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Scott E Shaff

I am an Ecologist with the USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center. I manage field logistics, site management, data management, data analysis, and manuscript preparation for the SageSTEP project. I also assist the Aquatic and Landscape Ecology Research Team with field logistics and data management.  

My research experience spans forested and desert shrubland ecosystems across the west.  My research interests include restoration ecology of native plants on disturbed and invaded lands and long term effects of fuel reduction treatments on sagebrush and western juniper woodland ecosystems. Outside of work I enjoy trail running, mountain biking, and section hiking the PCT.

Professional Experience

  • 2005 - Present: Ecologist, USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Corvallis, OR

  • 2001 - 2005: Biological Science Technician, USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Corvallis, OR

  • 2000: Forestry Technician, Fort Lewis Military Base, Public Works, Fort Lewis, WA

  • 1997 - 2000: Fellow, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), Fort Lewis, WA

  • 1996-1997: Research Technician, Ecological Restoration Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ

Education and Certifications

  • B.S., Forestry Science, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ (1996)

Science and Products

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.

Pre- and Post-Treatment Fuels and Vegetation Data from the Great Basin, 2006-2018 (ver. 2.0, September 2020)

The project was conducted to study the effects of land management options. It was conducted across a regional network of sites in sagebrush communities. Using this regional network of sites allowed us to understand the thresholds between healthy and unhealthy sagebrush communities over a broad range of conditions across the Great Basin. Sites were located in sagebrush communities threatened by che
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Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Weed-suppressive bacteria data set collected on Mid-Columbia National Wildlife Refuge

We conducted a case studies testing effectiveness of a soil borne bacteria, Pseudomonas fluorescens strain D7, in controlling Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) and in affecting the density of sown desirable seedlings. Response variables (foliar cover, aboveground biomass, and density of B. tectorum; density of sown native plants) were measured for three years after treatment.
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Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center
woman leaning on soil auger
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Collecting soil cores for a SageSTEP carbon budget study
selfie of USGS scientists
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FRESC 2016 SageSTEP field crew selfie
SageSTEP fieldwork
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Researchers collecting data for SageSTEP
Image: Burning Sagebrush
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Burning Sagebrush

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.

Fuel treatments in shrublands experiencing pinyon and juniper expansion result in trade-offs between desired vegetation and increased fire behavior

BackgroundNative pinyon (Pinus spp.) and juniper (Juniperus spp.) trees are expanding into shrubland communities across the Western United States. These trees often outcompete with native sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) associated species, resulting in increased canopy fuels and reduced surface fuels. Woodland expansion often results in longer fire return intervals with potential for high severity crow
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Claire L. Williams, Lisa M. Ellsworth, Eva Strand, Matt C. Reeves, Scott Shaff, Karen Short, Jeanne C. Chambers, Beth Newingham, Claire Tortorelli
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Ten-year ecological responses to fuel treatments within semiarid Wyoming big sagebrush ecosystems

Sagebrush ecosystems of western North America are threatened by invasive annual grasses and wildfires that can remove fire-intolerant shrubs for decades. Fuel reduction treatments are used ostensibly to aid in fire suppression, conserve wildlife habitat, and restore historical fire regimes, but long-term ecological impacts of these treatments are not clear. In 2006, we initiated fuel reduction tre
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David A. Pyke, Scott Shaff, Jeanne C. Chambers, Eugene W. Schupp, Beth A. Newingham, Margaret L Gray, Lisa M. Ellsworth
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Wildland Fire Science

Assessing runoff and erosion on woodland-encroached sagebrush steppe using the Rangeland Hydrology and Erosion Model

The transition of sagebrush-dominated (Artemisia spp.) shrublands to pinyon (Pinus spp.) and juniper (Juniperus spp.) woodlands markedly alters resource-conserving vegetation structure typical of these landscapes. Land managers and scientists in the western United States need knowledge and predictive tools for assessment and effective targeting of tree-removal treatments to conserve or restore sag
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C. Jason Williams, Frederick B. Pierson, Osama Z. Al-Hamdan, S. Kossi Nouwakpo, Justin C. Johnson, Viktor O. Polyakov, Patrick R. Kormos, Scott Shaff, Kenneth E. Spaeth
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Fuel reduction treatments reduce modeled fire intensity in the sagebrush steppe

Increased fire size and frequency coupled with annual grass invasion pose major challenges to sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystem conservation, which is currently focused on protecting sagebrush community composition and structure. A common strategy for mitigating potential fire is to use fuel treatments that alter the structure and amount of burnable material, thus reducing fire behavior and cre
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Lisa M. Ellsworth, Beth A. Newingham, Scott Shaff, C. F. Rick Williams, Eva K. Strand, Matt Reeves, David A. Pyke, Eugene W. Schupp, Jeanne C. Chambers
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Wildland Fire Science

Postfire growth of seeded and planted big sagebrush - Strategic designs for restoring Greater Sage-grouse nesting habitat

Wildfires change plant community structure and impact wildlife habitat and population dynamics. Recent wildfire‐induced losses of big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) in North American shrublands are outpacing natural recovery and leading to substantial losses in habitat for sagebrush‐obligate species such as Greater Sage‐grouse. Managers are considering restoration strategies that include plantin
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David A. Pyke, Robert K. Shriver, Robert Arkle, David Pilliod, Cameron L. Aldridge, Peter S. Coates, Matthew Germino, Julie A. Heinrichs, Mark A. Ricca, Scott Shaff
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Southwest Biological Science Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)

Weed-suppressive bacteria applied as a spray or seed mixture did not control Bromus tectorum

We conducted two case studies testing effectiveness of a soil-borne bacteria, Pseudomonas fluorescens strain D7, in controlling Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) and in affecting the density of sown desirable seedlings. We conducted two case studies testing D7’s ability to control of B. tectorum (cover, biomass and density) when mixed with native seeds sown after a fire and when sprayed on a native com
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David A. Pyke, Scott Shaff, Michael A Gregg, Julie L. Conley
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Region-wide ecological responses of arid Wyoming big sagebrush communities to fuel treatments

If arid sagebrush ecosystems lack resilience to disturbances or resistance to annual invasives, then alternative successional states dominated by annual invasives, especially cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.), are likely after fuel treatments. We identified six Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis Beetle & Young) locations (152–381 mm precipitation) that we believed had suff
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David A. Pyke, Scott E. Shaff, Andrew I. Lindgren, Eugene W. Schupp, Paul S. Doescher, Jeanne C. Chambers, Jeffrey S. Burnham, Manuela M. Huso
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Monitoring restoration impacts to endemic plant communities in soil inclusions of arid environments

Soil inclusions are small patches of soil with different properties than the surrounding, dominant soil. In arid areas of western North America, soil inclusions called slickspot soils are saltier than adjacent soil and support different types of native vegetation. Traditional sagebrush restoration efforts, such as using drills to plant seeds or herbicides to control invasive vegetation, may damage
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Mounir Louhaichi, David A. Pyke, Scott E. Shaff, Douglas E. Johnson
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Foster, J.R. and S.E. Shaff. 2004. Forest Colonization of Puget Lowland Grasslands at Fort Lewis, Washington. Northwest Science 77: 283-296.

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

To request an interview, contact fresc_outreach@usgs.gov or call (541) 750-1030.

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Post-Fire Growth of Seeded and Planted Big Sagebrush – Strategic Designs for Restoring Greater Sage-grouse Nesting Habitat

Recent wildfire-induced losses of big sagebrush are outpacing natural recovery and leading to substantial losses in habitat for species such as...

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Weed-Suppressive Bacteria Did Not Control Bromus tectorum

Recent trials using a bacterial bioherbicide known as D7 have had mixed results in controlling invasive annual grasses in rangelands. 

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Sagebrush after juniper removal in Utah

SageSTEP – Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project

The Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project--or SageSTEP-- is a regional experiment taking place across six states in the Great Basin. A multidisciplinary team of scientists are evaluating methods of sagebrush steppe restoration to inform land managers working to protect one of the most threatened land types in North America. SageSTEP is the longest running and largest replicated ecological...
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Wildland Fire Science
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SageSTEP – Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project

The Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project--or SageSTEP-- is a regional experiment taking place across six states in the Great Basin. A multidisciplinary team of scientists are evaluating methods of sagebrush steppe restoration to inform land managers working to protect one of the most threatened land types in North America. SageSTEP is the longest running and largest replicated ecological...
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