• CASE NAME
• SEASON/SEVERITY CLASSIFICATION
• STUDY LOCATION
• PREFIRE VEGETATIVE COMMUNITY
• TARGET SPECIES PHENOLOGICAL STATE
• SITE DESCRIPTION
• FIRE DESCRIPTION
• FIRE EFFECTS ON TARGET SPECIES
• FIRE MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS

CASE NAME:

Burning for sagebrush and juniper control on the Benmore Experimental Forest, Utah

REFERENCE:

Astroth, K. A.; Frischknecht, N. C. 1984 [7]

SEASON/SEVERITY CLASSIFICATION:

Name of burn	Date	Begin time (p.m.)	Temperature	% Relative humidity	Windspeed
West Dutch	9/17/70	3:00	70°F	27	0-6 miles/h
Middle Dutch	8/24/71	4:30	82°F	23	0-5 miles/h
East Dutch	8/22/72	2:00	84°F	14 (fine fuel moisture 6%)	12-15 miles/h

STUDY LOCATION:

Benmore Experimental Forest, north-central Utah.

PREFIRE VEGETATIVE COMMUNITY:

This area supports a variety of grass species, including bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata), Sandberg bluegrass (Poa secunda), thickspike wheatgrass (Elymus lanceolatus), western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii), Indian ricegrass (Achnatherum hymenoides), bottlebrush squirreltail (Elymus elymoides), basin wildrye (Leymus cinereus), and cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum). Forbs include lupine (Lupinus spp.), Utah sweetvetch (Hedysarum boreale ssp. utahensis), longleaf phlox (Phlox longifolia), low fleabane (Erigeron pumilis), desert globemallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua), groundsel (Senecio spp.), hawksbeard (Crepis spp.), and locoweed (Astragalus spp.). Woody species included big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata), rubber rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus), Utah juniper (Juniperus osteosperma), and some Colorado pinyon (Pinus edulis).

TARGET SPECIES PHENOLOGICAL STATE:

No entry

SITE DESCRIPTION:

Elevation is approximately 5,800 feet (1,768 m) and annual precipitation is around 13 inches (33o mm). Summers are usually dry, hot, and windy, with a frost-free season from May 30 to September 25. Soils are fairly high in clay and low in organic matter. Topography is generally level.

FIRE DESCRIPTION:

The 1970 and 1971 fires were incomplete due to light winds and insufficient fuels. The 1972 burn was much more successful, with much higher windspeeds.

FIRE EFFECTS ON TARGET SPECIES:

In 1970, 32% of Utah junipers under 8 feet (2.4 m) were killed, while only 19% of trees over 8 feet burned.

In the complete burn of 1972, all Utah junipers on permanent plots were killed.

FIRE MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS:

One burn didn't carry very well because of the lack of grass as fine fuels. This may be a common problem if junipers have dominated a site and reduced herbaceous ground cover.

Following this experience, the authors established the following guidelines for burning to control junipers: less than 20% humidity, 80 to 95 °Fahrenheit (27-35 °C) and windspeed 10 to 15 miles/h (16.1-24 km/h).

Related categories for SPECIES: Juniperus osteosperma | Utah Juniper