glyphosate application to a bolting-stage application and to hand weeding B. tournefortii, plus an untreated check. Treatments were tested at two sites dominated by either exotic or native annuals and followed for 2 years; early application was repeated the second year. Cover and richness were evaluated during seedling and peak flowering stages underneath and between shrubs. 3. Early glyphosate application did not affect native cover, but did reduce exotic cover. Late herbicide negatively impacted both exotics and natives. Natives had little positive response, and then only through hand weeding under shrubs, but the same treatment caused an increase in the exotic E. cicutarium. 4. Synthesis and applications. The rapid phenology of exotic annuals may be exploited to control exotics while minimizing impacts on native plants in desert communities. This approach may be useful for other invasions in other ecosystems by species with rapid, early germination, or may act as a supplement to improve the efficacy of existing management regimes.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phenology as a basis for management of exotic annual plants in desert invasions

Marushia

Cadotte

Holt

2010

Journal of Applied Ecology

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“…No action could leave burned areas in an undesired ecological condition for years (Newhall et al 2004, Steers and Allen 2010, Knutson et al 2014. Applying seed without any attempt to increase soil-seed contact (either using rangeland drill or roughening approaches) can result in very low germination rates (Winkel et al 1991, Bakker et al 2003.…”

Section: How Then To Decide If Active Rehabilitation Is Needed and Imentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating rehabilitation efforts following the Milford Flat Fire: successes, failures, and controlling factors

2015

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Abstract. Uncontrolled wildfire in arid and semiarid ecosystems has become an increasing concern in recent decades. Active rehabilitation of fire-affected areas is often quickly initiated to minimize long-term ecosystem damage. However, the complex soil-geomorphic-vegetation patterns and low and variable moisture conditions in these regions makes restoration challenging. To further inform these post-fire management decisions, we present results from 5 years of vegetation and sediment flux monitoring following the Milford Flat Fire in west-central Utah, USA. Our sampling design includes monitoring plots in areas not burned, areas burned but where no rehabilitation was attempted, and burned areas where various rehabilitation approaches were implemented. At each of the 25 plots, vegetation cover and composition data were collected annually, and wind-driven sediment flux was measured using passive dust traps. To evaluate effectiveness of post-fire rehabilitation treatments in establishing desired species and limiting dominance of undesired species, we analyzed the temporal response of individual species and functional groups as well as community-level multivariate responses. The warm and dry conditions that persisted for approximately 12 months post-treatment, coupled with the surface disturbing rehabilitation approaches used, resulted in near-surface dust fluxes several orders of magnitude higher in treated areas than in unburned or burned areas where no rehabilitation occurred. These dry conditions and high surface sediment flux limited the establishment of seeded species in rehabilitation areas for nearly 3 years. Post-fire rehabilitation did not limit dominance by invasive annual species of concern. Perennial species composition in the areas burned but not subject to post-fire rehabilitation was relatively similar to unburned throughout the study period. In contrast, the burned plots where rehabilitation was attempted were characterized by no (,3%) perennial cover or, in response to moister conditions, seeded forage species. These results suggest the post-fire rehabilitation efforts conducted in the lower elevation regions affected by the Milford Flat Fire were not generally successful. Though dry conditions are likely to blame for the lack of success, the low and variable precipitation characteristic of these regions suggest future post-fire rehabilitation decisions must assume that precipitation is going to be insufficient and plan rehabilitation efforts that are resilient to dry conditions.

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“…Similarly, hand weeding Brassica tournefortii increased Erodium (Marushia et al 2010). In a post-fire environment dominated by non-native annuals, Steers and Allen (2010) had more encouraging results where herbicide not only reduced the grasses Bromus and Schismus, it also reduced Erodium. Native annual forbs increased, and the native grass sixweeks fescue (Vulpia octoflora) was not damaged (Steers and Allen 2010).…”

Section: Implications For Species Mapping and Management Planningmentioning

confidence: 81%

“…In a post-fire environment dominated by non-native annuals, Steers and Allen (2010) had more encouraging results where herbicide not only reduced the grasses Bromus and Schismus, it also reduced Erodium. Native annual forbs increased, and the native grass sixweeks fescue (Vulpia octoflora) was not damaged (Steers and Allen 2010). The treatments exploited the accelerated early season phenology of non-native annuals (compared to native annuals) by applying herbicide early in the growing season.…”

Section: Implications For Species Mapping and Management Planningmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Moreover, the ecosystem engineer, Bromus rubens, occurred in 60% of plots. By providing copious and persistent fuel, this species promotes spread of wildfire, a novel disturbance requiring centuries for recovery of mature perennial communities in this desert (Abella 2010, Steers andAllen 2010). Some other frequent species, such as Tamarix ramosissima, also can dramatically impact indigenous ecosystems, including riparian areas which are hotspots of native biodiversity (Shafroth et al 2005).…”

Section: Invasion Statusmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Status and management of non-native plant invasion in three of the largest national parks in the United States

Abella¹,

Fisichelli²,

Schmid³

et al. 2015

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Globally, invasion by non-native plants threatens resources that nature reserves are designated to protect. We assessed the status of non-native plant invasion on 1,662, 0.1-ha plots in Death Valley National Park, Mojave National Preserve, and Lake Mead National Recreation Area. These parks comprise 2.5 million ha, 23% of the national park land in the contiguous USA. At least one non-native species inhabited 82% of plots. Thirty-one percent of plots contained one non-native species, 30% two, 17% three, and 4% four to ten non-native species. Red brome (Bromus rubens), an 'ecosystem engineer' that alters fire regimes, was most widespread, infesting 60% of plots. By identifying frequency of species through this assessment, early detection and treatment can target infrequent species or minimally invaded sites, while containment strategies could focus on established invaders. We further compared two existing systems for prioritizing species for management and found that a third of species on plots had no rankings available. Moreover, rankings did not always agree between ranking systems for species that were ranked. Presence of multiple non-native species complicates treatment, and while we found that 40% of plots contained both forb and grass invaders, exploiting accelerated phenology of non-natives (compared to native annuals) might help manage multi-species invasions. Large sizes of these parks and scale of invasion are formidable challenges for management. Yet, precisely because of their size, these reserves represent opportunities to conserve large landscapes of native species by managing non-native plant invasions. RESEARCH ARTICLE Launched to accelerate biodiversity conservationA peer-reviewed open-access journal Scott R. Abella et al. / Nature Conservation 10: 71-94 (2015) 72

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Post‐Fire Control of Invasive Plants Promotes Native Recovery in a Burned Desert Shrubland

Cited by 42 publications

References 37 publications

Phenology as a basis for management of exotic annual plants in desert invasions

Phenology as a basis for management of exotic annual plants in desert invasions

Evaluating rehabilitation efforts following the Milford Flat Fire: successes, failures, and controlling factors

Status and management of non-native plant invasion in three of the largest national parks in the United States

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