Understanding the factors that influence vegetation responses to disturbance is important because vegetation is the foundation of food resources, wildlife habitat, and ecosystem properties and processes.
Researchers studied vegetation cover data from Landsat images and field surveys from 1979 to 2016 to investigate how historical vegetation composition influences contemporary responses of vegetation to fire in sagebrush ecosystems in the Great Basin. They found that areas burned by fire since the 1980s experienced greater changes in cover and had higher annual herbaceous cover than unburned areas, both historically and contemporarily. Burned areas historically occupied by sagebrush-dominated plant communities may have been invaded by exotic annuals prior to burning, possibly because of prior land uses, and after burning, have now transitioned to a persistent herbaceous-dominated state. This type of state transition has important consequences for forage quality, wildlife habitat, soil nutrients, and future disturbances, such as drought and wildfire.
Barker, B.S., Pilliod, D.S., Rigge, M., Homer, C.G., 2019, Pre-fire vegetation drives post-fire outcomes in sagebrush ecosystems- evidence from field and remote sensing data: Ecosphere, https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2929
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Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Biology Team (FRESC)
Fire, Fuel Treatments, and Restoration Ecology
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Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Biology Team (FRESC)
Wildlife respond to changes in their environment, some of which are dramatic and others subtle. To fully understand the factors that drive changes in populations and communities, we need better information on wildlife ecology in natural and human-altered landscapes. We conduct research and provide technical assistance to address applied questions about the ecology and conservation of wildlife...Fire, Fuel Treatments, and Restoration Ecology
Land managers have invested considerable funding to decrease fuel loads and restore resilient ecosystems in forests and rangelands, using techniques such as grazing, mowing, herbicides, and thinning. Yet, little information is available about how such restoration activities have influenced wildlife species and habitats. We are conducting empirical studies and developing novel approaches to better... - Publications
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