Linking post-fire sagebrush restoration and sage-grouse habitat recovery Active
Many revegetation projects are intended to benefit focal wildlife species. Yet, few scope the ability of revegetation efforts to yield habitat. To investigate the ability of alternative sagebrush (Artemisia species) planting strategies to recover habitat conditions for the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), USGS and Colorado State University scientists developed a spatial vegetation-habitat recovery model. Scientists combined sagebrush growth data with sage-grouse resource selection to project the amount and suitability of habitat recovered 15-years after a fire in the Tuscarora region of Nevada.
The products and information developed for this project will help restoration practitioners, biologists, and land managers evaluate the efficacy of sagebrush restoration approaches as well as their ability to successfully create functional sage-grouse habitat in post-fire landscapes.
Researchers developed a spatial model to assess how post-fire restoration by transplanting and growing sagebrush could help accelerate the recovery of sage-grouse habitat. To do so, they simulated a burn, transplanting of sagebrush, and natural regeneration of grasses and herbaceous vegetation. Models projected the growth of vegetation associated with sage-grouse habitat through time and according to sagebrush transplant growth data collected from a large field study in the Great Basin. They compared habitat restoration results among alternative planting designs that varied in planting effort and distribution, and annually quantified the expected recovery of habitat among scenarios. This revegetation-habitat-recovery modeling framework can help managers and conservationists gauge the return on restoration investments intended to benefit wildlife species.
This study has been completed and the manuscript is currently in review/revision. The project team included Julie Heinrichs, Michael O’Donnell, Cameron Aldridge, David Pyke, Peter Coates, Mark Ricca, and Elizabeth Orning. For further information or to request a briefing on this research, please contact Cameron Aldridge (aldridgec@usgs.gov).
Using simulation models to project and evaluate post-fire success in restoring sage-grouse habitat over large landscapes
Simulating the influence of sagebrush restoration on post-fire sage-grouse population recovery
Field of Sagebrush Dreams: Planting and Restoring Functional Sagebrush in Burned Landscapes
Many revegetation projects are intended to benefit focal wildlife species. Yet, few scope the ability of revegetation efforts to yield habitat. To investigate the ability of alternative sagebrush (Artemisia species) planting strategies to recover habitat conditions for the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), USGS and Colorado State University scientists developed a spatial vegetation-habitat recovery model. Scientists combined sagebrush growth data with sage-grouse resource selection to project the amount and suitability of habitat recovered 15-years after a fire in the Tuscarora region of Nevada.
The products and information developed for this project will help restoration practitioners, biologists, and land managers evaluate the efficacy of sagebrush restoration approaches as well as their ability to successfully create functional sage-grouse habitat in post-fire landscapes.
Researchers developed a spatial model to assess how post-fire restoration by transplanting and growing sagebrush could help accelerate the recovery of sage-grouse habitat. To do so, they simulated a burn, transplanting of sagebrush, and natural regeneration of grasses and herbaceous vegetation. Models projected the growth of vegetation associated with sage-grouse habitat through time and according to sagebrush transplant growth data collected from a large field study in the Great Basin. They compared habitat restoration results among alternative planting designs that varied in planting effort and distribution, and annually quantified the expected recovery of habitat among scenarios. This revegetation-habitat-recovery modeling framework can help managers and conservationists gauge the return on restoration investments intended to benefit wildlife species.
This study has been completed and the manuscript is currently in review/revision. The project team included Julie Heinrichs, Michael O’Donnell, Cameron Aldridge, David Pyke, Peter Coates, Mark Ricca, and Elizabeth Orning. For further information or to request a briefing on this research, please contact Cameron Aldridge (aldridgec@usgs.gov).