title: Spatial variability in cost and success of revegetation in a Wyoming big sagebrush community.
abstract: The ecological integrity of the Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt. ssp. wyomingensis Beetle and A. Young) alliance is being severely interrupted by post-fire invasion of non-native annual grasses. To curtail this invasion, successful post-fire revegetation of perennial grasses is required. Environmental factors impacting post-fire restoration success vary across space within the Wyoming big sagebrush alliance; however, most restorative management practices are applied uniformly. Our objectives were to define probability of revegetation success over space using relevant soil-related environmental factors, use this information to model cost of successful revegetation and compare the importance of vegetation competition and soil factors to revegetation success. We studied a burned Wyoming big sagebrush landscape in southeast Oregon that was reseeded with perennial grasses. We collected soil and vegetation data at plots spaced at 30 m intervals along a 1.5 km transect in the first two years post-burn. Plots were classified as successful (>5 seedlings/m(2)) or unsuccessful based on density of seeded species. Using logistic regression we found that abundance of competing vegetation correctly predicted revegetation success on 51 % of plots, and soil-related variables correctly predicted revegetation performance on 82.4 % of plots. Revegetation estimates varied from $167.06 to $43,033.94/ha across the 1.5 km transect based on probability of success, but were more homogenous at larger scales. Our experimental protocol provides managers with a technique to identify important environmental drivers of restoration success and this process will be of value for spatially allocating logistical and capital expenditures in a variable restoration environment.
authors: USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center (EOARC), 67826-A Hwy 205, Burns, OR 97720, USA. chad.boyd@oregonstate.edu
authors: Chad S
authors: CS
authors: Boyd
authors: Kirk W
authors: KW
authors: Davies
mesh_terms: D019306:Artemisia / Q000254:growth & development*; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods; D004777:Environment; D005390:Fires; D005544:Forecasting; D009922:Oregon; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012639:Seeds; D012987:Soil
chemical_list: D012987:Soil