Treesearch

Fire is an important ecological force in many southwestern ecosystems, but frequencies, sizes, and intensities of fire have been altered historically by grazing, logging, exotic vegetation, and suppression. Prescribed burning should be applied widely, but under experimental conditions that facilitate studying its impacts on birds and other components of biodiversity. Exceptions are Sonoran, Mojave, and Chihuahuan desert scrub, and riparian woodlands, where the increased fuel loads caused by invasions of exotic grasses and trees have increased the frequency and intensity of wildfires that...

Fire impacts on saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) associated vegetation were studied in unburned and burned areas over a 10 year post-fire period after the 1993 Vista View fire, Tonto National Forest, Arizona. Many associated species, crucial for saguaro survival, regenerate by vegetative growth after fire. Bushes were the most common nearest-neighbor, physiognomic, fuel group. Burned area species diversity was maintained by resprouts. Average and total cover m2 in burned areas was less for trees, cactus, and yucca; similar for bushes; and greater for shrubs than in unburned areas. The burn...

Approximately 110 species of amphibians (18 frogs and toads, and 1 salamander) and reptiles (47 snakes, 39 lizards, and 5 turtles) are known from the American Madrean Archipelago and adjacent valleys. The high diversity of the herpetofauna comes from a variety of factors, including a convergence of biotic communities representing deserts, grasslands, and mountains. Other environmental and ecological factors weigh heavily into the equation, making this one of the nation’s richest herpetofaunas. Certain taxa are particularly speciose, including whiptails, rattlesnakes, and spiny lizards....

Sage-grouse (greater sage-grouse [Centrocercus urophasianus] and Gunnison sage-grouse [C. minimus]) were once abundant over a range that approximated that of sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) in 16 Western States and three Canadian Provinces (Aldrich 1963; Connelly and others 2000; Johnsgard 1973). Although their specific requirements vary seasonally and over their life cycle, sage-grouse are almost completely reliant upon sagebrush habitats (Connelly and others 2000; Crawford and others 2004). Some populations are migratory and require ranges exceeding 1,300 km2 (Wambolt and others 2002).

Basic identification keys and comparison tables for 23 low and big sagebrush (Artemisia) taxa are presented. Differences in sagebrush ecology, soil temperature regimes, geographic range, palatability, mineralogy, and chemistry are discussed. Coumarin, a chemical produced in the glands of some Artemisia species, causes UV-light fluorescence of the leaves. Coumarin-containing taxa, such as mountain, xeric, subalpine big, subalpine early, black, and low sagebrush, each fluoresce a bright bluish-white color. These taxa are also the most palatable. A table of UV-light fluorescence of 20...

This paper describes methods of managing or seeding to restore big sagebrush communities for wildlife habitat. The focus is on three big sagebrush subspecies, Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis), basin big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. tridentata), and mountain big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana). Natural colonization of the native plant community may be the preferred management action on sites where native seed sources are available to successfully reestablish the desired wildlife habitat. On highly disturbed or otherwise damaged sites and...

This volume addresses the wildlife and fish of the grasslands in the Southwestern Region of the USDA Forest Service. Our intent is to provide information that will help resource specialists and decisionmakers manage wildlife populations within grassland ecosystems in the Southwestern United States. The information and analysis presented is at a Regional scale.Individual papers from this publication

Moving equipment and logs over the surface of forest soils causes gouges and ruts in the mineral soil, displaces organic matter, and can cause compaction. Compaction is the component of soil productivity most influenced by forest management, but the degree to which soils may be compacted depends on initial soil bulk density. For example, low bulk density soils (such as volcanic ash-cap soils) are much easier to compact than those soils with a high baseline bulk density. This publication discusses the complications from compaction, recovery, and National mandates.Other publications in this...

Digital data loggers (thermographs) are among the most widespread instruments in use for monitoring physical conditions in aquatic ecosystems. The intent of this protocol is to provide guidelines for selecting and programming data loggers, sampling water temperatures in the field, data screening and analysis, and data archiving.

This report traces the flow of Wyoming's 2000 timber harvest through the primary wood-using industries; provides a description of the structure, capacity, and condition of Wyoming's primary forest products industry; and quantifies volumes and uses of wood fiber. Historical wood products industry changes are discussed, as well as changes in harvest, production, and sales.