Attempting to restore mountain big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana) four years after fire. Issue 5 (10th February 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Davies, Kirk W.; Bates, Jon D.; Hulet, April
• Is Part Of: Restoration ecology. Volume 25:Issue 5(2017)
• Page Start: 717
• Page End: 722
• Publication Date: 2017-02-10
• Subjects: burning -- conifer control -- Juniperus -- recovery -- seeding -- shrubs; Restoration ecology -- Periodicals; Reclamation of land -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; 333.7153
• DOI: 10.1111/rec.12505
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1061-2971

Abstract

Abstract: Restoration of shrubs is needed throughout the world because of altered fire regimes, anthropogenic disturbance, and overutilization. The native shrub mountain big sagebrush ( Artemisia tridentata Nutt. ssp. vaseyana (Rydb.) Beetle) is a restoration priority because of its value to wildlife in western North America. One of the principal threats to mountain big sagebrush is encroachment by western juniper ( Juniperus occidentalis ssp. occidentalis Hook) and other conifers. Fire is frequently applied to control juniper; however, sagebrush recovery after fire can be variable. Seeding sagebrush postfire can hasten sagebrush recovery; however, seeding is not always necessary. Therefore, it may be advantageous to monitor postfire recovery to determine if seeding is needed. The effect of seeding sagebrush several years after fire is unknown. We evaluated the efficiency of seeding mountain big sagebrush four years after fire‐controlled junipers at five sites. Sagebrush cover (<0.5%) and density (<0.07 plants/m 2 ) was low in seeded plots and did not differ from unseeded controls in the three postseeding years. We conclude that seeding sagebrush four years after fire did not accelerate sagebrush recovery. We speculate that seeded sagebrush failed to establish because of competition from herbaceous vegetation that had four years to recover after fire. Although it would be beneficial to seed sagebrush only when needed, our results suggest postponing seeding until monitoring has determined that recovery is inadequate may not be advisable. We suggest researchers investigate methods to improve predicting sagebrush recovery to allow for seeding, when needed, before the first postfire growing season.