The Combined Influence of Grazing, Fire, and Herbaceous Productivity on Tree–Grass Interactions

Fuhlendorf, Samuel D.; Archer, S.; Smeins, Fred E.; Engle, David M.; Taylor, Charles A.

doi:10.1007/978-0-387-34003-6_12

Cited by 54 publications

(80 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Thus, preventing trees from establishing in grassland habitat occupied by lesser prairie-chickens would reduce functional habitat loss potentially contributing to conservation of lesser prairie-chicken populations. Regular use of prescribed fire is a cost-effective way to prevent trees from establishing in grasslands (Ortmann et al, 1998;Fuhlendorf et al, 2008). Grassland restoration for the lesser prairie-chicken may be most effective if tree removal efforts are initially targeted in regions occupied by lesser prairie-chickens.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Targeting occupied areas will improve habitat quality, increase habitat occupancy over time, and allow populations to disperse into unoccupied habitats. Mechanical removal, chemical applications, and prescribed fire are all methods that could be employed to remove already established trees from grasslands (Ortmann et al, 1998;Fuhlendorf et al, 2008). Following tree removal, design of a regular prescribed fire program may prevent new trees from establishing from the soil seed bank.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Age‐Specific Survival and Probable Causes of Mortality in Female Lesser Prairie‐Chickens

et al. 2007

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Long‐term population declines and habitat reductions have increased concern over the status of the lesser prairie‐chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus). Robust estimates of demographic parameters are essential for identifying population declines and planning effective management. We evaluated the effects of age and season on the survival of female lesser prairie‐chickens at 2 sites in southwestern Kansas, USA. Using telemetry data from a 7‐year field study (from 1997 to 2003), we estimated seasonal (Apr—Sep) and annual (Apr—Mar) survival. We also examined daily survival rates of females attending nests during the 26‐day incubation period and young during the 14‐day early brood‐rearing period. We evaluated the probable mortality causes of radiomarked birds by examining evidence at recovery sites. We captured 227 female lesser prairie‐chickens (87 yearlings, 117 ad, and 23 age undetermined) and fitted them with radiotransmitters. Estimates of 12‐month survival were lower among yearlings (Ŝ12 = 0.429, SE = 0.117) and adults at site I (Ŝ12 > = 0.302, SE = 0.080) than among yearlings (Ŝ12 = 0.588, SE = 0.100) and adults at site II (Ŝ12 > = 0.438, SE = 0.083). The patterns in timing of mortality and age‐specific 6‐month survival were consistent with those of 12‐month estimates at site I from 1998 to 2002, with a peak in mortality during May and June. Females tending to nests or to prefledged chicks had lower daily survival (DŜRtend = 0.993, SE = 0.001) than females not involved in these activities (DŜRfailedbreeder = 0.997, SE = 0.002). We recorded 92 mortalities from April 1997 to March 2003, and 59% and 11% were attributed to predation by mammals and raptors, respectively. Our research suggests that predation during the nesting season can have a major impact on lesser prairie‐chicken demography, and conservation efforts should focus on enhancing female survival during the nesting and brood‐rearing seasons.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Age‐Specific Survival and Probable Causes of Mortality in Female Lesser Prairie‐Chickens

et al. 2007

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“…In order to test our hypothesis, we use landscape-level structure and compositional changes, specifically increases in woody plant cover and habitat fragmentation in erstwhile grassland, as an indicator for overall land management practices. Indeed, such increases, though likely not linked to a single causative factor, can often be linked to certain land management decisions, such as fire suppression or grazing intensification (Bahre 1991; Bahre and Shelton 1993; Van Auken 2009), and may be amplified during periods of climatic stress, such as drought (Fuhlendorf et al 2008). If land-tenure policies do not affect land management practices, particularly during periods of climatic stress, we would expect to see similar rates of woody plant encroachment across similar biophysical regimes throughout the rangelands of the study region and across the different land-tenure regimes of each county.…”

Section: Differential Vulnerabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Land tenure and landscape change: a comparison of public-private lands in the southern High Plains

et al. 2016

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“…Grazing can directly reduce the frequency and intensity of fire by removing fine fuels and amplifying the heterogeneity of fuel continuity, and indirectly by causing a shift in plant community composition to less-productive and more-ephemeral species (Fuhlendorf et al 2008).…”

Section: Goat Feeding Habitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Goat grazing as a wildfire prevention tool: a basic review

Lovreglio¹,

Meddour-Sahar²,

Leone³

2014

iForest

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© iForest -Biogeosciences and Forestry IntroductionThe general response of most countries to the problem of an increasing number of fires and burned areas has generally been to strengthen fire suppression capacity (Costa Alcubierre et al. 2011). France, Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal spend a total of 2500 million Euros annually in the fight against forest fires, 60% of which allocated to cover costs related to suppressing fires, while only 40% is invested in activities targeted to prevention (EFIMED 2012).Despite the high investment to improve fire suppression resources, mainly through expenditure on important aerial fleets, such as in Spain, Greece or Italy, the phenomenon continues to be characterized by an aggressive trend, with a progressively reduced interval between dramatic years.Wildfires occurring during prolonged and severe heat waves (such as in 2003 for Portugal, 2006 for Spain, 2007 for Algeria, Italy, Spain and Portugal, 2010 for Russia, 2012 for all the Mediterranean countries including Algeria) demonstrate that a different approach must be considered for tackling the problem of forest fires. This means a shift from the short term policy, which is mainly based on huge investments for suppression measures, to a long term preventive policy (Birot 2009, Montiel & Herrero 2010.The key purpose of fire prevention measures is to reduce the number of fires through hazard reduction, education, and law enforcement. Improving prevention strategies seems mandatory if a further reduction in the mean yearly burnt area is to be pursued (Ruiz-Mirazo 2011). Fuel treatment and wildfire minimizationAn appropriate approach to wildfire prevention must be aimed at both lessening the possibility of a fire occurring and minimizing its spread should one occur. This can be achieved through fuel treatments for biomass reduction, which are paramount to wildfire abatement (Omi & Martinson 2002). To reduce fire damages, an infrastructure of roads and water supply should be constructed, firebreaks and fire detection systems established, an immediate and efficient intervention of ground crews ensured, but above all, fuel treatments should be timely executed (Leone et al. 2000).Fuel treatments are a key factor to decreasing wildfire risk (Omi & Joyce 2003): they target different fuel components in order to achieve both forest structures and fuel characteristics which are able to reduce the likelihood of fire spread.Fuel treatments are mainly aimed at eliminating the vertical and horizontal continuity of fuels, in order to disrupt the vertical progression of fire (passage from surface fuels to ladder fuels to canopy fuels), and its horizontal progression, especially from crown to crown (Scott & Reinhardt 2001, Graham et al. 2004.Activities aimed at reducing surface fuels (low vegetation, woody fuel, shrub layer) decrease the chances of surface fires igniting ladder fuels and canopy fuels (Pollet & Omi 2002, Fernandes & Botelho 2003.The range of possible treatments to modify forest fuels is rather wide, varying from pruning (Le...

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The Combined Influence of Grazing, Fire, and Herbaceous Productivity on Tree–Grass Interactions

Cited by 54 publications

References 48 publications

Age‐Specific Survival and Probable Causes of Mortality in Female Lesser Prairie‐Chickens

Age‐Specific Survival and Probable Causes of Mortality in Female Lesser Prairie‐Chickens

Land tenure and landscape change: a comparison of public-private lands in the southern High Plains

Goat grazing as a wildfire prevention tool: a basic review

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