Restoration of Shrub Steppe Ecosystems Active
This research theme provides land managers information to help them make restoration decision at local and landscape scales.
Millions of acres of shrub-grassland ecosystems are in need of restoration in the western United States. For lands degraded by invasive annual grasses, we have been studying best management practices for restoring ecosystem function through using either native or introduced plant species. On lands with degraded herbaceous layers, we are attempting to restore grasses and forbs without destroying the shrubs. In addition, we are providing land managers with handbooks to use in making restoration decisions at local and landscape scales.
Click here to return to FRESC Restoration and Ecology of Arid Lands Team.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Resilience and resistance of sagebrush ecosystems: implications for state and transition models and management treatments
Soil resources influence vegetation and response to fire and fire-surrogate treatments in sagebrush-steppe ecosystems
Using resistance and resilience concepts to reduce impacts of annual grasses and altered fire regimes on the sagebrush ecosystem and sage-grouse- A strategic multi-scale approach
Quantifying restoration effectiveness using multi-scale habitat models: implications for sage-grouse in the Great Basin
Data resources for range-wide assessment of livestock grazing across the sagebrush biome
Productivity is a poor predictor of plant species richness
Range-wide assessment of livestock grazing across the sagebrush biome
Ecological influence and pathways of land use in sagebrush
Restoring and rehabilitating sagebrush habitats
Yield responses of ruderal plants to sucrose in invasive-dominated sagebrush steppe of the northern Great Basin
A spatial model to prioritize sagebrush landscapes in the intermountain west (U.S.A.) for restoration
Interactions among livestock grazing, vegetation type, and fire behavior in the Murphy Wildland Fire Complex in Idaho and Nevada, July 2007
- Overview
This research theme provides land managers information to help them make restoration decision at local and landscape scales.
Millions of acres of shrub-grassland ecosystems are in need of restoration in the western United States. For lands degraded by invasive annual grasses, we have been studying best management practices for restoring ecosystem function through using either native or introduced plant species. On lands with degraded herbaceous layers, we are attempting to restore grasses and forbs without destroying the shrubs. In addition, we are providing land managers with handbooks to use in making restoration decisions at local and landscape scales.
Click here to return to FRESC Restoration and Ecology of Arid Lands Team.
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 47Resilience and resistance of sagebrush ecosystems: implications for state and transition models and management treatments
In sagebrush ecosystems invasion of annual exotics and expansion of piñon (Pinus monophylla Torr. and Frem.) and juniper (Juniperus occidentalis Hook., J. osteosperma [Torr.] Little) are altering fire regimes and resulting in large-scale ecosystem transformations. Management treatments aim to increase resilience to disturbance and enhance resistance to invasive species by reducing woody fuels andAuthorsJeanne C. Chambers, Richard F. Miller, David I. Board, David A. Pyke, Bruce A. Roundy, James B. Grace, Eugene W. Schupp, Robin J. TauschSoil resources influence vegetation and response to fire and fire-surrogate treatments in sagebrush-steppe ecosystems
Current paradigm suggests that spatial and temporal competition for resources limit an exotic invader, cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.), which once established, alters fire regimes and can result in annual grass dominance in sagebrush steppe. Prescribed fire and fire surrogate treatments (mowing, tebuthiuron, and imazapic) are used to reduce woody fuels and increase resistance to exotic annuals, buAuthorsBenjamin M. Rau, Jeanne C. Chambers, David A. Pyke, Bruce A. Roundy, Eugene W. Schupp, Paul Doescher, Todd G. CaldwellUsing resistance and resilience concepts to reduce impacts of annual grasses and altered fire regimes on the sagebrush ecosystem and sage-grouse- A strategic multi-scale approach
This Report provides a strategic approach for conservation of sagebrush ecosystems and Greater Sage- Grouse (sage-grouse) that focuses specifically on habitat threats caused by invasive annual grasses and altered fire regimes. It uses information on factors that influence (1) sagebrush ecosystem resilience to disturbance and resistance to invasive annual grasses and (2) distribution, relative abunAuthorsJeanne C. Chambers, David A. Pyke, Jeremy D. Maestas, Chad S. Boyd, Steve Campbell, Shawn Espinosa, Doug Havlina, Kenneth F. Mayer, Amarina WuenschelQuantifying restoration effectiveness using multi-scale habitat models: implications for sage-grouse in the Great Basin
A recurrent challenge in the conservation of wide-ranging, imperiled species is understanding which habitats to protect and whether we are capable of restoring degraded landscapes. For Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), a species of conservation concern in the western United States, we approached this problem by developing multi-scale empirical models of occupancy in 211 randomly locAuthorsRobert S. Arkle, David S. Pilliod, Steven E. Hanser, Matthew L. Brooks, Jeanne C. Chambers, James B. Grace, Kevin C. Knutson, David A. Pyke, Justin L. WeltyData resources for range-wide assessment of livestock grazing across the sagebrush biome
The data contained in this series were compiled, modified, and analyzed for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) report "Range-Wide Assessment of Livestock Grazing Across the Sagebrush Biome." This report can be accessed through the USGS Publications Warehouse (online linkage: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2011/1263/). The dataset contains spatial and tabular data related to Bureau of Land Management (BLM)AuthorsT.J. Assal, K.E. Veblen, M.A. Farinha, Cameron L. Aldridge, Michael L. Casazza, D.A. PykeProductivity is a poor predictor of plant species richness
For more than 30 years, the relationship between net primary productivity and species richness has generated intense debate in ecology about the processes regulating local diversity. The original view, which is still widely accepted, holds that the relationship is hump-shaped, with richness first rising and then declining with increasing productivity. Although recent meta-analyses questioned the gAuthorsPeter B. Adler, Eric W. Seabloom, Elizabeth T. Borer, Helmut Hillebrand, Yann Hautier, Andy Hector, W. Stanley Harpole, Lydia R. O'Halloran, James B. Grace, T. Michael Anderson, Jonathan D. Bakker, Lori A. Biederman, Cynthia S. Brown, Yvonne M. Buckley, Laura B. Calabrese, Cheng-Jin Chu, Elsa E. Cleland, Scott L. Collins, Kathryn L. Cottingham, Michael J. Crawley, Ellen Ingman Damschen, Kendi F. Davies, Nicole M. DeCrappeo, Philip A. Fay, Jennifer Firn, Paul Frater, Eve I. Gasarch, Daneil S. Gruner, Nicole Hagenah, Janneke Hille Ris Lambers, Hope Humphries, Virginia L. Jin, Adam D. Kay, Kevin P. Kirkman, Julia A. Klein, Johannes M.H. Knops, Kimberly J. La Pierre, John G. Lambrinos, Wei Li, Andrew S. MacDougall, Rebecca L. McCulley, Brett A. Melbourne, Charles E. Mitchell, Joslin L. Moore, John W. Morgan, Brent Mortensen, John L. Orrock, Suzanne M. Prober, David A. Pyke, Anita C. Risch, Martin Schuetz, Melinda D. Smith, Carly J. Stevens, Lauren L. Sullivan, Gang Wang, Peter D. Wragg, Justin P. Wright, Louie H. YangRange-wide assessment of livestock grazing across the sagebrush biome
Domestic livestock grazing occurs in virtually all sagebrush habitats and is a prominent disturbance factor. By affecting habitat condition and trend, grazing influences the resources required by, and thus, the distribution and abundance of sagebrush-obligate wildlife species (for example, sage-grouse Centrocercus spp.). Yet, the risks that livestock grazing may pose to these species and their habAuthorsKari E. Veblen, David A. Pyke, Christopher A. Jones, Michael L. Casazza, Timothy J. Assal, Melissa A. FarinhaEcological influence and pathways of land use in sagebrush
Land use in sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) landscapes influences all sage-grouse (Centrocer-cus spp.) populations in western North America. Croplands and the network of irrigation canals cover 230,000 km2 and indirectly influence up to 77% of the Sage-Grouse Conservation Area and 73% of sagebrush land cover by subsidizing synanthropic predators on sage-grouse. Urbanization and the demands of human popAuthorsSteven T. Knick, Steven E. Hanser, Richard F. Miller, David A. Pyke, Michael J. Wisdom, Sean P. Finn, E. Thomas Rinkes, Charles J. HennyRestoring and rehabilitating sagebrush habitats
Less than half of the original habitat of the Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus uropha-sianus) currently exists. Some has been perma-nently lost to farms and urban areas, but the remaining varies in condition from high quality to no longer adequate. Restoration of sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) grassland ecosystems may be pos-sible for resilient lands. However, Greater Sage-Grouse require a wide varieAuthorsDavid A. PykeYield responses of ruderal plants to sucrose in invasive-dominated sagebrush steppe of the northern Great Basin
Restoration of sagebrush-steppe plant communities dominated by the invasive ruderals Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) and Taeniatherum caput-medusae (medusahead) can be facilitated by adding carbon (C) to the soil, stimulating microbes to immobilize nitrogen (N) and limit inorganic N availability. Our objectives were to determine responses in (1) cheatgrass and medusahead biomass and seed production;AuthorsJessi Brunson, David A. Pyke, Steven S. PerakisA spatial model to prioritize sagebrush landscapes in the intermountain west (U.S.A.) for restoration
The ecological integrity of Sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystems in the Intermountain West (U.S.A.) has been diminished by synergistic relationships among human activities, spread of invasive plants, and altered disturbance regimes. An aggressive effort to restore Sagebrush habitats is necessary if we are to stabilize or improve current habitat trajectories and reverse declining population trendsAuthorsC.W. Meinke, S.T. Knick, D.A. PykeInteractions among livestock grazing, vegetation type, and fire behavior in the Murphy Wildland Fire Complex in Idaho and Nevada, July 2007
A series of wildland fires were ignited by lightning in sagebrush and grassland communities near the Idaho-Nevada border southwest of Twin Falls, Idaho in July 2007. The fires burned for over two weeks and encompassed more than 650,000 acres. A team of scientists, habitat specialists, and land managers was called together by Tom Dyer, Idaho BLM State Director, to examine initial information from tAuthorsKaren Launchbaugh, Bob Brammer, Matthew L. Brooks, Stephen C. Bunting, Patrick Clark, Jay Davison, Mark Fleming, Ron Kay, Mike Pellant, David A. Pyke