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08-1-5-20
2008
10/01/2008
01/04/2012
Vegetation Impacts of Recurring Fires on Sagebrush Ecosystems in Washington: Implications for Conservation and Rehibilitation
Thousands of hectares of high quality shrub steppe burned in large fires in 2000 and 2007 in the Arid Lands Ecology (ALE) Reserve on the Hanford Reach National Monument. Extensive permanent vegetation monitoring plots were established throughout this area in the mid-1990s, and many of these plots were remonitored following the 2000 fire. In addition, rehabilitation efforts to control invasive species (e.g., Bromus tectorum) and establish native species took place following this fire. This combination of monitoring and rehabilitation treatments provide a unique opportunity to better understand the individual and cumulative effects of recurring fires in this landscape. These fires may have significantly altered the trajectory of vegetation recovery of these systems by removing dominant species and stimulating invasive taxa. We propose to resample these permanent plots to address key questions regarding the interactions of native vegetation, invasive species, rehabilitation actions, and repeated fires. The results of this study will inform immediate management decisions regarding present and future post-fire habitat rehabilitation measures on the ALE Reserve, the National Monument and other shrub steppe sites, and will provide a critical understanding of the long-term dynamics of these significant shrub steppe systems.
Jonathan D. Bakker
University of Washington
School of Environmental and Forest Sciences

Other Project Collaborators

Other Project Collaborators

Type

Name

Agency/Organization

Branch or Dept

Co-Principal Investigator

Peter W. Dunwiddie

University of Washington

Department of Biology

Co-Principal Investigator

Sonia A. Hall

The Nature Conservancy

WA-North Central Washington Office

Federal Cooperator

Michael A Gregg

FWS-Fish and Wildlife Service

Mid-Columbia River NWRC-Hanford Reach Nat'l Monument

Project Locations

Project Locations

Fire Science Exchange Network

Great Basin

Southwest

Level

State

Agency

Unit

STATE

WA

PRIVATE

Private lands

STATE

WA

FWS

Saddle Mountain National Wildlife Refuge

Final Report

Project Deliverables

Title
 
Ecological ApplicationsView
Journal of Arid EnvironmentsView
Rangeland Ecology and ManagementView
Ecological ProcessesView
Tour of Research Area on the Arid Lands Ecology Reserve (ALE), Hanford Reach National MonumentView
Multiple Fires and Landscape Factors Affect Vegetation Composition Over Time and Interact to Affect Biological Soil Crust Cover (E. Dettweiler-Robinson)View
Restoring Wyoming Big Sagebrush Following Wildfire Using Nursery-Grown Stock: Contrasting Methods and Predicting SurvivalView
Planting Seedlings to Regenerate Critical Shrub Components in Shrub-Steppe; A Viable Tool for Land ManagersView
Long-Term Effects of Multiple Wildfires and Management on the Arid Lands Ecology ReserveView
Biotic and Abiotic Characteristics Interact with Fire History to Influence Biological Soil Crust Cover and Composition in the Columbia BasinView
Patterns and Drivers of Long-Term Change in Sagebrush-Steppe Vegetation CommunitiesView
Using Multivariate Control Charts to Communicate Long-Term Changes in Community CompositionView
Biotic and Abiotic Characteristics Interact with Fire History to Influence Biological Soil Crust Cover and Composition in the Columbia BasinView
Columbia Basin Landscapes Workshop: Linking Science and Management to Improve Restoration Success in the Shrub SteppeView
Using Multivariate Control Charts to Communicate Long-Term Changes in Sagebrush-Steppe Vegetation CommunitiesView

Supporting Documents