Identifying future seed needs using fire history
Many restoration projects occur in response to unplanned events, and the availability of desired seed is often a limiting factor for restoration planning. Using historic disturbance to identify regions of greater risk could help guide proactive management for seed procurement, so that genetically appropriate seed is available when needed. Using historic fire (2000–2019) in U.S. Cold Deserts as an example, researchers investigated differences in fire occurrence among different management areas, including ecoregions and seed transfer zones.
Areas that burned at high frequency or over large extents may act as good targets for seed needs planning, while areas that burned at high proportion may represent imperiled areas in need of conservation. This research provides an example of how examining historic fire occurrence within Northern Basin and Range greater sage-grouse Priority Areas for Conservation (PACs) can help identify restoration planning priorities for important wildlife habitat.
Fires were non-random and predictable; 23 of 132 provisional seed transfer zones within the focal area burned every year. Within each ecoregion, two provisional seed transfer zones comprised greater than or equal to 50 percent of the total area burned across all years. Fire occurrence within sage-grouse Priority Areas for Conservation largely reflected the provisional seed transfer zone priorities found for the ecoregion as a whole, with small exceptions. Imperiled provisional seed transfer zones, based on a high proportion burned, in sage-grouse Priority Areas for Conservation also largely reflected the patterns found across the ecoregion.
Focusing seed needs planning efforts on seed transfer zones that burned the most appears to be a realistic and feasible approach, as relatively few seed transfer zones likely represent large areas of need. This retrospective approach, based on historic disturbance, can facilitate prioritization of seed for collection, production, and conservation efforts by focusing on regions that encounter regular disturbance, experience large disturbances, or have particular conservation value. This information can contribute to improving restoration success by informing seed production, purchase, and storage efforts, as well as creating more certainty for growers and managers.