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Project ID: 03-3-3-28

Year: 2003

Date Started: 07/29/2003

Date Completed: 09/01/2006

Title: Effects of Season of Prescribed Fire and Grazing on Understory Plant Communities in a Ponderosa Pine Forest

Project Proposal Abstract: In Region 6, prescribed fire is being applied to almost 100,000 acres, and 85 % of those acres are in the ponderosa pine type. Much of this forest type is also used for livestock grazing. A critical question facing forest managers is how timing of prescribed fire and grazing impact understory plant communities and exotic species. There is a great need for research examining grazing and fire effects. To address this issue, we established relatively large (0.03 ha), randomly located cattle exclosures on four stands as part of an ongoing season and interval of burn study. Our objective is to examine understory response to spring and fall 5-year interval reburns with and without cattle grazing. The study site consists of stands in a mixed-aged ponderosa pine forest with scattered western juniper in the Maiheur National Forest in the southern Blue Mountains of Oregon. Understory vegetation was measured (2002) prior to the 5-year reburns in all stands, including plots inside the cattle exclosures that were built. The 5-year fall reburns were successfully completed in October 2002, and spring rebums are scheduled for 2003. Presently, we lack sufficient funds to measure post-treatment response for the cattle exclosure plots built in 2002. Because of the importance of the question and urgency of taking advantage of the 5-year burn (fall 2002) and existing data, we were able to work with cooperators to plan this study and establish the exciosures. However, we are requesting funds to measure understory response within these exclosures in 2003 and to remeasure all plots (exciosure and non-exclosure plots) in 2004. Our proposed research addresses local scientific knowledge gaps that are significant to fire management program implementation and will provide critical insights into the complex relationships between season of burn, intensity of burn, grazing, and site level variables. Results from our study will improve our ability to predict changes in successional pathways and exotic species introduction and spread.

Principal Investigator: Becky K. Kerns

Agency/Organization: Forest Service

Branch or Dept: PNW-Forestry Sciences Lab-Corvallis

Other Project Collaborators

Type	Name	Agency/Organization	Branch or Dept
Co-Principal Investigator	Walter G. Thies	Forest Service	PNW-Forestry Sciences Lab-Corvallis
Federal Cooperator	Becky K. Kerns	Forest Service	PNW-Forestry Sciences Lab-Corvallis

Project Locations

Consortium

Northern Rockies

Northwest

There are no project locations identified for this project.

Project Deliverables

Final Report ("Results presented in JFSP Final Reports may not have been peer-reviewed and should be interpreted as tentative until published in a peer-reviewed source.")

	ID	Type	Title
	9208	Refereed Publication	Reintroducing Fire into a Ponderosa Pine Forest With and Without Cattle Grazing: Understory Vegetation Response
	2631	Refereed Publication	Season and Severity of Prescribed Burn in Ponderosa Pine Forests: Implications for Understory Native and Exotic Plants

Supporting Documents

There are no supporting documents available for this project.

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