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On August 25, 2015 speaker Matt Germino presented on his work restoring sagebrush in the Great Basin. Shrubs are ecosystem foundation species in most of the Great Basin’s landscapes. Most of the species, including sagebrush, are poorly adapted to the changes in fire and invasive pressures that are compounded by climate change. This presentation gives an overview of challenges and opportunities regarding restoration of sagebrush and blackbrush, focusing on climate adaptation, selection of seeds and achieving seeding and planting success. Results from Great Basin LCC supported research on seed selection and planting techniques are presented.
A genecological approach was used to explore genetic variation for survival in Artemisia tridentata (big sagebrush). Artemisia tridentata is a widespread and foundational shrub species in western North America. This species has become extremely fragmented, to the detriment of dependent wildlife, and efforts to restore it are now a land manage-ment priority. Common- garden experiments were established at three sites with seed-lings from 55 source- populations. Populations included each of the three predominant subspecies, and cytotype variations. Survival was monitored for 5 years to assess dif-ferences in survival between gardens and populations. We found evidence of adap-tive genetic variation for survival. Survival...
The spread and impacts of exotic species are unambiguous, global threats to many ecosystems. A prominent example is the suite of annual grasses in the Bromus genus (Bromus hereafter) that originate from Europe and Eurasia but have invaded or are invading large areas of the Western USA. This book brings a diverse, multidisciplinary group of authors together to synthesize current knowledge, research needs, and management implications for Bromus. Exotic plant invasions are multifaceted problems, and understanding and managing them requires the biological, ecological, sociological, and economic perspectives that are integrated in this book. Knowing how well information from one geographic or environmental setting can...
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The INL Ecohydrology Experiment uses irrigation to simulate increased winter or summer precipitation. Treatments include a doubling of annual precipitation added in summer (four 50-mm events) or in winter (two 100-mm events added), and non-irrigated control plots. Standard USDA species abbreviations are used.
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FY2017Increasing effectiveness of post-fire treatments is a management priority, such as is emphasized in Secretarial Order #3336 on rangeland fire and restoration, which prescribes a programmatic, longer-term approach that accommodates the layering of different treatments in sagebrush-steppe rangelands. The phasing of treatments by applying them in different post-fire years is an important part of wildfire response that, along with timing of livestock grazing resumption, likely affects overall project success - but is yet under studied. This projects objective is to determine the incremental gains in increasing desirable perennials and decreasing exotic annual grasses with the phasing of land management actions...
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FY2013The increase in large wildfires at a time when habitat for Greater Sage Grouse and other species dependent on big sagebrush has also increased has led to substantial needs for big sagebrush seeds. Significant decisions on which sagebrush seed to use and on management treatments that affect competing herb layers on the same restoration sites affect the trajectory of habitat.This project will evaluate how seed source, specifically genotype and climate-of-origin, interact with landscape-scale and replicated treatments (fencing, herbicide application, mowing, and seeding).
Categories: Data, Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2013, 2014, 2015, Academics & scientific researchers, Cheatgrass, All tags...
The loss of big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt.) on sites disturbed by fire has motivated restoration seeding and planting efforts. However, the resulting sagebrush establishment is often lower than desired, especially in dry areas. Sagebrush establishment may be increased by addressing factors such as seed source and condition or management of the plant community. We assessed initial establishment of seeded sagebrush and four populations of small outplants (from different geographies, climates, and cytotypes) and small sagebrush outplants in an early seral community where mowing, herbicide, and seeding of other native plants had been experimentally applied. No emergence of seeded sagebrush was detected. Mowing...
This presentation aired as part of the Great Basin LCC webinar series on August 28, 2017. Speakers include Matt Germino, U.S. Geological Survey and Great Basin LCC; David Pyke, U.S. Geological Survey; Richard Lee, Bureau of Land Management; Mike Gregg, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Jane Mangold, Montana State University; and Brynne Lazarus, U.S. Geological Survey.Download the presentation slides: http://bit.ly/2wHxN9CDescription: Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) and medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae) invasions pose a serious threat to Great Basin ecosystems. Managers and scientists are hopeful that strains of the bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens that have been selected for their weed-suppressive properties in...
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FY2010In addition to regional Science and Traditional Ecological Knowledge projects that the Great Basin LCC (GBLCC) supports, GBLCC staff lend technical expertise to a range of projects and have contributed to important regional publications on a range of subjects. These publications range in type from textbooks, to management-oriented science and conservation plans, to scientific papers and have covered subjects like wind erosion following fire, soil microbiota response to drought, plant community resilience to invasive species, and alpine plant communities. In many cases these publications form foundations for scientifically-informed management strategies across the Great Basin.
Land managers are responsible for developing effective strategies for conserving and restoring Great Basin ecosystems in the face of invasive species, conifer expansion, and altered fire regimes. A warming climate is magnifying the effects of these threats and adding urgency to implementation of management practices that will maintain or improve ecosystem functioning. This Factsheet Series was developed to provide land managers with brief summaries of the best available information on contemporary management issues to facilitate science delivery and foster effective management. Each peer-reviewed factsheet was developed as a collaborative effort among knowledgeable scientists and managers. The series begins with...
Alpine and subalpine plant species are of special interest in ecology and ecophysiology because they represent life at the climate limit and changes in their relative abundances can be a bellwether for climate-change impacts. Perennial life forms dominate alpine plant communities, and their form and function reflect various avoidance, tolerance, or resistance strategies to interactions of cold temperature, radiation, wind, and desiccation stresses that prevail in the short growing seasons common (but not ubiquitous) in alpine areas. Plant microclimate is typically uncoupled from the harsh climate of the alpine, often leading to substantially warmer plant temperatures than air temperatures recorded by weather stations....
Wind erosion and aeolian transport processes are under studied compared to rainfall-induced erosion and sediment transport on burned landscapes. Post-fire wind erosion studies have predominantly focused on near-surface sediment transport and associated impacts such as on-site soil loss and site fertility. Downwind impacts, including air quality degradation and deposition of dust or contaminants, are also likely post-fire effects; however, quantitative field measurements of post-fire dust emissions are needed for assessment of these downwind risks. A wind erosion monitoring system was installed immediately following a desert sagebrush and grass wildfire in southeastern Idaho, USA to measure wind erosion from the burned...
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FY2011Increasingly large wildfires in the Great Basin and Columbia Plateau have led to large dust storms in areas historically without them. Large dust storms have adversely affected human health, energy production operations, soil fertility, and mountain snowpack hydrology. USGS research efforts have investigated the causes and consequences of post-fire dust storms. Publications from this work are being used by managers with the Bureau of Land Management, Department of Energy, and other land managers to develop management practices that will minimize dust production.
Categories: Data, Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: Academics & scientific researchers, Aeolian transport, Data Acquisition and Development, Federal resource managers, Great Basin, All tags...
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FY2013Shrub-dominated ecosystems of the Great Basin are being threatened by disturbances, typically wildfire followed by encroachment of invasive plants (e.g., cheat grass). To mitigate these threats and future changes in the climate to big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata), restorationists require a knowledge base and tools to inform them of the most appropriate seed sources to plant to greatly enhance the success of restoration under contemporary and future climates. We propose to develop climate-responsive seed transfer zones based on associating plant quantitative traits and ecophysiological data from common gardens to the climate of the seed source.
Categories: Data, Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2013, 2014, 2015, Academics & scientific researchers, Applications and Tools, All tags...
“The loss of foundational but fire-intolerant perennials such as sagebrush due to increases in fire size and frequency in semi-arid regions has motivated efforts to restore them, often with mixed or even no success. Seeds of sagebrush Artemisia tridentata and related species must be moved considerable distances from seed source to planting sites, but such transfers have not been guided by an understanding of local climate adaptation. Initial seedling establishment and its response to weather are a key demographic bottleneck that likely varies among subspecies and populations of sagebrush.We assessed differences in survival, growth and physiological responses of sagebrush seedlings to weather among eleven seed sources...
Bromus species – such as cheatgrass – are exotic annual grasses that have become the dominant annual grasses in the western hemisphere. Their spread and impacts across the western United States continue despite the many attempts by land managers to control these species. A new book edited by scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Forest Service and Colorado State University answers critical research, planning, and management questions about these species. The book synthesizes available literature on the biology, ecology, sociology and economics of Bromus grasses to develop a more complete picture of the factors that influence their invasiveness, impacts, and management in the western United States. Lessons...
Invasions by exotic grasses, particularly annuals, rank among the most extensive and intensive ways that humans are contributing to the transformation of the earth’s surface. The problem is particularly notable with a suite of exotic grasses in the Bromus genus in the arid and semiarid regions that dominate the western United States, which extend from the dry basins near the Sierra and Cascade Ranges across the Intermountain Region and Rockies to about 105° longitude. This genus includes approximately 150 species that have a wide range of invasive and non-invasive tendencies in their home ranges and in North America. Bromus species that became invasive upon introduction to North America in the late 1800’s, such...
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FY2013“The loss of big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt.) on sites disturbed by fire has motivated many restoration seeding and planting efforts. However, the resulting sagebrush establishment is often lower than desired, especially in dry areas. Sagebrush establishment may be increased by addressing factors such as seed source and condition or management of the plant community. The research team assessed initial establishment of seeded sagebrush and four populations of small outplants (from different geographies, climates, and cytotypes) and small sagebrush outplants in an early seral community where mowing, herbicide, and seeding of other native plants had been experimentally applied. No emergence of seeded...
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To test experimental warming effects, we used and enhanced the Snake River Plain (SRP) Warming Experiment. At Birds of Prey National Conservation Area (BOP NCA), a warming frame and control plot pair were established at five locations along a 4 km distance at 3000’ ASL on loam soils with a mosaic of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), Sandberg’s bluegrass (Poa secunda), and biotic soil crusts. This area is relatively disturbed and has high abundances of exotic annual grasses or naturalized restoration grasses. Plot sizes were 2.4 x 2.4 m and were installed in fall 2012. At 4800’ ASL on rocky loam soils in Hollister, five frames were arrayed with paired control plots across a 2 km transect at 4900’ ASL in a Wyoming Big...
map background search result map search result map Development of Tools and Technology to Improve the Success and Planning of Restoration of Big Sagebrush Ecosystems Effects of Genotype and Management Treatments of Native and Invasive Herbs on Success of Sagebrush Restoration Snake River Plain (SRP) Warming Experiment Data Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Ecohydrology Experiment Data Restoring Big Sagebrush Matching support to JFSP projects on post-fire recovery of sagebrush and perennial grasses Research and Publications Authored and Supported by GBLCC Staff Dust Erosion Following Wildfires and Drought Sagebrush responses to shifting climate and fire disturbances Development of Tools and Technology to Improve the Success and Planning of Restoration of Big Sagebrush Ecosystems Snake River Plain (SRP) Warming Experiment Data Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Ecohydrology Experiment Data Effects of Genotype and Management Treatments of Native and Invasive Herbs on Success of Sagebrush Restoration Research and Publications Authored and Supported by GBLCC Staff Dust Erosion Following Wildfires and Drought Sagebrush responses to shifting climate and fire disturbances Matching support to JFSP projects on post-fire recovery of sagebrush and perennial grasses