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.
Relationship of greater sage-grouse to natural and assisted recovery of key vegetation types following wildfire: Insights from scat
Megafires are creating severe conservation problems worldwide for wildlife that have obligate dependencies on plant species that are foundational but fire-intolerant. Wildfire-induced loss of native perennials and increases in exotic annual grasses threaten greater sage-grouse (GRSG, Centrocercus urophasianus) in its sagebrush steppe habitat in western North America. Post-fire restoration using he
Authors
Matthew Germino, Christopher R. Anthony, Chad Raymond Kluender, Ethan A. Ellsworth, Ann M. Moser, Cara Applestein, Matthew Fisk
Monitoring for adaptive management of burned sagebrush-steppe rangelands: addressing variability and uncertainty on the 2015 Soda Megafire
• Use of adaptive management supported by robust monitoring is vital to solving severe rangeland problems, such as the exotic annual grass invasion and fire cycle in sagebrush-steppe rangelands.• Uncertainty in post-fire plant-community composition and plant response to treatments poses a challenge to land management and research but can be addressed with a high density of observations over short
Authors
Matthew Germino, Peter Torma, Matthew Fisk, Cara Applestein
Bunchgrass root abundances and their relationship to resistance and resilience of a burned shrub-steppe landscape
Invasion of exotic annual grasses (EAG) and increased wildfire have motivated an emphasis on managing rangeland plant communities for resistance to invasion and resilience to disturbances. These traits are provided primarily by perennial bunchgrasses in rangelands such as shrub steppe, and specifically but also hypothetically, the abundances and functioning of bunchgrass roots. We asked how bunc
Authors
Matthew J. Germino, Matthew Fisk, Cara Applestein
Can’t see the random forest for the decision trees: Selecting predictive models for restoration ecology
Improving predictions of restoration outcomes is increasingly important to resource managers for accountability and adaptive management, yet there is limited guidance for selecting a predictive model from the multitude available. The goal of this paper was to identify an optimal predictive framework for restoration ecology using eleven modeling frameworks (including, machine learning, inferential,
Authors
David Barnard, Matthew Germino, David Pilliod, Robert Arkle, Cara Applestein, Bill Davidson, Matthew Fisk
Appropriate sample sizes for monitoring burned pastures in sagebrush steppe: How many plots are enough, and can one size fit all?
Statistically defensible information on vegetation conditions is needed to guide rangeland management decisions following disturbances such as wildfire, often for heterogeneous pastures. Here we evaluate the number of plots needed to make informed adaptive management decisions using >2000 plots sampled on the 2015 Soda Fire that burned across 75 pastures and 113,000 ha in Idaho and Oregon, USA. We
Authors
Cara Applestein, Matthew J. Germino, David Pilliod, Matthew Fisk, Robert Arkle
Vegetative community response to landscape-scale post-fire herbicide (imazapic) application
Disturbances such as wildfire create time-sensitive windows of opportunity for invasive plant treatment, and the timing of herbicide application relative to the time course of plant community development following fire can strongly influence herbicide effectiveness. We evaluated the effect of herbicide (imazapic) applied in the first winter or second fall after the 113,000 ha Soda wildfire on the
Authors
Cara Applestein, Matthew J. Germino, Matthew Fisk
Thresholds and hotspots for shrub restoration following a heterogeneous megafire
ContextReestablishing foundational plant species through aerial seeding is an essential yet challenging step for restoring the vast semiarid landscapes impacted by plant invasions and wildfire-regime shifts. A key component of the challenge stems from landscape variability and its effects on plant recovery.ObjectivesWe assessed landscape correlates, thresholds, and tipping points for sagebrush pre
Authors
Matthew Germino, David Barnard, Bill Davidson, Robert Arkle, David Pilliod, Matthew Fisk, Cara Applestein
Non-USGS Publications**
Fisk MF, Apostol KG, Ross-Davis AL, Cahoy DO, Davis AS (2018) Informing native plant sourcing for ecological restoration: cold‐hardiness dynamics, flowering phenology, and survival of Eriogonum umbellatum. Restoration Ecology 27(3): 616-625. Available: https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.12912
Fisk MF (2016) Dynamics of cold hardiness accumulation and loss in the Great Basin species Eriogonum umbellatum: spatial and temporal changes in populations. Moscow, ID: University of Idaho. 34p. Thesis.
Davis AS, Fisk MF, Apostol KG, Pete KW (2014) Dynamics of germination and cold hardiness for Great Basin native plants. Great Basin Native Plant Project 2013 Progress Report p. 39-46.
Shaw NL, Ott JE, Fisk MR, Bjork R, Gurr JE, Denney EK, Malcomb A (2013) Native plant selection and restoration strategies. Great Basin Native Plant Selection and Increase Project 2012 Progress Report p. 210-224.
Youtie B, Shaw NL, Fisk MR, Jensen S (2013) A strategy for maximizing native plant material diversity for ecological restoration, germplasm conservation and genecology research. 8th European Conference on Ecological Restoration; September 9-14 2012; Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic. Washington, DC: SER Europe, Knowledge Base on Ecological Restoration in Europe. Online: http://ser.semico.be/ser-pdf/EA_SER2012_Youtie.pdf
Shaw NL, Pellant M, Fisk MR, Denney EK (2012) A collaborative program to provide native plant materials for the Great Basin. Rangelands 34(4): 11-16. Available: https://doi.org/10.2111/RANGELANDS-D-12-00030.1
Shaw NL, Fisk MR, Denney EK, Gurr JE, Malcomb A, Cox RD (2012) Native plant selection and restoration strategies. Great Basin Native Plant Selection and Increase Project 2011 Progress Report p. 188-208.
Shaw NL, Cox RD, Fisk MR, Denney EK, Gurr JE (2011) Native plant selection, seed biology and seeding equipment and technology. Great Basin Native Plant Selection and Increase Project FY2010 Progress Report p. 173-183.
Shaw NL, Fisk MR, Denney EK, Williams ND (2010) Native plant selection, seed biology and seeding equipment and technology. Great Basin Native Plant Selection and Increase Project FY2009 Progress Report p.150-166.
**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.
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.
Exotic and perennial grass cover for pastures in the Soda Fire (2016)
The point data file ("Soda Fire Point and Pasture Data (2016).Point Data.csv") includes 2016 vegetative cover values of exotic annual grass and perennial grass measured within three different types of plots for 75 pastures in the Soda Fire, which burned in 2015: 6m2 plot using a grid-point intercept photo software, SamplePoint (Booth et al. 2006), 1m2 quadrat using an unguided rapid ocular estimat
Science and Products
- Publications
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.
Relationship of greater sage-grouse to natural and assisted recovery of key vegetation types following wildfire: Insights from scat
Megafires are creating severe conservation problems worldwide for wildlife that have obligate dependencies on plant species that are foundational but fire-intolerant. Wildfire-induced loss of native perennials and increases in exotic annual grasses threaten greater sage-grouse (GRSG, Centrocercus urophasianus) in its sagebrush steppe habitat in western North America. Post-fire restoration using heAuthorsMatthew Germino, Christopher R. Anthony, Chad Raymond Kluender, Ethan A. Ellsworth, Ann M. Moser, Cara Applestein, Matthew FiskMonitoring for adaptive management of burned sagebrush-steppe rangelands: addressing variability and uncertainty on the 2015 Soda Megafire
• Use of adaptive management supported by robust monitoring is vital to solving severe rangeland problems, such as the exotic annual grass invasion and fire cycle in sagebrush-steppe rangelands.• Uncertainty in post-fire plant-community composition and plant response to treatments poses a challenge to land management and research but can be addressed with a high density of observations over shortAuthorsMatthew Germino, Peter Torma, Matthew Fisk, Cara ApplesteinBunchgrass root abundances and their relationship to resistance and resilience of a burned shrub-steppe landscape
Invasion of exotic annual grasses (EAG) and increased wildfire have motivated an emphasis on managing rangeland plant communities for resistance to invasion and resilience to disturbances. These traits are provided primarily by perennial bunchgrasses in rangelands such as shrub steppe, and specifically but also hypothetically, the abundances and functioning of bunchgrass roots. We asked how buncAuthorsMatthew J. Germino, Matthew Fisk, Cara ApplesteinCan’t see the random forest for the decision trees: Selecting predictive models for restoration ecology
Improving predictions of restoration outcomes is increasingly important to resource managers for accountability and adaptive management, yet there is limited guidance for selecting a predictive model from the multitude available. The goal of this paper was to identify an optimal predictive framework for restoration ecology using eleven modeling frameworks (including, machine learning, inferential,AuthorsDavid Barnard, Matthew Germino, David Pilliod, Robert Arkle, Cara Applestein, Bill Davidson, Matthew FiskAppropriate sample sizes for monitoring burned pastures in sagebrush steppe: How many plots are enough, and can one size fit all?
Statistically defensible information on vegetation conditions is needed to guide rangeland management decisions following disturbances such as wildfire, often for heterogeneous pastures. Here we evaluate the number of plots needed to make informed adaptive management decisions using >2000 plots sampled on the 2015 Soda Fire that burned across 75 pastures and 113,000 ha in Idaho and Oregon, USA. WeAuthorsCara Applestein, Matthew J. Germino, David Pilliod, Matthew Fisk, Robert ArkleVegetative community response to landscape-scale post-fire herbicide (imazapic) application
Disturbances such as wildfire create time-sensitive windows of opportunity for invasive plant treatment, and the timing of herbicide application relative to the time course of plant community development following fire can strongly influence herbicide effectiveness. We evaluated the effect of herbicide (imazapic) applied in the first winter or second fall after the 113,000 ha Soda wildfire on theAuthorsCara Applestein, Matthew J. Germino, Matthew FiskThresholds and hotspots for shrub restoration following a heterogeneous megafire
ContextReestablishing foundational plant species through aerial seeding is an essential yet challenging step for restoring the vast semiarid landscapes impacted by plant invasions and wildfire-regime shifts. A key component of the challenge stems from landscape variability and its effects on plant recovery.ObjectivesWe assessed landscape correlates, thresholds, and tipping points for sagebrush preAuthorsMatthew Germino, David Barnard, Bill Davidson, Robert Arkle, David Pilliod, Matthew Fisk, Cara ApplesteinNon-USGS Publications**
Fisk MF, Apostol KG, Ross-Davis AL, Cahoy DO, Davis AS (2018) Informing native plant sourcing for ecological restoration: cold‐hardiness dynamics, flowering phenology, and survival of Eriogonum umbellatum. Restoration Ecology 27(3): 616-625. Available: https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.12912Fisk MF (2016) Dynamics of cold hardiness accumulation and loss in the Great Basin species Eriogonum umbellatum: spatial and temporal changes in populations. Moscow, ID: University of Idaho. 34p. Thesis.Davis AS, Fisk MF, Apostol KG, Pete KW (2014) Dynamics of germination and cold hardiness for Great Basin native plants. Great Basin Native Plant Project 2013 Progress Report p. 39-46.Shaw NL, Ott JE, Fisk MR, Bjork R, Gurr JE, Denney EK, Malcomb A (2013) Native plant selection and restoration strategies. Great Basin Native Plant Selection and Increase Project 2012 Progress Report p. 210-224.Youtie B, Shaw NL, Fisk MR, Jensen S (2013) A strategy for maximizing native plant material diversity for ecological restoration, germplasm conservation and genecology research. 8th European Conference on Ecological Restoration; September 9-14 2012; Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic. Washington, DC: SER Europe, Knowledge Base on Ecological Restoration in Europe. Online: http://ser.semico.be/ser-pdf/EA_SER2012_Youtie.pdfShaw NL, Pellant M, Fisk MR, Denney EK (2012) A collaborative program to provide native plant materials for the Great Basin. Rangelands 34(4): 11-16. Available: https://doi.org/10.2111/RANGELANDS-D-12-00030.1Shaw NL, Fisk MR, Denney EK, Gurr JE, Malcomb A, Cox RD (2012) Native plant selection and restoration strategies. Great Basin Native Plant Selection and Increase Project 2011 Progress Report p. 188-208.Shaw NL, Cox RD, Fisk MR, Denney EK, Gurr JE (2011) Native plant selection, seed biology and seeding equipment and technology. Great Basin Native Plant Selection and Increase Project FY2010 Progress Report p. 173-183.Shaw NL, Fisk MR, Denney EK, Williams ND (2010) Native plant selection, seed biology and seeding equipment and technology. Great Basin Native Plant Selection and Increase Project FY2009 Progress Report p.150-166.**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.
- Data
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.
Exotic and perennial grass cover for pastures in the Soda Fire (2016)
The point data file ("Soda Fire Point and Pasture Data (2016).Point Data.csv") includes 2016 vegetative cover values of exotic annual grass and perennial grass measured within three different types of plots for 75 pastures in the Soda Fire, which burned in 2015: 6m2 plot using a grid-point intercept photo software, SamplePoint (Booth et al. 2006), 1m2 quadrat using an unguided rapid ocular estimat - News
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government