Predicting risk of annual grass invasion following fire in sagebrush steppe and rangeland ecosystems Active
This project analyzes on-the-ground plant monitoring data across sagebrush and rangeland ecosystems to examine how fire, climate, topography, and plant communities influence the success of invasive annual grasses after fires.
Our Project
Invasions by plant species following fire can have devastating and lasting impacts on ecosystem services such as biodiversity and soil stability, alter fire regimes, and negatively impact livestock forage production. For example, millions of hectares sagebrush steppe in western North America are vulnerable to invasion by non-native annual grasses following wildfire. Prescribed fire, which is often used to achieve restoration goals, can similarly exacerbate plant invasions in some cases. However, not all fires result in invasion by non-native species.
To address the uncertainty about invasion risk following fire, we are investigating how wildfire, climate and plant communities interact to influence post-fire risk of plant invasion. For these analyses, we leveraged existing national plant monitoring data from BLM Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring Strategy, and the National Park Service Inventory and Monitoring Program, among other sources. We then used fire perimeter and severity data from the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (MTBS) program and the Combined Wildland Fire Datasets, along with current and future climate data from ClimateNA to analyze how the abundance of non-native plants after fire was related to fire characteristics and environmental conditions across the Western United States. To strengthen this existing dataset, we are working with our management partners to conduct post-fire plant surveys on plots that were surveyed prior to burning in recent fires. These surveys are currently underway over the summer of 2023.
Anticipated Benefits
Quantifying relationships between post-fire annual grass invasion and pre-fire environmental conditions will allow us to calculate risk of invasion and create maps of potential post-disturbance invasion risk. Additionally, these relationships can inform forecasts of future potential risk driven by changing climate conditions given various emissions scenarios. Our project can help identify focal areas for monitoring and management of potential invasions following fire, and inform management decisions on lower invasion risk locations for prescribed fire and energy development activities.
This project analyzes on-the-ground plant monitoring data across sagebrush and rangeland ecosystems to examine how fire, climate, topography, and plant communities influence the success of invasive annual grasses after fires.
Our Project
Invasions by plant species following fire can have devastating and lasting impacts on ecosystem services such as biodiversity and soil stability, alter fire regimes, and negatively impact livestock forage production. For example, millions of hectares sagebrush steppe in western North America are vulnerable to invasion by non-native annual grasses following wildfire. Prescribed fire, which is often used to achieve restoration goals, can similarly exacerbate plant invasions in some cases. However, not all fires result in invasion by non-native species.
To address the uncertainty about invasion risk following fire, we are investigating how wildfire, climate and plant communities interact to influence post-fire risk of plant invasion. For these analyses, we leveraged existing national plant monitoring data from BLM Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring Strategy, and the National Park Service Inventory and Monitoring Program, among other sources. We then used fire perimeter and severity data from the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (MTBS) program and the Combined Wildland Fire Datasets, along with current and future climate data from ClimateNA to analyze how the abundance of non-native plants after fire was related to fire characteristics and environmental conditions across the Western United States. To strengthen this existing dataset, we are working with our management partners to conduct post-fire plant surveys on plots that were surveyed prior to burning in recent fires. These surveys are currently underway over the summer of 2023.
Anticipated Benefits
Quantifying relationships between post-fire annual grass invasion and pre-fire environmental conditions will allow us to calculate risk of invasion and create maps of potential post-disturbance invasion risk. Additionally, these relationships can inform forecasts of future potential risk driven by changing climate conditions given various emissions scenarios. Our project can help identify focal areas for monitoring and management of potential invasions following fire, and inform management decisions on lower invasion risk locations for prescribed fire and energy development activities.