Wildfire Impacts, and Post-Fire Rehabilitation and Restoration Active
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.
Major conservation investments are often directed towards stabilizing soils and promoting native or desirable perennial plant communities that support wildlife and sustain livestock values under current and future conditions. My research group is evaluating risks of soil erosion and exotic-plant invasions, and approaches for increasing the effectiveness of post-fire seeding, herbicide applications, and also effects of grazing-resumption timing. Our activities contribute to the information base needed by managers to preserve or restore resistance and resilience to burned rangeland landscapes. Research sub-topics include:
Post-fire seeding, planting, and herbicide spraying effectiveness; finding ways to improve success
Seed-source effects, determined from actual seedings and through common-garden studies
Post-fire wind erosion: causes, consequences, and management implications
Developing monitoring approaches for post-fire landscapes
Assessing bunchgrass maturity and readiness for grazing
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
If you are unable to access or download a data file online, we can provide it to you via other means. Please send an email to fresc_outreach@usgs.gov and include the citation for the publication of interest.
If a publication is not available online, we may be able to provide you with a reprint by request. Please send an email to fresc_outreach@usgs.gov and include the citation for the publication of interest.
Impact of unburned remnant sagebrush versus outplants on post-fire landscape rehabilitation
Postfire growth of seeded and planted big sagebrush - Strategic designs for restoring Greater Sage-grouse nesting habitat
Soil characteristics are associated with gradients of big sagebrush canopy structure after disturbance
Bunchgrass root abundances and their relationship to resistance and resilience of a burned shrub-steppe landscape
Landscape and organismal factors affecting sagebrush-seedling transplant survival after megafire restoration
Appropriate sample sizes for monitoring burned pastures in sagebrush steppe: How many plots are enough, and can one size fit all?
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
Plant community resistance to invasion by Bromus species: The roles of community attributes, Bromus interactions with plant communities, and Bromus traits
Challenges of establishing big sgebrush (Artemisia tridentata) in rangeland restoration: effects of herbicide, mowing, whole-community seeding, and sagebrush seed sources
Wind erosion from a sagebrush steppe burned by wildfire: measurements of PM10 and total horizontal sediment flux
Transport of biologically important nutrients by wind in an eroding cold desert
- Overview
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.
Major conservation investments are often directed towards stabilizing soils and promoting native or desirable perennial plant communities that support wildlife and sustain livestock values under current and future conditions. My research group is evaluating risks of soil erosion and exotic-plant invasions, and approaches for increasing the effectiveness of post-fire seeding, herbicide applications, and also effects of grazing-resumption timing. Our activities contribute to the information base needed by managers to preserve or restore resistance and resilience to burned rangeland landscapes. Research sub-topics include:
Post-fire seeding, planting, and herbicide spraying effectiveness; finding ways to improve success
Seed-source effects, determined from actual seedings and through common-garden studies
Post-fire wind erosion: causes, consequences, and management implications
Developing monitoring approaches for post-fire landscapes
Assessing bunchgrass maturity and readiness for grazing
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
- Data
If you are unable to access or download a data file online, we can provide it to you via other means. Please send an email to fresc_outreach@usgs.gov and include the citation for the publication of interest.
- Publications
If a publication is not available online, we may be able to provide you with a reprint by request. Please send an email to fresc_outreach@usgs.gov and include the citation for the publication of interest.
Filter Total Items: 26Impact of unburned remnant sagebrush versus outplants on post-fire landscape rehabilitation
Nearly half of the vast sagebrush steppe in the western United states has lost many or nearly all native plant species, largely due to the interaction of invasive species and increased wildfire. Re-establishing sagebrush, a keystone component of these ecosystems, has become a management focus in recent decades using aerial broadcast seeding or limited plantings. One promising avenue for improvingAuthorsCara Applestein, Trevor Caughlin, Matthew GerminoPostfire 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 ShaffSoil 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 WeltyBunchgrass root abundances and their relationship to resistance and resilience of a burned shrub-steppe landscape
Invasion of exotic annual grasses (EAG) and increased wildfire have motivated an emphasis on managing rangeland plant communities for resistance to invasion and resilience to disturbances. These traits are provided primarily by perennial bunchgrasses in rangelands such as shrub steppe, and specifically but also hypothetically, the abundances and functioning of bunchgrass roots. We asked how buncAuthorsMatthew J. Germino, Matthew Fisk, Cara ApplesteinLandscape and organismal factors affecting sagebrush-seedling transplant survival after megafire restoration
Larger and more frequent disturbances are motivating efforts to accelerate recovery of foundational perennial species by focusing efforts into establishing island patches to sustain keystone species and facilitate recovery of the surrounding plant community. Evaluating the variability in abiotic and biotic factors that contribute to differences in survival and establishment can provide useful insiAuthorsBill Davidson, Matthew J. Germino, Bryce Richardson, David BarnardAppropriate sample sizes for monitoring burned pastures in sagebrush steppe: How many plots are enough, and can one size fit all?
Statistically defensible information on vegetation conditions is needed to guide rangeland management decisions following disturbances such as wildfire, often for heterogeneous pastures. Here we evaluate the number of plots needed to make informed adaptive management decisions using >2000 plots sampled on the 2015 Soda Fire that burned across 75 pastures and 113,000 ha in Idaho and Oregon, USA. WeAuthorsCara Applestein, Matthew J. Germino, David Pilliod, Matthew Fisk, Robert ArkleThresholds 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. VaillantPlant community resistance to invasion by Bromus species: The roles of community attributes, Bromus interactions with plant communities, and Bromus traits
The factors that determine plant community resistance to exotic annual Bromus species (Bromus hereafter) are diverse and context specific. They are influenced by the environmental characteristics and attributes of the community, the traits of Bromus species, and the direct and indirect interactions of Bromus with the plant community. Environmental factors, in particular ambient and soil temperaturAuthorsJeanne Chambers, Matthew J. Germino, Jayne Belnap, Cynthia Brown, Eugene W. Schupp, Samuel B St. ClairChallenges of establishing big sgebrush (Artemisia tridentata) in rangeland restoration: effects of herbicide, mowing, whole-community seeding, and sagebrush seed sources
The loss of big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt.) on sites disturbed by fire has motivated restoration seeding and planting efforts. However, the resulting sagebrush establishment is often lower than desired, especially in dry areas. Sagebrush establishment may be increased by addressing factors such as seed source and condition or management of the plant community. We assessed initial establAuthorsMartha M. Brabec, Matthew J. Germino, Douglas J. Shinneman, David S. Pilliod, Susan K. McIlroy, Robert S. ArkleWind erosion from a sagebrush steppe burned by wildfire: measurements of PM10 and total horizontal sediment flux
Wind erosion and aeolian transport processes are under studied compared to rainfall-induced erosion and sediment transport on burned landscapes. Post-fire wind erosion studies have predominantly focused on near-surface sediment transport and associated impacts such as on-site soil loss and site fertility. Downwind impacts, including air quality degradation and deposition of dust or contaminants, arAuthorsNatalie S. Wagenbrenner, Matthew J. Germino, Brian K. Lamb, Peter R. Robichaud, Randy B. FoltzTransport of biologically important nutrients by wind in an eroding cold desert
Wind erosion following fire is an important landscape process that can result in the redistribution of ecologically important soil resources. In this study we evaluated the potential for a fire patch in a desert shrubland to serve as a source of biologically important nutrients to the adjacent, downwind, unburned ecosystem. We analyzed nutrient concentrations (P, K, Ca, Mg, Cu, Fe, Mn, Al) in windAuthorsJoel B. Sankey, Matthew J. Germino, Shawn G. Benner, Nancy F. Glenn, Amber N. Hoover