Pinyon and juniper have been expanding into sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) ecosystems since settlement of the Great Basin around 1860. Herbaceous understory vegetation is eliminated as stand densities increase and the potential for catastrophic fires increases. Prescribed fire is increasingly used to remove trees and promote recovery of sagebrush ecosystems. We quantified the effects of prescribed fire, vegetation type, and time following fire on soil KCl extractable nitrogen and NaHCO3 extractable phosphorus in a pinyon?juniper woodland and its associated sagebrush ecosystem immediately before and for 4 years after a spring prescribed burn. Potassium chloride extractable NH4+ and total inorganic-N increased immediately following [...]
