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RESTORING MOUNTAIN BIG SAGEBRUSH AFTER FIRE IN WESTERN JUNIPER-ENCROACHED RANGELANDS.
Author
Davies, Kirk W.
Bates, Jon
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
2017
Body

In the western USA, restoration of mountain big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata�Nutt. ssp.�vaseyana�(Rydb.) Beetle) after fire has controlled encroaching western juniper is a priority to improve sagebrush-associated wildlife habitat.� We evaluated restoring mountain big sagebrush in four different studies.� In general, we found that seeding mountain big sagebrush accelerated sagebrush recovery.� Some sites had greater than 30% sagebrush cover by the fifth year post-fire.� The benefit of seeding sagebrush was most evident on burned Phase III juniper encroached rangelands were natural recovery was slow.� Sagebrush recovery with and without seeding was highly variable across large heterogeneous landscapes.� For example, sagebrush density was 40 times greater north slopes compared to south slopes.� We also found that seeding mountain big sagebrush several years after fire was generally unsuccessful.� Competition from herbaceous vegetation likely decrease the establishment and growth of seeded sagebrush.� Thus, its likely important to seed sagebrush prior to the first growing season after fire.� In areas where sagebrush habitat is limited, seeding mountain big sagebrush after fire in juniper-encroached rangelands may decrease the risks to sagebrush-associated wildlife.

Language
English
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Conference Name
SRM St. George, UT
Collection
SRM Annual Meeting Abstracts