Eight general study sites were examined in the biackbmsh (Coleogyne mmosissima) zone of southwestern Utah in order to assess the impact of burning. All sites had been burned. Age since burning varied from 1 to 37 years. Plots were placed in burned areas with plots in adjacent unburned areas serving as controls. Sites were similar enough that definite trends were distinguishable despite between site variation. Recently burned areas were dominated by forbs, middle aged bums were dominated by grasses, and the oldest bums had reverted back to shrub dominance. Cryptogamic soils crusts were severely affected by burning and showed no signs of recovery after 19.5 years. Blackbrush was also severely affected and showed no signs of recovery after 37 years. Lack of recovery by blackbrush may be due to its paleoendemic nature. Future burning of stands of blackbmsh in southwestern Utah is not recommended. The blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima) zone of southwestern Utah is an important vegetation type occupying large areas. However, it produces relatively little livestock forage. Controlled buming has been used as a management tool during the last 20 years to remove blackbrush and increase forage production. In the nearby blackbrush zone of southern Nevada, Jensen et al. (1960) concluded that such burning was beneficial and economically feasible. However, Bowns and West (1976) state that burning of blackbrush is not desirable as a management tool since results are unpredictable. The purpose of this study was to examine blackbrush sites in southwestern Utah which have been subjected to fire and to determine what effects the burning has had on the blackbrush community.
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JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.
Domestic goat browsing was used to stimulate twig production by blackbrush. Precipitation, soil depth and stoniness, branch location, and the number of years of browsing and rest from browsing affected twig production (P
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