• FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS
• POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY

FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS:

Big sagebrush plants are killed by most fires. Prolific seed production from nearby unburned plants coupled with high germination rates enables seedlings to establish rapidly following fire. Wind-, water-, and animal-carried seed contribute to regeneration on a site [43,60,99].

Few if any fire history studies have been conducted on basin big sagebrush. Sapsis [90] suggests that fire return intervals in basin big sagebrush are intermediate between mountain big sagebrush (5 to 15 years) and Wyoming big sagebrush (10 to 70 years) [90,118]. It is important to note that "given the wide range of fuel situations and our understanding of yearly climatic variation in the sagebrush ecosystem, a naturally wide variation in fire frequency in this system should be expected" [90].

In many basin big sagebrush communities, changes in fire occurrence have occurred along with fire suppression and livestock grazing. Prior to the introduction of annuals, insufficient fuels may have limited fire spread in big sagebrush communities. Introduction of annuals has increased fuel loads so that fire can easily carry. Burning in some big sagebrush communities can set the stage for repeated fires. Fire frequency can be as little as 5 years, not sufficient time for the establishment and reproduction of big sagebrush. Repeated fires have removed big sagebrush from extensive areas in the Great Basin and Columbia River drainages [20].

Fire severity in big sagebrush communities is described as "variable" depending on weather, fuels, and topography. However, fire in basin big sagebrush communities are typically stand replacing [91].

For further information on fire regimes in forest and woodland communities, see the FEIS species summaries on dominant tree species including:

Species                           Fire return interval
interior ponderosa pine           2-45 years
   (P. ponderosa var. scopulorum)
western juniper                   7-100 years
   (J. occidentalis)
Rocky Mountain juniper            ----
   (J. scopulorum)

POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY:

Initial-offsite colonizer (off-site, initial community)
Initial-onsite colonizer (on-site, initial community)

Related categories for SPECIES: Artemisia tridentata ssp. tridentata | Basin Big Sagebrush