Seral stage classification and monitoring model for big sagebrush/western wheatgrass/blue grama habitat

Abstract

An ecological classification model for seral stages was developed for big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) shrub steppe habitat in Thunder Basin National Grassland, Wyoming. Four seral stages (early to late succession) were defined in this habitat type. Ecological seral stages were quantitatively identified with an estimated 92% level of accuracy when this model was applied in the field. The number of plant species was greater in the early seral stage and decreased throughout to the late seral &age. This model will assist range managers to monitor and evaluate management alternatives by assessing changes in species composition and trends over time within and between seral stages. Canopy cover (%) and frequency of occurrence (%) for big sagebrush, western wheatgrass (Agropyron smithii), and blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis) are the only required variables to measure in the field to determine and monitor seral stages. The developed model may only be applied to this habitat type, and caution is expressed when applying it beyond Thunder Basin National Grassland.

Parent Publication

• Proceedings: Shrubland ecosystem dynamics in a changing environment

Citation

Benkobi, Lakhdar; Uresk, Daniel W. 1996. Seral stage classification and monitoring model for big sagebrush/western wheatgrass/blue grama habitat. In: Barrow, Jerry R.; McArthur, E. Durant; Sosebee, Ronald E.; Tausch, Robin J. (comps). Proceedings: shrubland ecosystem dynamics in a changing environment; 1996 May 23-25; Las Cruces, NM. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-GTR-338. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station. p. 69-73.