Contrasting Effects of Long-Term Fire on Sagebrush Steppe Shrubs Mediated by Topography and Plant Community

The role of fire in restoration of sagebrush plant communities remains controversial mainly because of paucity of information from long-term studies. Here, we examine 15-year post-fire responses of big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp wyomingensis) and broom snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae), the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Rangeland ecology & management 2018-05, Vol.71 (3), p.336-344
Main Authors: Mata-González, Ricardo, Reed-Dustin, Claire M., Rodhouse, Thomas J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Artemisia tridentata
broom snakeweed
Brushes
Burning
Data recovery
Ecosystems
Encroachment
Gutierrezia sarothrae
John Day Fossil Beds National Monument
Land management
Plant communities
Plant populations
Population decline
Populations
Prescribed fire
Protected areas
Recovery time
Restoration
restoration of degraded areas
Seeding
Shrubs
Topography
Wyoming big sagebrush
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Summary:The role of fire in restoration of sagebrush plant communities remains controversial mainly because of paucity of information from long-term studies. Here, we examine 15-year post-fire responses of big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp wyomingensis) and broom snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae), the two most abundant native shrubs at the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, a protected area in north-central Oregon, USA. Fire effects were studied along gradients of topography and community type through time post-burn. Community types were distinguished as brush, plots dominated by big sagebrush and woodland, plots with a significant presence of Western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) trees. Fire reduced big sagebrush cover in brush plots up to 100% and in woodland plots up to 86%. Broom snakeweed cover declined by 92% and 73% in brush plots and woodland plots, respectively. Big sagebrush did not show signs of recovery 15 years after burning regardless of topography and community type while broom snakeweed populations were clearly rebounding and prospering beyond preburn levels. Our results showed that an area initially dominated by big sagebrush (cover of big sagebrush 10–20%, cover of broom snakeweed 2–4%) dramatically shifted to an area dominated by broom snakeweed (cover of big sagebrush
ISSN:1550-7424
1551-5028
DOI:10.1016/j.rama.2017.12.007