Fire Patterns in the Range of the Greater Sage-Grouse, 1984–2013—Implications for Conservation and Management
Dates
Publication Date
2015-09-01
Start Date
1984-01-01
End Date
2013-01-01
Citation
Matchett, J.R. and Brooks, M.L., 2015, Fire Patterns in the Range of the Greater Sage-Grouse, 1984-2013—Implications for Conservation and Management: U.S. Geological Survey Data Release, http://dx.doi.org/10.5066/F76971N5.
Summary
Fire ranks among the top three threats to the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) throughout its range, and among the top two threats in the western part of its range. The national research strategy for this species and the recent U.S. Department of the Interior Secretarial Order 3336 call for science-based threats assessment of fire to inform conservation planning and fire management efforts. The cornerstone of such assessments is a clear understanding of where fires are occurring and what aspects of fire regimes may be shifting outside of their historical range of variation. Analyses are stratified by major vegetation types and the seven greater sage-grouse management zones, delineated regionally as four western and three [...]
Summary
Fire ranks among the top three threats to the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) throughout its range, and among the top two threats in the western part of its range. The national research strategy for this species and the recent U.S. Department of the Interior Secretarial Order 3336 call for science-based threats assessment of fire to inform conservation planning and fire management efforts. The cornerstone of such assessments is a clear understanding of where fires are occurring and what aspects of fire regimes may be shifting outside of their historical range of variation.
Analyses are stratified by major vegetation types and the seven greater sage-grouse management zones, delineated regionally as four western and three eastern management zones. Soil temperature and moisture indicators of resilience to fire and resistance to cheatgrass invasion, and the potential for establishment of a grass/fire cycle, are used as unifying concepts in developing fire threat assessments for each analysis strata.
These data support the following:
Brooks, M.L., Matchett, J.R., Shinneman, D.J., and Coates, P.S., 2015, Fire patterns in the range of greater sage-grouse, 1984-2013-Implications for conservation and management: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2015-1167, 66 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20151167.
These data were developed to assess recent patterns of large wildfires within areas critical to the conservation and management of greater sage-grouse.
Rights
The authors of these data require that data users contact them regarding intended use and to assist with understanding limitations and interpretation. Unless otherwise stated, all data, metadata and related materials are considered to satisfy the quality standards relative to the purpose for which the data were collected. Although these data and associated metadata have been reviewed for accuracy and completeness and approved for release by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the display or utility of the data on any other system or for general or scientific purposes, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government