Effectiveness of Rehabilitation Practices following Wildfire in a Degraded Big Sagebrush-Downy Brome Community

Abstract

Wildfires in the big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentutu) grasslands of the Great Basin are paradoxical in that their effects can be extremely detrimental or beneficial, depending on rehabilitation efforts. They present the land manager with problems of suppression, repair of physical damage to improvements, temporary loss of grazing resources, and rehabilitation of the land. Destruction of degraded big sagebrush communities by wildfires also presents an opportunity for improvement in the condition of ranges by seeding with perennial grass and browse species. This opportunity can be lost quickly because the weed control effects of a wildfire are temporary. Failure to rehabilitate burned areas quickly will risk further environmental degradation. Pechanec and Stewart (1944) outlined the stages of degradation of sagebrush rangelands following wildfires, especially in areas where downy brome replaces perennial grasses. They also emphasize the deleterious effects of improper grazing following burning. The success of techniques for revegetation of degraded big sagebrush communities burned in wildfires often depends on the level of competition from downy brome (Bromus tectorum) (Young et al. 1976). Longevity of useful rehabilitation treatments often depends on dynamics of the root sprouting shrubs, green rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus viscidijlorus), and horsebrush (Tetrudymiu cunescens) (Young and Evans 1974). How do alternate revegetation techniques affect downy brome and root sprouting shrub competition? Further, how does livestock grazing affect burned and rehabilitated communities?