Rangeland Ecology & Management

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MANAGEMENT TOOLS TO HELP GUIDE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SCIENCE FRAMEWORK FOR CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION OF THE SAGEBRUSH BIOME
Author
Coates, Peter S.
Doherty, Kevin E.
Ricca, Mark A.
Chambers, Jeanne C.
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
2018
Body

Conservation of the sagebrush biome has been driven by multi-stakeholder efforts to find science-driven solutions at the appropriate spatial scale. Chief among these is the Science Framework that links the U.S. Department of the Interior�s Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy with long-term strategic conservation actions. A spatially-implicit matrix combining categories of sagebrush ecosystem resilience to disturbance and resistance to invasion with sage-grouse breeding habitat probabilities comprises the root of the Science Framework, and provides a broad-scale means for identifying risks and appropriate management actions. Prioritized areas and corresponding management strategies can be further refined by local knowledge, and decision-support tools informed by more targeted and higher resolution data. We provide a broad overview of decision-support tools available to help refine implementation of the Science Framework matrix at different spatial scales, with an emphasis on sage-grouse demographic and behavioral response to sagebrush ecosystem conditions. At larger scales we describe examples that include: 1) rangewide models of sage-grouse habitat suitability and variation in sage-grouse response to different habitat conditions and disturbances among sage-grouse management zones; 2) regional models depicting composite indices of habitat suitability and sage-grouse abundance that identify areas for targeted for management actions, particularly in relation to wildland fire risk; and 3) recent advances in high resolution mapping of shrubland, conifer, and annual grass cover across the sagebrush biome that can inform models of sage-grouse habitat suitability and relative risk. At smaller scales, we describe how spatially explicit tools informed by sage-grouse location and demographic data coupled with high-resolution land-cover can be used predict ecological benefits of targeted management actions (i.e., conifer removal and fire restoration) to sage-grouse, while accounting for sagebrush ecosystem resilience and resistance. These sets of tools highlight the importance of considering both sage-grouse and sagebrush ecological responses that lie at the heart of the Science Framework.

Language
English
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Conference Name
SRM Reno, NV