We produce basic and applied science needed to manage landscapes in ways that make them resistant and resilient to stressors such as wildfire, exotic plant invasions, drought, and temperature extremes. These stressors impact ecosystem productivity and functioning and pose costly risks to human health and safety in the western United States. We team with other state and federal agencies to find efficient and effective ways of mitigating their impacts.
Our program integrates biophysical ecology, ecophysiology, ecohydrology, and biogeomorphology at scales ranging from plants to populations, communities, ecosystems and landscapes. Current projects evaluate emerging approaches for soil stabilization, control of exotic annual grasses, and restoration of desirable native perennials following wildfire in sagebrush steppe. Understanding plant adaptation to temperature and water limitation, and applying this knowledge to management practices such as post-fire restoration seeding or landscape vulnerability assessments, is a major focus.
Principal Investigator
Matt Germino - Supervisory Research Ecologist
Federal Staff
Cara Applestein - Ecologist
David Barnard - Ecologist
Matt Fisk - Ecologist
Bill Davidson - Ecologist
Brynne Lazarus - Botanist
University/Contractor/Volunteer/Other
Lar Svenson - Contractor
Andril Zaiats - Volunteer
Science Themes of the FRESC Plant-Soil-Environment Laboratory are highlighted below.
Plant Responses to Temperature and Water Limitation
Wildfire Impacts, and Post-Fire Rehabilitation and Restoration
Integrating Science and Adaptive Land Management
Cheatgrass and Medusahead
Weed-Suppressive Bacteria – Testing a Control Measure for Invasive Grasses in the West
Below are news stories associated with this project.
New Invasive Annual Grass Book Addresses Critical Questions for the Western U.S.
- Overview
We produce basic and applied science needed to manage landscapes in ways that make them resistant and resilient to stressors such as wildfire, exotic plant invasions, drought, and temperature extremes. These stressors impact ecosystem productivity and functioning and pose costly risks to human health and safety in the western United States. We team with other state and federal agencies to find efficient and effective ways of mitigating their impacts.
Our program integrates biophysical ecology, ecophysiology, ecohydrology, and biogeomorphology at scales ranging from plants to populations, communities, ecosystems and landscapes. Current projects evaluate emerging approaches for soil stabilization, control of exotic annual grasses, and restoration of desirable native perennials following wildfire in sagebrush steppe. Understanding plant adaptation to temperature and water limitation, and applying this knowledge to management practices such as post-fire restoration seeding or landscape vulnerability assessments, is a major focus.
Principal Investigator
Matt Germino - Supervisory Research Ecologist
Federal Staff
Cara Applestein - Ecologist
David Barnard - Ecologist
Matt Fisk - Ecologist
Bill Davidson - Ecologist
Brynne Lazarus - Botanist
University/Contractor/Volunteer/Other
Lar Svenson - Contractor
Andril Zaiats - Volunteer
- Science
Science Themes of the FRESC Plant-Soil-Environment Laboratory are highlighted below.
Plant Responses to Temperature and Water Limitation
Weather and climate impacts on dominant native perennials must be understood in order to efficiently manage our western landscapes. We use an ecophysiological approach, linking to population, community, and landscape ecology, to understand the impacts and responses of plants on or to their environment.Wildfire Impacts, and Post-Fire Rehabilitation and Restoration
Land use and unintentional (e.g., wildfire) disturbances are increasingly dominant factors affecting land-use planning and management of semiarid landscapes, particularly in sagebrush steppe rangelands. In the last 10-20 years, wildfires are occurring more frequently and increasingly in very large burn patches.Integrating Science and Adaptive Land Management
Widespread habitat deterioration due to fire and invasive species in the Great Basin have created a need for coordination across land agencies and between science and management activities in the Great Basin.Cheatgrass and Medusahead
Invasive annual grasses, such as cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) and medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae), are one of the most significant stressors to rangeland ecosystems in the western U.S. Their expansion and dominance across this area are the most damaging ecosystem agents on this iconic landscape.Weed-Suppressive Bacteria – Testing a Control Measure for Invasive Grasses in the West
Recent popular news has implied that Weed-Suppressive Bacteria (WSB) holds promise for cheatgrass control, yet a lack of peer-reviewed research exists to support this claim. USGS researchers stepped up to the challenge of objectively and rigorously evaluating the effectiveness of WSB for controlling exotic annual grasses, such as Cheatgrass and Medusahead, while also examining its impact on native... - News
Below are news stories associated with this project.
New Invasive Annual Grass Book Addresses Critical Questions for the Western U.S.
BOISE, Idaho — Bromus species – such as cheatgrass – are exotic annual grasses that have become the dominant annual grasses in the western hemisphere. Their spread and impacts across the western U.S. continue despite the many attempts by land managers to control these species.