matt germino - microsoft · time (days since nov'13 outplanting) 0 100 200 300 400 n) 0.00...
TRANSCRIPT
Challenges and opportunities for shrub restoration in the Great Basin
Matt GerminoUS Geological Survey,
Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Boise, Idaho
The Challenge:Fire, invasives, and possibly climate shifts threaten dominant shrubs of the Great Basin
from Schlaepfer et al. 2012
Climate suitability for big sagebrushCURRENT 2040-2069
The Challenge:Fire, invasives, and possibly climate shifts threaten dominant shrubs of the Great Basin
Climate suitability for Wyoming Big Sagebrush, (Lighter color = less suitable)
CURRENT 2050
from Still and Richardson, 2014
The Challenge:Fire, invasives, and possibly climate shifts threaten dominant shrubs of the Great Basin
Fire regime departure forecast for 2060, in big sagebrush habitat, Central Basin and Range
(warmer colors = more departure, more fire)
Crist/Comer et al. 2013, Central Basin & Range REA
The Challenge:Fire, invasives, and possibly climate shifts threaten dominant shrubs of the Great Basin
The Challenge:Outplanting success rates are mixed; how can we assess success and improve it?
From Knutson et al. 2014
opportunities
Seeds vs. seedlings
Meeting the Opportunity:What can be learned from sagebrush seeding on reclamation sites?
r2= 0.22; p , 0.05; From Avirmed et al. 2015
87 years to sagebrush recovery on unseeded, 30 to 90-year old oil/gas pads in Wyoming
Rinella et al. 2015
Meeting the Opportunity:What can be learned from sagebrush seeding on reclamation sites?
Although establishment can be low on mining sites, much can be learned from their successes,
e.g. co-seeding herbs has large impacts!
Our LCC-supported research at USGS:
2 landscape and 2 ecoregional scale studies in Great Basin
Funding from NW- CSC, LCC, and USGS
Many collaborators:M Brabec, B Davidson, A Halford, D Shinneman, D Pilliod, volunteers, etc
Meeting the Opportunity:Insights from LCC co-funded study on sagebrush in large landscape treatments
Challenges of Establishing Big Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) in Rangeland Restoration: Effects of Herbicide, Mowing, Whole-Community Seeding, and Sagebrush Seed Sources, Brabec et al. 2015, in Rangeland Ecology & Mgmt
Meeting the Opportunity:Insights from LCC co-funded study on sagebrush in large landscape treatments
Low survival of sagebrush mini-outplants, although local seed source endured longer
Also: mowing herbs increased survival, herb seeding decreased it.
Meeting the Opportunity:Insights from LCC co-funded study on sagebrush in large landscape treatments
Testing effects of landscape, vegetation, and artificial shelter on sagebrush outplant survival in flat, early seral grasslands (unpublished)
Time (days since Nov'13 outplanting)
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DrainageSlope
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Meeting the Opportunity:Insights from LCC co-funded study on sagebrush in large landscape treatments
Leveraging topography to establish islands of sagebrush
Meeting the Opportunity:Insights from LCC co-funded study on sagebrush in large landscape treatments
Survival (fraction)
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Surprise! High densities of large nursery seedlings in shelter treatments passed initial survival only to succumb to herbivory
Meeting the Opportunity:Boise Pilot Study corroborates importance of climate matching of seed sources
In 24 large sagebrush seedings done from 1987-2010: seeds were transported from a mean ~300 miles away and ~2000 ft higher in elevation
• Seeding success greater where sagebrush existed before fire• Drill seeding increased aerial sagebrush success• Seeded sagebrush usually different from native type
Meeting the Opportunity:Boise Pilot Study corroborates importance of climate matching of seed sources
Surveyed in winter 2013/2014.
Matching minimum temperature of seed source and seeding site is key.
Climate experiments and physiology studies also point to minimum temperatures.
Weather was also important: more success in colder, wetting conditions, 3-4 years after fire and seeding!
Sagebrush recovery category
Meeting the Opportunity: USGS/BLM SageSuccess project
Objectives:
1. Assess where and why seeding practices successfully establish big
sagebrush over the last 25 years across the Great Basin
2. Determine where and why treatments contribute to the quality of sage-
grouse habitat
Evaluating treatment and reference sites, selected:
• Randomly
• or by BLM as successful
• or in Worldview2 imagery and mapping
• patches of recovery
19
Patch/worldviewhigh-resolutionARTR cover imagery
WorldView2 scenecontaining treatments
The Opportunity: Right seed at the right time at the right place!
Develop seed sources and plant materialsCommon gardens to understand adaptation, seed zonesVerification of seed sourceSeed increase and provisioning
Overcome uncertainty in seedbed conditionsAllow seeding efforts to be multi-year programs; beyond one-off projectsIntegrate seeding with information on soil stabilityWeather prediction and planning
Test seedling propagation and planting techniques (see GBNursery conditions: hardened or bigger?Field conditions: leverage landscape and artificial shelter Planting designCoordinating treatments of herb layer
Allow for adaptive learning and managementSeeding the Great Basin is one of the US’s grand conservation experimentsContinued monitoring is essential, beyond 3 yr post-fireRecord seed sources and seeding or planting documentation, assess success!
Establishing Big Sagebrush and Other Shrubs from Planting Stock
2015
Shaw, Halford, McAdoo
