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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...
Alien grass invasions in arid and semi-arid ecosystems are resulting in grass-fire cycles and ecosystem-level transformations that severely diminish ecosystem services. Our capacity to address the rapid and complex changes occurring in these ecosystems can be enhanced by developing an understanding of the environmental factors and ecosystem attributes that determine resilience of native ecosystems to stress and disturbance, and resistance to invasion. Cold desert shrublands occur over strong environmental gradients and exhibit significant differences in resilience and resistance. They provide an excellent opportunity to increase our understanding of these concepts. Herein, we examine a series of linked questions...
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We evaluated sagebrush on 24 post-fire seeding sites encompassing >50,000 acres on the Snake River Plain in the Northern Great Basin, specifically in southwest Idaho. Sites were initially identified using the Land Treatment Digital Library (LTDL; http://greatbasin.wr.usgs.gov/ltdl/; and Inciweb fire information (http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/) websites to identify seeding projects located in predominantly Wyoming big sagebrush sites (2,500 to 4,000 feet ASL; 2 sites also had A.t. vaseyana, 2 other sites had only A.t. vaseyana) that (1) had burned and were seeded within the year following fire, from 1987-2010, (2) but had not burned since, and (3) had information on seed sources. Standard USDA species abbreviations are...
Integration of conservation partnerships across geographic, biological, and administrative boundaries is increasingly relevant because drivers of change, such as climate shifts, transcend these boundaries. We explored successes and challenges of established conservation programs that span multiple watersheds and consider both social and ecological concerns. We asked representatives from a diverse set of 11 broad-extent conservation partnerships in 29 countries 17 questions that pertained to launching and maintaining partnerships for broad-extent conservation, specifying ultimate management objectives, and implementation and learning. Partnerships invested more funds in implementing conservation actions than any...
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This project aimed to contribute to effective decision making in the region for the scientific community and general public. Resource managers in the Great Basin are dealing with significant questions regarding how best to make decisions in the natural and human systems in response to climate change. Vulnerability assessments and other tools are used for climate change adaptation, but their effectiveness is not widely understood or examined. Assessing these tools for their utility and for their ability to translate science into accessible and available information for users, including the general public, is critical for the future viability and sustainability of the Great Basin. This project applied social and policy...
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FY2017The Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy Actionable Science Plan places a high priority on assessing control measures for invasive annual grasses, which provide fuel for rangeland fire and impede restoration of desirable perennials. Weed-suppressive strains of the bacterium Psuedomonas fluoresens (P.f.) are an emerging but yet untested tool for selectively reducing these annual grasses. P.f. may suppress annuals for approximately 2-5 years, bridging the short-term action of herbicides and long-term resistance provided as native bunchgrasses recover. In 2015-2016, the USGS responded to a request from the Idaho sage grouse action group to establish a series of field-based experiments to assess the efficacy...
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FY2016Information on climate adaptation of native plants used in restoration is needed to help guide seed transfer from collection sites to restoration areas across the Great Basin. This project evaluates variation among populations planted together in common gardens of sagebrushes or bluebunch wheatgrass to achieve the goal.The need for seeds for sagebrush ecosystem restoration and rehabilitation projects has led to the transfer of seed across climate zones and hundreds of miles. Development and application of climate-based seed zones are needed to improve seeding success and return-on-investment. USGS, in collaboration with USFS, has accumulated considerable data on climate responses of key native (and cultivar)...
Categories: Data, Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: California, California, California, Conservation Planning, Federal resource managers, All tags...
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FY2017This study addresses the need to develop treatments, soil amendments, and other site-preparation techniques that enhance germination, establishment, and development of healthy sagebrush communities. This study addressed the following objectives: (1) Determine whether seeded sagebrush established more frequently in fertile islands compared to burned shrub interspaces and locations where sagebrush was absent prior to the fire; (2) Determine whether the soil characteristics of sites and fertile islands within those sites influence sagebrush establishment patterns; and (3) Consider whether fertile island soil characteristics could be reporduced by manipulation post-fire soils in areas that had no pre-fire sagebrush....
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...
Precipitation amount and seasonal timing determine the duration and distribution of water available for plant and microbial activity in the cold desert sagebrush steppe. In this study, we sought to determine if a sustained shift in the amount and timing of precipitation would affect soil microbial diversity, community composition, and soil carbon (C) storage. Field plots were irrigated (+200 mm) during the dormant or growing-season for 17 years. Microbial community responses were assessed over the course of a year at two depths (15–20 cm, 95–100 cm) by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP), along with co-occurring changes in plant cover and edaphic properties. Bacterial richness, Shannon Weaver...
map background search result map search result map Assessing the Usefulness of Vulnerability Assessments and Other Science-based Tools in Climate Adaptation Snake River Plain (SRP) Warming Experiment Data Post-fire Seeding Effects Study Data Evaluation of Weed-Suppressive Bacteria for Control of Exotic Annual Grasses Evaluation of Common Gardens to provide Information on Seed Transfer Among Landscapes Microsite Soil Characteristics Influence Sagebrush Restoration Success Evaluation of Weed-Suppressive Bacteria for Control of Exotic Annual Grasses Snake River Plain (SRP) Warming Experiment Data Post-fire Seeding Effects Study Data Evaluation of Common Gardens to provide Information on Seed Transfer Among Landscapes Microsite Soil Characteristics Influence Sagebrush Restoration Success Assessing the Usefulness of Vulnerability Assessments and Other Science-based Tools in Climate Adaptation