smilekvm.blogg.se - Flight of Fire by Tara D.W. Tine

This review and analysis of Wyoming big sagebrush postfire recovery on 112 burned sites examined in 24 studies found that overall, Wyoming big sagebrush was slow to recover to unburned canopy cover values. Wyoming big sagebrush postfire recovery time is influenced by many interacting factors and varies substantially among sites. The length of time between a fire and the first establishment pulse may help explain differences in postfire seedling establishment rates among burns. Seedling establishment is episodic and occurs during relatively wet periods. Seeds are typically dispersed within 10 feet (3 m) of parent plants in fall and winter. The short-term soil seed bank and surviving plants in and adjacent to burns are seed sources for postfire establishment. Postfire seedling establishment rates vary but are typically low.

However, variation in fuels, topography, and weather result in fires that leave patches of unburned vegetation, where big sagebrush plants survive. Wildfires in Wyoming big sagebrush communities are stand-replacing because Wyoming big sagebrush plants are easily killed by fire and do not sprout. This review synthesizes the scientific literature on Wyoming big sagebrush biology and ecology throughout its distribution, with an emphasis on how fire affects it and how Wyoming big sagebrush communities respond after fire. Its distribution has been reduced since European-American settlement, and it may become further reduced or altered by changes in fire regimes, spread of nonnative plants, conifer expansion, climate changes, and other factors. Wyoming big sagebrush ecosystems support hundreds of plant and animal species, including sage-grouse and many other sagebrush obligates, and Wyoming big sagebrush may be the single most important plant to sage-grouse. It occupies the largest area of the big sagebrush cover types. Wyoming big sagebrush is a widely distributed shrub that is native to the western United States. Rocky Mountain Research Station, Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Department of Agriculture, Forest Service,

Figure A1: Postfire canopy cover and recovery by ecoregion.

Table A3: Summary of postfire recovery studies.

Table A2: Links to available FEIS Species Reviews on animals mentioned in this review.

Table A1: Plant species mentioned in this review.

VALUE FOR RESTORATION OF DISTURBED SITES.

Considerations for Fire Characteristics.

Considerations for Nonnative Invasive Plants.

BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS.

SITE CHARACTERISTICS AND PLANT COMMUNITIES.

Photo by Tom Koerner, courtesy of the Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Figure 1-Flowering Wyoming big sagebrush on the Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge, Wyoming.