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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project (Sagestep): Restoration Research With Practical Applications, Summer Olsen Apr 2008

Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project (Sagestep): Restoration Research With Practical Applications, Summer Olsen

Articles

Sagebrush rangelands cover millions of acres in the Great Basin including parts of Oregon, California, Idaho, Nevada, and Utah. This land provides a variety of important services, including wildlife habitat, clean water, recreation, and economic opportunities; it also serves as the primary forage base for the western livestock industry. Healthy sagebrush rangelands are rapidly being lost due to a variety of factors including severe wildfires, woodland expansion, invasion of non-native species, urban development, and drought. This loss can have significant impacts on those who depend on the land for goods and services.


Rangeland Fires And Cheatgrass: Values At Risk And Support For Preservation, M. D. R. Evans, Kim Rollins Apr 2008

Rangeland Fires And Cheatgrass: Values At Risk And Support For Preservation, M. D. R. Evans, Kim Rollins

Articles

The high desert sagebrush ecosystems of the Great Basin evolved with fire. However, the introduction of cheatgrass (t. bromus), a highly flammable invasive annual grass, has contributed to the increased intensity and frequency of wildfires we have seen in recent years. Cheatgrass-fueled fires often kill native perennials, which creates openings for further cheatgrass expansion. Winters with more moisture than usual result in more cheatgrass and increased fire risk. Over time the result is ever larger areas dominated by cheatgrass and other invasive weeds that burn with greater frequency, and increasingly severe fire seasons.


Gauging The Acceptability Of Fuels Management: A Matter Of Trust, Mark W. Brunson Apr 2008

Gauging The Acceptability Of Fuels Management: A Matter Of Trust, Mark W. Brunson

Articles

There is a significant gap between the acceptability of management practices in theory and the confidence that citizens have in land managers' abilities to use those practices safely and effectively. But since most citizens are willing to accept the use of multiple practices on a small scale, opportunities exist for land managers to build citizens’ confidence in their activities while gradually reducing the risk of wildfire to the Great Basin’s most susceptible communities.