Since settlement of the Intermountain West, sage grouse abundance and productivity has declined and their range has decreased. The decline of sage grouse populations is primarily due to permanent loss and degradation of sagebrush-grassland habitat. Recently, several studies have shown that sage grouse productivity may be limited by the availability...
We are at risk of losing the sagebrush steppe in the floristic Great Basin to the invasion of Bromus tectorum L., cheatgrass. The floristic Great Basin includes the Central Basin and Range, the Northern Basin and Range, and the Snake River Plain. The Great Basin receives most of its precipitation...
Lepidium latifolium L. (perennial pepperweed, LEPLA) is an exotic invader throughout western North America. At Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (MNWR) in southeast Oregon, it has invaded about 10% of meadow habitats that are important for wildlife. This study's objective was to determine the most effective and least environmentally harmful treatment...
The Bureau of Land Managements (BLM) Emergency Fire Rehabilitation (EFR) policy was developed in 1985 to encourage protection of sites from soil erosion and to minimize potential changes in vegetation communities that may result from the dominance of weedy species. To achieve the goals of EFR policy, managers often used...
The semi-arid sagebrush steppe ecosystem is one of the largest biomes in
North America. The steppe provides critical habitat and forage for wildlife and is
economically important to recreation and livestock industries. However, the ecosystem
is threatened primarily due to several negative effects associated with expansion of the
exotic annual...
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David A. Pyke Patricia S. Muir
The semi-arid sagebrush steppe ecosystem is one of
During the last century, fire suppression, grazing, and climate change have caused sagebrush grasslands to be altered in both function and form; juniper and sagebrush dominate the landscape at the expense of herbaceous plants. Management efforts to reduce juniper and sagebrush overstory in order to enhance herbaceous components of the...
The sagebrush steppe ecosystem of the northern Great Basin is severely degraded and continues to decline due in large part to the invasive, non-native annual grasses Bromus tectorum L. (cheatgrass) and Taeniatherum caput-medusae (L.) Nevski (medusahead). Restoration of invasive-dominated areas is difficult, but can be enhanced by adding a carbon...
Pinyon-juniper woodlands throughout the western U.S. have expanded rapidly following European settlement during the late 19th century. In central and eastern Oregon, western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis var. occidentalis Hook.) encroachment has been previously documented in the sagebrush steppe and upper elevation aspen communities. While these vegetation changes and dynamics have...
