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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Restoration Handbook For Sagebrush Steppe Ecosystems With Emphasis On Greater Sage-Grouse Habitat—Part 2. Landscape Level Restoration Decisions, David A. Pyke, Steven T. Knick, Jeanne C. Chambers, Mike Pellant, Richard F. Miller, Jeffrey L. Beck, Paul S. Doescher, Eugene W. Schupp, Bruce A. Roundy, Mark W. Brunson, James D. Mclver Dec 2015

Restoration Handbook For Sagebrush Steppe Ecosystems With Emphasis On Greater Sage-Grouse Habitat—Part 2. Landscape Level Restoration Decisions, David A. Pyke, Steven T. Knick, Jeanne C. Chambers, Mike Pellant, Richard F. Miller, Jeffrey L. Beck, Paul S. Doescher, Eugene W. Schupp, Bruce A. Roundy, Mark W. Brunson, James D. Mclver

Reports

Sagebrush steppe ecosystems in the United States currently (2015) occur on only about one-half of their historical land area because of changes in land use, urban growth, and degradation of land, including invasions of non-native plants. The existence of many animal species depends on the existence of sagebrush steppe habitat. The greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) is a landscape-dependent bird that requires intact habitat and combinations of sagebrush and perennial grasses to exist. In addition, other sagebrush-obligate animals also have similar requirements and restoration of landscapes for greater sage-grouse also will benefit these animals. Once sagebrush lands are degraded, they may …


Grass-Shrub Associations Over A Precipitation Gradient And Their Implications For Restoration In The Great Basin, Usa, Maike F. Holthuijzen, Kari E. Veblen Dec 2015

Grass-Shrub Associations Over A Precipitation Gradient And Their Implications For Restoration In The Great Basin, Usa, Maike F. Holthuijzen, Kari E. Veblen

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

As environmental stress increases positive (facilitative) plant interactions often predominate. Plant-plant associations (or lack thereof) can indicate whether certain plant species favor particular types of microsites (e.g., shrub canopies or plant-free interspaces) and can provide valuable insights into whether “nurse plants” will contribute to seeding or planting success during ecological restoration. It can be difficult, however, to anticipate how relationships between nurse plants and plants used for restoration may change over large-ranging, regional stress gradients. We investigated associations between the shrub, Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis), and three common native grasses (Poa secunda, Elymus elymoides, and Pseudoroegneria spicata), …


Restoration Handbook For Sagebrush Steppe Ecosystems With Emphasis On Greater Sage-Grouse Habitat—Part 1. Concepts For Understanding And Applying Restoration, David A. Pyke, Jeanne C. Chambers, Mike Pellant, Steven T. Knick, Richard F. Miller, Jeffrey L. Beck, Paul S. Doescher, Eugene W. Schupp, Bruce A. Roundy, Mark W. Brunson, James D. Mclver Oct 2015

Restoration Handbook For Sagebrush Steppe Ecosystems With Emphasis On Greater Sage-Grouse Habitat—Part 1. Concepts For Understanding And Applying Restoration, David A. Pyke, Jeanne C. Chambers, Mike Pellant, Steven T. Knick, Richard F. Miller, Jeffrey L. Beck, Paul S. Doescher, Eugene W. Schupp, Bruce A. Roundy, Mark W. Brunson, James D. Mclver

Reports

Sagebrush steppe ecosystems in the United States currently occur on only about one-half of their historical land area because of changes in land use, urban growth, and degradation of land, including invasions of non-native plants. The existence of many animal species depends on the existence of sagebrush steppe habitat. The greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) is a landscape-dependent bird that requires intact habitat and combinations of sagebrush and perennial grasses to exist. In addition, other sagebrush-obligate animals also have similar requirements and restoration of landscapes for greater sage-grouse also will benefit these animals. Once sagebrush lands are degraded, they may require …


Hydrologic And Erosion Responses Of Sagebrush Steppe Following Juniper Encroachment, Wildfire, And Tree Cutting, Frederick B. Pierson, Christopher Jason Williams, Stuart P. Hardegree, Patrick E. Clark, Patrick R. Kormos, Osama Z. Al-Hamdan Feb 2015

Hydrologic And Erosion Responses Of Sagebrush Steppe Following Juniper Encroachment, Wildfire, And Tree Cutting, Frederick B. Pierson, Christopher Jason Williams, Stuart P. Hardegree, Patrick E. Clark, Patrick R. Kormos, Osama Z. Al-Hamdan

Articles

Extensive woodland expansion in the Great Basin has generated concern regarding ecological impacts of tree encroachment on sagebrush rangelands and strategies for restoring sagebrush steppe. This study used rainfall (0.5 m2 and 13 m2 scales) and concentrated flow simulations and measures of vegetation, ground cover, and soils to investigate hydrologic and erosion impacts of western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis Hook.) encroachment into sagebrush steppe and to evaluate short-term effects of burning and tree cutting on runoff and erosion responses. The overall effects of tree encroachment were a reduction in understory vegetation and formation of highly erodible, bare intercanopy …


Short-Term Effects Of Tree Removal On Infiltration, Runoff, And Erosion In Woodland-Encroached Sagebrush Steppe, Frederick B. Pierson, Christopher Jason Williams, Patrick R. Kormos, Osama Z. Al-Hamdan Feb 2015

Short-Term Effects Of Tree Removal On Infiltration, Runoff, And Erosion In Woodland-Encroached Sagebrush Steppe, Frederick B. Pierson, Christopher Jason Williams, Patrick R. Kormos, Osama Z. Al-Hamdan

Articles

Land owners and managers across the western United States are increasingly searching for methods to evaluate and mitigate the effects of woodland encroachment on sagebrush steppe ecosystems. We used small-plot scale (0.5 m2) rainfall simulations and measures of vegetation, ground cover, and soils to investigate woodland response to tree removal (prescribed fire and mastication) at two late-succession woodlands. We also evaluated the effects of burning on soil water repellency and effectiveness of aggregate stability indices to detect changes in erosion potential. Plots were located in interspaces between tree and shrub canopies and on undercanopy tree and shrub microsites. Erosion from …