Fire, Fuel Treatments, and Restoration Ecology Active
Land managers have invested considerable funding to decrease fuel loads and restore resilient ecosystems in forests and rangelands, using techniques such as grazing, mowing, herbicides, and thinning. Yet, little information is available about how such restoration activities have influenced wildlife species and habitats. We are conducting empirical studies and developing novel approaches to better quantify and predict the ecological effects and effectiveness of fuel manipulations. We combine field sampling, experimental manipulations, remote sensing, and modeling at relevant scales from plots to landscapes. The assessments will help resource managers and scientists to predict fire risk, assess effects of management activities on fuel loads and native species, and assess short- and long-range fire effects and fuel treatment effectiveness.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Refining the cheatgrass–fire cycle in the Great Basin: Precipitation timing and fine fuel composition predict wildfire trends
Long-term trends in restoration and associated land treatments in the southwestern United States
Weather-centric rangeland revegetation planning
Seventy-five years of vegetation treatments on public rangelands in the Great Basin of North America
Challenges of establishing big sgebrush (Artemisia tridentata) in rangeland restoration: effects of herbicide, mowing, whole-community seeding, and sagebrush seed sources
Quantifying and predicting fuels and the effects of reduction treatments along successional and invasion gradients in sagebrush habitats
Long-term effects of seeding after wildfire on vegetation in Great Basin shrubland ecosystems
Land Treatment Digital Library
Data entry module and manuals for the Land Treatment Digital Library
Index for characterizing post-fire soil environments in temperate coniferous forests
Pattern and process of prescribed fires influence effectiveness at reducing wildfire severity in dry coniferous forests
Amphibian responses to wildfire in the western united states: Emerging patterns from short-term studies
- Overview
Land managers have invested considerable funding to decrease fuel loads and restore resilient ecosystems in forests and rangelands, using techniques such as grazing, mowing, herbicides, and thinning. Yet, little information is available about how such restoration activities have influenced wildlife species and habitats. We are conducting empirical studies and developing novel approaches to better quantify and predict the ecological effects and effectiveness of fuel manipulations. We combine field sampling, experimental manipulations, remote sensing, and modeling at relevant scales from plots to landscapes. The assessments will help resource managers and scientists to predict fire risk, assess effects of management activities on fuel loads and native species, and assess short- and long-range fire effects and fuel treatment effectiveness.
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
- Data
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 31Refining the cheatgrass–fire cycle in the Great Basin: Precipitation timing and fine fuel composition predict wildfire trends
Larger, more frequent wildfires in arid and semi-arid ecosystems have been associated with invasion by non-native annual grasses, yet a complete understanding of fine fuel development and subsequent wildfire trends is lacking. We investigated the complex relationships among weather, fine fuels, and fire in the Great Basin, USA. We first modeled the annual and time-lagged effects of precipitation aAuthorsDavid S. Pilliod, Justin L. Welty, Robert ArkleLong-term trends in restoration and associated land treatments in the southwestern United States
Restoration treatments, such as revegetation with seeding or invasive species removal, have been applied on U.S. public lands for decades. Temporal trends in these management actions have not been extensively summarized previously, particularly in the southwestern United States where invasive plant species, drought, and fire have altered dryland ecosystems. We assessed long-term (1940–2010) trendsAuthorsStella M. Copeland, Seth M. Munson, David S. Pilliod, Justin L. Welty, John B. Bradford, Bradley J. ButterfieldWeather-centric rangeland revegetation planning
Invasive annual weeds negatively impact ecosystem services and pose a major conservation threat on semiarid rangelands throughout the western United States. Rehabilitation of these rangelands is challenging due to interannual climate and subseasonal weather variability that impacts seed germination, seedling survival and establishment, annual weed dynamics, wildfire frequency, and soil stability.AuthorsStuart P. Hardegree, John T. Abatzoglou, Mark W. Brunson, Matthew J. Germino, Katherine C. Hegewisch, Corey A. Moffet, David S. Pilliod, Bruce A. Roundy, Alex R. Boehm, Gwendwr R. MeredithSeventy-five years of vegetation treatments on public rangelands in the Great Basin of North America
On the Ground Land treatments occurring over millions of hectares of public rangelands in the Great Basin over the last 75 years represent one of the largest vegetation manipulation and restoration efforts in the world.The ability to use legacy data from land treatments in adaptive management and ecological research has improved with the creation of the Land Treatment Digital Library (LTDL), a spaAuthorsDavid S. Pilliod, Justin L. Welty, Gordon ToevsChallenges 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. ArkleQuantifying and predicting fuels and the effects of reduction treatments along successional and invasion gradients in sagebrush habitats
Sagebrush shrubland ecosystems in the Great Basin are prime examples of how altered successional trajectories can create dynamic fuel conditions and, thus, increase uncertainty about fire risk and behavior. Although fire is a natural disturbance in sagebrush, post-fire environments are highly susceptible to conversion to an invasive grass-fire regime (often referred to as a “grass-fire cycle”). AfAuthorsDouglas J. Shinneman, David S. Pilliod, Robert Arkle, Nancy F. GlennLong-term effects of seeding after wildfire on vegetation in Great Basin shrubland ecosystems
1. Invasive annual grasses alter fire regimes in shrubland ecosystems of the western USA, threatening ecosystem function and fragmenting habitats necessary for shrub-obligate species such as greater sage-grouse. Post-fire stabilization and rehabilitation treatments have been administered to stabilize soils, reduce invasive species spread and restore or establish sustainable ecosystems in which naAuthorsKevin C. Knutson, David A. Pyke, Troy A. Wirth, Robert S. Arkle, David S. Pilliod, Matthew L. Brooks, Jeanne C. Chambers, James B. GraceLand Treatment Digital Library
The Land Treatment Digital Library (LTDL) was created by the U.S. Geological Survey to catalog legacy land treatment information on Bureau of Land Management lands in the western United States. The LTDL can be used by federal managers and scientists for compiling information for data-calls, producing maps, generating reports, and conducting analyses at varying spatial and temporal scales. The LTDLAuthorsDavid S. Pilliod, Justin L. WeltyData entry module and manuals for the Land Treatment Digital Library
Across the country, public land managers make decisions each year that influence landscapes and ecosystems within their jurisdictions. Many of these decisions involve vegetation manipulations, which often are referred to as land treatments. These treatments include removal or alteration of plant biomass, seeding of burned areas, application of herbicides, and other activities. Data documenting theAuthorsJustin L. Welty, David S. PilliodIndex for characterizing post-fire soil environments in temperate coniferous forests
Many scientists and managers have an interest in describing the environment following a fire to understand the effects on soil productivity, vegetation growth, and wildlife habitat, but little research has focused on the scientific rationale for classifying the post-fire environment. We developed an empirically-grounded soil post-fire index (PFI) based on available science and ecological thresholdAuthorsTheresa B. Jain, David S. Pilliod, Russell T. Graham, Leigh B. Lentile, Jonathan E. SandquistPattern and process of prescribed fires influence effectiveness at reducing wildfire severity in dry coniferous forests
We examined the effects of three early season (spring) prescribed fires on burn severity patterns of summer wildfires that occurred 1–3 years post-treatment in a mixed conifer forest in central Idaho. Wildfire and prescribed fire burn severities were estimated as the difference in normalized burn ratio (dNBR) using Landsat imagery. We used GIS derived vegetation, topography, and treatment variableAuthorsRobert S. Arkle, David S. Pilliod, Justin L. WeltyAmphibian responses to wildfire in the western united states: Emerging patterns from short-term studies
The increased frequency and severity of large wildfires in the western United States is an important ecological and management issue with direct relevance to amphibian conservation. Although the knowledge of fire effects on amphibians in the region is still limited relative to most other vertebrate species, we reviewed the current literature to determine if there are evident patterns that might beAuthorsB. R. Hossack, D. S. Pilliod