Crisis communication, communication by an organization during an organizational crisis, has been overlooked as a tool for contributing to the long-term benefits of an organization experiencing crisis. Generally, crisis communication has been relegated to a defensive role, where the premise of crisis communication is the need to offset potential negative consequences of not communicating. This article suggests that crisis communication should be a part of the larger issues of communication policy and strategy that may lead to more effective and efficient influence of opinion development among members of publics important to organizations. The article builds a case for the need to consider crisis communication in a larger context, then proposes a model of Crisis Communication Content that may serve as a framework for research into the efficacy of communication during crisis episodes.

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Soil water withdrawal and vegetation characteristics of mountain big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana Rydb. Beetle) areas sprayed with 2,4-D (2,4_Dichlorophenoxyacetie acid) were measured for 20 years after treatment. Herbaceous productivity more than doubled in the first 3 years after spraying and was still twice as great as untreated vegetation 10 to 17 years after treatment. Sagebrush removal reduced seasonal water depletion 9% to a 1.8-m soil depth, equal to 2.4 cm of water. The entire difference was realized from soil 0.9-1.8 m deep. Depletion from the surface 0.9 m of soil under grass-dominated vegetation slightly exceeded depletion under sagebrush-dominated vegetation. Mathematical relationships were developed that predict the percent reduction in seasonal water depletion in relation to time since sagebrush control for soil depths of 0.0-1.8 m, 0.0-0.9 m, and 0.9-1.8 m. Mountain big sagebrush was a minor vegetation constituent on treated areas 20 years after spraying. Sagebrush density increased from 2,100 to 4,400 plant/ha between 10 and 20 years after spray ing while herbaceous production ranged between 28 and 52 kg/ha. Both density and canopy cover of sagebrush on untreated areas declined significantly over the study because of the actions of a snowmold fungus.

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Soil properties under stands of vegetation dominated by mountain big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana) and grass were examined 14 yr after spraying with 2,4‐dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4‐D) to control sagebrush. Changes in only a few soil chemical properties were found after conversion to grassland. Phosphorus and K were apparently redistributed from depth to the surface 5 cm of soil by grass‐dominated vegetation. Conversely, surface concentrations of N were lower under grass vegetation than under undisturbed vegetation. No changes attributable to vegetation conversion were found for total C, Na, Mg, cation exchange capacity, base saturation, pH, bulk density, or potential net N mineralization rates at any depth. In situ net N mineralization rates at a 5‐ to 15‐cm depth were measured under and between shrubs for both vegetation conditions 15 yr after spraying. Nitrogen mineralization was similar from positions between and under former shrubs in converted (grass) vegetation, whereas in the sagebrush vegetation, mineralization rates were higher under live sagebrush plants than in interspaces between plants. Undershrub net N mineralization rates were higher under shrubs in the sagebrush vegetation than under former shrubs in the grass vegetation. Essentially, control of big sagebrush, in the absence of grazing, had no effect on site fertility. The spatial distributions of the elements and of their cycling, however, have been altered.