Get reliable rangeland science

Large, frequent wildfires are becoming more common in the Intermountain West.� Exotic annual grass dominance is a serious threat across the sagebrush ecosystem, particularly in hotter and drier plant communities.� Clearly, fuel management is needed, but sagebrush rangelands are expansive.� Grazing by domestic livestock is likely the only treatment than can feasibly be applied across such large landscapes.� Well-managed grazing reduces fine fuel loads and continuity, increases fuel moisture, and decreases fuel heights.� Grazing alterations to fuel reduced the likelihood of initial ignition and fire spread.� These changes to fuel characteristics also reduced fire behavior, temperature, and duration of elevated temperature.� This resulted in reduced fire severity, in particular, less mortality of perennial vegetation.� Subsequently, grazing decreased the risk of post-fire exotic annual grass dominance compared to ungrazed areas.� These results demonstrate that grazing can be a valuable tool for fuel and fire management in rangelands.