Systematic Review and Analysis of Seeding and Herbicide Treatment in the Sagebrush Steppe
Seeding and herbicide treatments are a key aspect of the strategy used to break the annual grass-fire cycle in sagebrush steppe. However, past studies report considerable variability in the effectiveness of seeding and herbicide treatments. To generate a more consistent interpretation of post-fire herbicide and seeding effects, we are compiling, reviewing, and synthesizing findings from past studies, identifying factors linked to variability, and summarizing the targeted and unintended effects of herbicide and seeding treatments.
Background
For decades, land managers have seeded native plants and used herbicides to reduce the risk of invasion by exotic annual grasses. The effectiveness of these treatments varies across the wide geographic range of the sagebrush steppe landscape. Factors such as elevation, access to water, weather, and soil climate can significantly impact a treatment’s success. The Fire, Invasion, and Ecology in Sagebrush Steppe (FIREss) team is quantifying the effectiveness of these treatments by creating the first ever systematic review of the published and peer-reviewed evidence on post-fire seeding and herbicide treatment in the sagebrush steppe. By conducting this analysis, scientists and land managers will be able to better understand the effectiveness of treatments and what, if any, unintended effects these treatments have on the landscape. This analysis will also help identify where and when treatments are successful.
We read and analyzed over a hundred papers on effectiveness of post-fire herbicide or seeding applications, and compiled data on over 2,000 plots from the papers. Our analysis will consider how well replicated and controlled the plots were, and will also ask whether differences in climate, elevation, pre-treatment vegetation conditions, or prevailing weather during the treatment and measurement times could explain variability in reported effectiveness. The analysis is important because it will provide conclusions from an otherwise complex body of information on seeding and herbicide effects.
Objectives
- Determine the best practices for managing exotic annual grasses with seeding and herbicide treatments.
- Create guidelines for applying treatments and how to effectively monitor them.
- Link citations to the original data used for each treatment, enabling Bureau of Land Management offices to easily access specific information from studies when planning treatments and management strategies.
Seeding and herbicide treatments are a key aspect of the strategy used to break the annual grass-fire cycle in sagebrush steppe. However, past studies report considerable variability in the effectiveness of seeding and herbicide treatments. To generate a more consistent interpretation of post-fire herbicide and seeding effects, we are compiling, reviewing, and synthesizing findings from past studies, identifying factors linked to variability, and summarizing the targeted and unintended effects of herbicide and seeding treatments.
Background
For decades, land managers have seeded native plants and used herbicides to reduce the risk of invasion by exotic annual grasses. The effectiveness of these treatments varies across the wide geographic range of the sagebrush steppe landscape. Factors such as elevation, access to water, weather, and soil climate can significantly impact a treatment’s success. The Fire, Invasion, and Ecology in Sagebrush Steppe (FIREss) team is quantifying the effectiveness of these treatments by creating the first ever systematic review of the published and peer-reviewed evidence on post-fire seeding and herbicide treatment in the sagebrush steppe. By conducting this analysis, scientists and land managers will be able to better understand the effectiveness of treatments and what, if any, unintended effects these treatments have on the landscape. This analysis will also help identify where and when treatments are successful.
We read and analyzed over a hundred papers on effectiveness of post-fire herbicide or seeding applications, and compiled data on over 2,000 plots from the papers. Our analysis will consider how well replicated and controlled the plots were, and will also ask whether differences in climate, elevation, pre-treatment vegetation conditions, or prevailing weather during the treatment and measurement times could explain variability in reported effectiveness. The analysis is important because it will provide conclusions from an otherwise complex body of information on seeding and herbicide effects.
Objectives
- Determine the best practices for managing exotic annual grasses with seeding and herbicide treatments.
- Create guidelines for applying treatments and how to effectively monitor them.
- Link citations to the original data used for each treatment, enabling Bureau of Land Management offices to easily access specific information from studies when planning treatments and management strategies.