Plant-Soil-Environment Laboratory (FRESC)
We produce basic and applied science needed to manage landscapes in ways that make them resistant and resilient to stressors such as wildfire, exotic plant invasions, drought, and temperature extremes. These stressors impact ecosystem productivity and functioning and pose costly risks to human health and safety in the western United States. We team with other state and federal agencies to find efficient and effective ways of mitigating their impacts.
Our program integrates biophysical ecology, ecophysiology, ecohydrology, and biogeomorphology at scales ranging from plants to populations, communities, ecosystems and landscapes. Current projects evaluate emerging approaches for soil stabilization, control of exotic annual grasses, and restoration of desirable native perennials following wildfire in sagebrush steppe. Understanding plant adaptation to temperature and water limitation, and applying this knowledge to management practices such as post-fire restoration seeding or landscape vulnerability assessments, is a major focus.
Principal Investigator
Matt Germino: Supervisory Research Ecologist
Technical theme leads
Technicians
Science Themes of the FRESC Plant-Soil-Environment Laboratory are highlighted below.
The Impact of Climate-Driven Phenological Shifts on Cheatgrass in Western North America
The Effect of Pre-Emergent Herbicides on Soil in The Sagebrush Steppe
Longevity of Herbicides Targeting Exotic Annual Grasses in Sagebrush-Steppe Soils
Vegetation and Fuel Responses to Linear Fuel-Break Treatments in and around Burned Sagebrush Steppe
Grazing Effects on the Annual Grass Fire-Cycle after Post Fire Management
Systematic Review and Analysis of Seeding and Herbicide Treatment in the Sagebrush Steppe
Weed-Suppressive Bacteria – Testing a Control Measure for Invasive Grasses in the West
Cheatgrass and Medusahead
Wildfire Impacts, and Post-Fire Rehabilitation and Restoration
Plant Responses to Temperature and Water Limitation
Integrating Science and Adaptive Land Management
If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.
Multiple plant-community traits improve predictions of later-stage outcomes of restoration drill seedings: Implications for metrics of success
Propensity score matching mitigates risk of faulty inferences in observational studies of effectiveness of restoration trials
Vegetation, fuels, and fire-behavior responses to linear fuel-break treatments in and around burned sagebrush steppe: Are we breaking the grass-fire cycle?
Nontarget effects of pre-emergent herbicides and a bioherbicide on soil resources, processes, and communities
Analysis adapted from text mining quantitively reveals abrupt and gradual plant-community transitions after fire in sagebrush steppe
Variability in weather and site properties affect fuel and fire behavior following fuel treatments in semiarid sagebrush-steppe.
Demography with drones: Detecting growth and survival of shrubs with unoccupied aerial systems
Large-scale disturbances, such as megafires, motivate restoration at equally large extents. Measuring the survival and growth of individual plants plays a key role in current efforts to monitor restoration success. However, the scale of modern restoration (e.g., >10,000 ha) challenges measurements of demographic rates with field data. In this study, we demonstrate how unoccupied aerial system (UAS
Satellite-derived prefire vegetation predicts variation in field-based invasive annual grass cover after fire
Systematic process for determining field-sampling effort required to know vegetation changes in large, disturbed rangelands where management treatments have been applied
A nontarget, disturbance-resilient native species influences post-fire recovery and multiphasic herbicide-seeding outcomes in drylands threatened by exotic annual grasses
Satellite-derived plant cover maps vary in performance depending on version and product
High-resolution thermal imagery reveals how interactions between crown structure and genetics shape plant temperature
If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.
Sagebrush Steppe Stabilization and Rehabilitation - Story Map
Learn how the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) uses data and tools to facilitate the restoration and management of post-fire landscapes. This Story Map includes examples from fire sites within the Great Basin of the western U.S.
The news stories below are short summaries of FIREss Team publications.
New Invasive Annual Grass Book Addresses Critical Questions for the Western U.S.
We produce basic and applied science needed to manage landscapes in ways that make them resistant and resilient to stressors such as wildfire, exotic plant invasions, drought, and temperature extremes. These stressors impact ecosystem productivity and functioning and pose costly risks to human health and safety in the western United States. We team with other state and federal agencies to find efficient and effective ways of mitigating their impacts.
Our program integrates biophysical ecology, ecophysiology, ecohydrology, and biogeomorphology at scales ranging from plants to populations, communities, ecosystems and landscapes. Current projects evaluate emerging approaches for soil stabilization, control of exotic annual grasses, and restoration of desirable native perennials following wildfire in sagebrush steppe. Understanding plant adaptation to temperature and water limitation, and applying this knowledge to management practices such as post-fire restoration seeding or landscape vulnerability assessments, is a major focus.
Principal Investigator
Matt Germino: Supervisory Research Ecologist
Technical theme leads
Technicians
Science Themes of the FRESC Plant-Soil-Environment Laboratory are highlighted below.
The Impact of Climate-Driven Phenological Shifts on Cheatgrass in Western North America
The Effect of Pre-Emergent Herbicides on Soil in The Sagebrush Steppe
Longevity of Herbicides Targeting Exotic Annual Grasses in Sagebrush-Steppe Soils
Vegetation and Fuel Responses to Linear Fuel-Break Treatments in and around Burned Sagebrush Steppe
Grazing Effects on the Annual Grass Fire-Cycle after Post Fire Management
Systematic Review and Analysis of Seeding and Herbicide Treatment in the Sagebrush Steppe
Weed-Suppressive Bacteria – Testing a Control Measure for Invasive Grasses in the West
Cheatgrass and Medusahead
Wildfire Impacts, and Post-Fire Rehabilitation and Restoration
Plant Responses to Temperature and Water Limitation
Integrating Science and Adaptive Land Management
If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.
Multiple plant-community traits improve predictions of later-stage outcomes of restoration drill seedings: Implications for metrics of success
Propensity score matching mitigates risk of faulty inferences in observational studies of effectiveness of restoration trials
Vegetation, fuels, and fire-behavior responses to linear fuel-break treatments in and around burned sagebrush steppe: Are we breaking the grass-fire cycle?
Nontarget effects of pre-emergent herbicides and a bioherbicide on soil resources, processes, and communities
Analysis adapted from text mining quantitively reveals abrupt and gradual plant-community transitions after fire in sagebrush steppe
Variability in weather and site properties affect fuel and fire behavior following fuel treatments in semiarid sagebrush-steppe.
Demography with drones: Detecting growth and survival of shrubs with unoccupied aerial systems
Large-scale disturbances, such as megafires, motivate restoration at equally large extents. Measuring the survival and growth of individual plants plays a key role in current efforts to monitor restoration success. However, the scale of modern restoration (e.g., >10,000 ha) challenges measurements of demographic rates with field data. In this study, we demonstrate how unoccupied aerial system (UAS
Satellite-derived prefire vegetation predicts variation in field-based invasive annual grass cover after fire
Systematic process for determining field-sampling effort required to know vegetation changes in large, disturbed rangelands where management treatments have been applied
A nontarget, disturbance-resilient native species influences post-fire recovery and multiphasic herbicide-seeding outcomes in drylands threatened by exotic annual grasses
Satellite-derived plant cover maps vary in performance depending on version and product
High-resolution thermal imagery reveals how interactions between crown structure and genetics shape plant temperature
If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.
Sagebrush Steppe Stabilization and Rehabilitation - Story Map
Learn how the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) uses data and tools to facilitate the restoration and management of post-fire landscapes. This Story Map includes examples from fire sites within the Great Basin of the western U.S.
The news stories below are short summaries of FIREss Team publications.