Eight general study sites were examined in the blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima) zone of southwestern Utah in order to assess the impact of burning. All sites had been burned. Age since burning varied from 1 to 37 years. Plots were placed in burned areas with plots in adjacent unburned areas serving as controls. Sites were similar enough that definite trends were distinguishable despite between site variation. Recently burned areas were dominated by forbs, middle aged burns were dominated by grasses, and the oldest burns had reverted back to shrub dominance. Cryptogamic soils crusts were severely affected by burning and showed no signs of recovery after 19.5 years. Blackbrush was also severely affected and showed no signs of recovery after 37 years. Lack of recovery by blackbrush may be due to its paleoendemic nature. Future burning of stands of blackbrush in southwestern Utah is not recommended. This material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. The Journal of Range Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact lbry-journals@email.arizona.edu for further information. Migrated from OJS platform August 2020
Scholarly peer-reviewed articles published by the Society for Range Management. Access articles on a rolling-window basis from vol. 1, 1948 up to 5 years from the current year. Formerly Journal of Range Management (JRM). More recent content is available by subscription from SRM.