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 quantify and predict the ecological effects and effectiveness of fuel manipulations. We combine field sampling, experimental manipulations, remote sensing, and modeling at relevant scales from plots to landscapes. The assessments will help resource managers and scientists to predict fire risk, assess effects of management activities on fuel loads and native species, and assess short- and long-range fire effects and fuel treatment effectiveness.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Biology Team (FRESC)
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Insect and vegetation community composition and abundance after wildfire and restoration seeding treatments in southwestern Idaho, USA
Combined wildfire dataset for the United States and certain territories, 1870-2015
Below are publications associated with this project.
Postfire growth of seeded and planted big sagebrush - Strategic designs for restoring Greater Sage-grouse nesting habitat
Pre‐fire vegetation drives post‐fire outcomes in sagebrush ecosystems: Evidence from field and remote sensing data
Transient population dynamics impede restoration and may promote ecosystem transformation after disturbance
Soil characteristics are associated with gradients of big sagebrush canopy structure after disturbance
The ecological uncertainty of wildfire fuel breaks: Examples from the sagebrush steppe
Can’t see the random forest for the decision trees: Selecting predictive models for restoration ecology
Insect communities in big sagebrush habitat are altered by wildfire and post‐fire restoration seeding
Adapting management to a changing world: Warm temperatures, dry soil, and interannual variability limit restoration success of a dominant woody shrub in temperate drylands
Fuels guide and database for intact and invaded big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) ecological sites—User manual
Assessing the effectiveness of riparian restoration projects using Landsat and precipitation data from the cloud-computing application ClimateEngine.org
Thresholds and hotspots for shrub restoration following a heterogeneous megafire
A conservation paradox in the Great Basin—Altering sagebrush landscapes with fuel breaks to reduce habitat loss from wildfire
- Overview
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 quantify and predict the ecological effects and effectiveness of fuel manipulations. We combine field sampling, experimental manipulations, remote sensing, and modeling at relevant scales from plots to landscapes. The assessments will help resource managers and scientists to predict fire risk, assess effects of management activities on fuel loads and native species, and assess short- and long-range fire effects and fuel treatment effectiveness.
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
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... - Data
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Insect and vegetation community composition and abundance after wildfire and restoration seeding treatments in southwestern Idaho, USA
We conducted the first investigation of insect community responses to post-fire seeding on public rangelands by comparing the composition of insect communities at burned-and-seeded (treatment) and burned-and-unseeded (control) sagebrush-steppe ecological sites in southwestern Idaho. Insect communities in burned areas were compared to unburned (reference) areas. We collected insect and vegetation dCombined wildfire dataset for the United States and certain territories, 1870-2015
The increase in wildfires, particularly in the western U.S., represents one of the greatest threats to multiple native ecosystems. Despite this threat, there is currently no central repository to store both past and current wildfire perimeter data. Currently, wildfire boundaries can only be found in disparate local or national datasets. These datasets are generally restricted to specific locations - Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 31Postfire growth of seeded and planted big sagebrush - Strategic designs for restoring Greater Sage-grouse nesting habitat
Wildfires change plant community structure and impact wildlife habitat and population dynamics. Recent wildfire‐induced losses of big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) in North American shrublands are outpacing natural recovery and leading to substantial losses in habitat for sagebrush‐obligate species such as Greater Sage‐grouse. Managers are considering restoration strategies that include plantinAuthorsDavid A. Pyke, Robert K. Shriver, Robert Arkle, David Pilliod, Cameron L. Aldridge, Peter S. Coates, Matthew Germino, Julie A. Heinrichs, Mark A. Ricca, Scott ShaffPre‐fire vegetation drives post‐fire outcomes in sagebrush ecosystems: Evidence from field and remote sensing data
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. We integrated vegetation cover data derived from field plots and remotely sensed Landsat images in two focal areas over a 37‐yr period (1979–2016) to investigate how historical changes to communitAuthorsBrittany S. Barker, David Pilliod, Matthew Rigge, Collin G. HomerTransient population dynamics impede restoration and may promote ecosystem transformation after disturbance
The apparent failure of ecosystems to recover from increasingly widespread disturbance is a global concern. Despite growing focus on factors inhibiting resilience and restoration, we still know very little about how demographic and population processes influence recovery. Using inverse and forward demographic modelling of 531 post‐fire sagebrush populations across the western US, we show that demoAuthorsRobert K. Shriver, Caitlin M. Andrews, Robert Arkle, David Barnard, Michael C. Duniway, Matthew J. Germino, David S. Pilliod, David A. Pyke, Justin L. Welty, John B. BradfordSoil characteristics are associated with gradients of big sagebrush canopy structure after disturbance
Reestablishing shrub canopy cover after disturbance in semi-arid ecosystems, such as sagebrush steppe, is essential to provide wildlife habitat and restore ecosystem functioning. While several studies have explored the effects of landscape and climate factors on the success or failure of sagebrush seeding, the influence of soil properties on gradients of shrub canopy structure in successfully seedAuthorsDavid Barnard, Matthew J. Germino, Robert Arkle, John Bradford, Michael Duniway, David Pilliod, David Pyke, Robert Shriver, Justin WeltyThe ecological uncertainty of wildfire fuel breaks: Examples from the sagebrush steppe
Fuel breaks are increasingly being implemented at broad scales (100s to 10,000s of square kilometers) in fire‐prone landscapes globally, yet there is little scientific information available regarding their ecological effects (eg habitat fragmentation). Fuel breaks are designed to reduce flammable vegetation (ie fuels), increase the safety and effectiveness of fire‐suppression operations, and ultimAuthorsDouglas J. Shinneman, Matthew J. Germino, David S. Pilliod, Cameron L. Aldridge, Nicole Vaillant, Peter S. CoatesCan’t see the random forest for the decision trees: Selecting predictive models for restoration ecology
Improving predictions of restoration outcomes is increasingly important to resource managers for accountability and adaptive management, yet there is limited guidance for selecting a predictive model from the multitude available. The goal of this paper was to identify an optimal predictive framework for restoration ecology using eleven modeling frameworks (including, machine learning, inferential,AuthorsDavid Barnard, Matthew Germino, David Pilliod, Robert Arkle, Cara Applestein, Bill Davidson, Matthew FiskInsect communities in big sagebrush habitat are altered by wildfire and post‐fire restoration seeding
Natural resource managers sow grass, forb, and shrub seeds across millions of hectares of public lands in the western United States to restore sagebrush‐steppe ecosystems burned by wildfire. The effects of post‐fire vegetation treatments on insect communities in these ecosystems have not been investigated.We conducted the first investigation of insect community responses to post‐fire seeding on puAuthorsAshley T. Rohde, David S. Pilliod, Stephen J. NovakAdapting management to a changing world: Warm temperatures, dry soil, and interannual variability limit restoration success of a dominant woody shrub in temperate drylands
Restoration and rehabilitation of native vegetation in dryland ecosystems, which encompass over 40% of terrestrial ecosystems, is a common challenge that continues to grow as wildfire and biological invasions transform dryland plant communities. The difficulty in part stems from low and variable precipitation, combined with limited understanding about how weather conditions influence restoration oAuthorsRobert K. Shriver, Caitlin M. Andrews, David S. Pilliod, Robert Arkle, Justin L. Welty, Matthew J. Germino, Michael C. Duniway, David A. Pyke, John B. BradfordFuels guide and database for intact and invaded big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) ecological sites—User manual
The Fuels Guide and Database (FGD) is intended to provide fuel loading and vegetation information for big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) ecological sites in the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area (hereinafter the NCA) in southern Idaho. Sagebrush ecosystems in the NCA and throughout much of the Great Basin are highly influenced by non-native plants that alter succAuthorsDouglas J. Shinneman, Justin L. Welty, Robert S. Arkle, David S. Pilliod, Nancy F. Glenn, Susan K. McIlroy, Anne S. HalfordAssessing the effectiveness of riparian restoration projects using Landsat and precipitation data from the cloud-computing application ClimateEngine.org
Riparian vegetation along streams provides a suite of ecosystem services in rangelands and thus is the target of restoration when degraded by over-grazing, erosion, incision, or other disturbances. Assessments of restoration effectiveness depend on defensible monitoring data, which can be both expensive and difficult to collect. We present a method and case study to evaluate the effectiveness of rAuthorsMark B. Hausner, Justin L. Huntington, Caroline Nash, Charles Morton, Daniel J. McEvoy, David S. Pilliod, Katherine C. Hegewisch, Britta Daudert, John T. Abatzoglou, Gordon E. GrantThresholds and hotspots for shrub restoration following a heterogeneous megafire
ContextReestablishing foundational plant species through aerial seeding is an essential yet challenging step for restoring the vast semiarid landscapes impacted by plant invasions and wildfire-regime shifts. A key component of the challenge stems from landscape variability and its effects on plant recovery.ObjectivesWe assessed landscape correlates, thresholds, and tipping points for sagebrush preAuthorsMatthew Germino, David Barnard, Bill Davidson, Robert Arkle, David Pilliod, Matthew Fisk, Cara ApplesteinA conservation paradox in the Great Basin—Altering sagebrush landscapes with fuel breaks to reduce habitat loss from wildfire
Interactions between fire and nonnative, annual plant species (that is, “the grass/fire cycle”) represent one of the greatest threats to sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystems and associated wildlife, including the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). In 2015, U.S. Department of the Interior called for a “science-based strategy to reduce the threat of large-scale rangeland fire to habitAuthorsDouglas J. Shinneman, Cameron L. Aldridge, Peter S. Coates, Matthew J. Germino, David S. Pilliod, Nicole M. Vaillant