Saving the sagebrush sea: An ecosystem conservation plan for big sagebrush plant communities

Abstract

Vegetation change and anthropogenic development are altering ecosystems and decreasing biodiversity. Successful management of ecosystems threatened by multiple stressors requires development of ecosystem conservation plans rather than single species plans. We selected the big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt.) ecosystem to demonstrate this approach. The area occupied by the sagebrush ecosystem is declining and becoming increasingly fragmented at an alarming rate because of conifer encroachment, exotic annual grass invasion, and anthropogenic development. This is causing rangewide declines and localized extirpations of sagebrush associated fauna and flora. To develop an ecosystem conservation plan, a synthesis of existing knowledge is needed to prioritize and direct management and research. Based on the synthesis, we concluded that efforts to restore higher elevation conifer-encroached, sagebrush communities were frequently successful, while restoration of exotic annual grass-invaded, lower elevation, sagebrush communities often failed. Overcoming exotic annual grass invasion is challenging and needs additional research to improve the probability of restoration and identify areas where success would be more probable. Management of fire regimes will be paramount to conserving sagebrush communities, as infrequent fires facilitate conifer encroachment and too frequent fires promote exotic annual grasses. Anthropogenic development needs to be mitigated and reduced to protect sagebrush communities and this probably includes more conservation easements and other incentives to landowners to not develop their properties. Threats to the sustainability of sagebrush ecosystem are daunting, but a coordinated ecosystem conservation plan that focuses on applying successful practices and research to overcome limitations to conservation is most likely to yield success.

Quantifying functional connectivity: The role of breeding habitat, abundance, and landscape features on range‐wide gene flow in sage‐grouse

“…In contrast to terrain topography, the current distribution of sagebrush has been modified through development and land conversion (Davies et al., 2011; Welch, 2005). Thus, many resistance features have likely been created or modified since human settlement.…”

Persistence of Western Juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) Resource Islands Following Canopy Removal

“…This assumption may be true for juniper phases I and II, characterized by early successional stages of woodland development, but may not hold for the phase III regions, which also were sampled by our point counts at each site Bates et al 2011;Davies et al 2011). Sagebrush and herbaceous layers make up the dominant vegetation that influences system processes during phase I of woodland development.…”

“…Disturbance, usually by prescribed fire or mechanical means, is necessary to remove piñon and juniper and convert woodlands to a shrub-dominated ecosystem Davies et al 2011). Regardless of the specific agent of disturbance, the management objective is to restore both the form and the function of the sagebrush steppe communities that existed prior to woodland expansion.…”

“…Land managers currently are conducting numerous broadscale treatments to reduce the area covered by piñon-juniper woodlands in an effort to restore sagebrush plant communities Davies et al 2011). In Oregon alone, over 41 000 ha of early conifer encroachment have been treated between 2010 and 2012 at a cost exceeding US$10 million (Baruch-Mordo et al 2013).…”

Public Perceptions of Sagebrush Ecosystem Management in the Great Basin

“…Much of that growth has occurred via in-migration to metropolitan areas (Bend, Boise, Reno, and Salt Lake-Ogden-Provo) along the edges of the basin, while the region's interior remains largely in public ownership and is characterized by widely dispersed resourcedependent communities. The sagebrush steppe is said to be among the most imperiled ecosystems in North America (Mac et al 1998;Davies et al 2011), with more than half of the original habitat invaded by exotic annual grasses (West 2000) and more than 350 sagebrush-associated plants and animals identified as species of conservation concern (Suring et al 2005). Conversion of native sagebrush to exotic annual grasslands also has economic and social consequences due to an increase in catastrophic wildfire and resultant firefighting and restoration costs, as well as the potential loss of land-use opportunities if species such as greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) are listed as federally threatened (Garcia 2005).…”