Sapsis 1990

Effects of fall and spring prescribed burning in sagebrush steppe in east-central Oregon

Table of Contents

Research Project Summary:

CITATION
SPECIES INCLUDED IN THE SUMMARY
STUDY LOCATION
SITE DESCRIPTION
PREFIRE PLANT COMMUNITY
PLANT PHENOLOGY
FIRE SEASON/SEVERITY CLASSIFICATION
FIRE DESCRIPTION
FIRE EFFECTS ON PLANT COMMUNITY
FIRE MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS

CITATION:
Ulev, Elena, compiler. 2008. Effects of fall and spring prescribed burning in sagebrush steppe in east-central Oregon. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/ [].

REFERENCES:
Unless otherwise indicated, the information in this Research Project Summary comes from the following papers:

Sapsis, David B. 1990. Ecological effects of spring and fall prescribed burning on basin big sagebrush/Idaho fescue--bluebunch wheatgrass communities. Corvallis, OR: Oregon State University. 105 p. Thesis. [4].

Sapsis, David B.; Kauffman, J. Boone. 1991. Fuel consumption and fire behavior associated with prescribed fires in sagebrush ecosystems. Northwest Science. 65(4): 173-179. [5].

SPECIES INCLUDED IN THE SUMMARY:
Common names are used throughout this summary. For a complete list of the common and scientific names of species discussed in this summary and for links to FEIS species reviews, see the Appendix.

STUDY LOCATION:
The study was conducted on the Sheep Rock Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, southeastern Oregon [4,5].

SITE DESCRIPTION:
Elevations on the fall and spring burn sites range from 700 to 860 m. Slopes are 20% to 60% and face north. Soils are very stony clay-loam occurring on moderately deep and well drained slopes. Mean annual precipitation is 290 mm [4,5].

PREFIRE PLANT COMMUNITY:
The prefire plant community was a steppe community dominated by basin big sagebrush in the overstory and Idaho fescue and bluebunch wheatgrass in the understory. Fuels were partitioned into the following categories: grass/forbs live, grass/forbs dead, woody debris 0 to 0.63 cm DBH (1-hour timelag), woody debris 0.63 to 2.54 cm DBH (10-hour timelag), and woody debris >2.54 cm DBH (100-hour timelag) [4,5].

The prefire biomass of herbaceous fuels in both burn units exceeded minimum threshold values needed for fire spread. Total prefire aboveground biomass was significantly higher in fall- than in spring-burned plots, and moisture content of soil and vegetation was generally higher in spring-burned plots [4,5]:

Mean prefire aboveground biomass and moisture content measures on fall and spring burn plots [4,5]
Fuel variable	Fire treatment
Fuel variable	Fall	Spring
Prefire aboveground biomass (Mg/ha)
Standing live basin big sagebrush*	4.11	1.67
Canopy cover of basin big sagebrush (%)	15	7.5
Standing dead basin big sagebrush*	1.96	1.26
Grass/forbs*	3.01	2.67
1-hour timelag*	1.80	0.86
10-hour timelag*	2.22	1.03
100-hour timelag*	2.72	1.35
Total aboveground biomass	10.59	6.23
Moisture content (%)
Soil surface	2.90	3.21
Dead grass/forbs	8.88	7.36
Live grass	not sampled due to lack of vegetation	142.60
Sagebrush foliage*	97.19	186.02
10-hour timelag	4.59	4.99
*Significant difference between treatments (P<0.05).

Study sites are classified in the following plant community and probably historically experienced the fire regime described below:

Fire regime information on the vegetation community studied in this Research Project Summary. Fire regime characteristics are taken from the LANDFIRE Rapid Assessment Vegetation Model [3]. This vegetation model was developed by local experts using available literature and expert opinion as documented in the PDF file linked from the Potential Natural Vegetation Group listed below.
Vegetation Community (Potential Natural Vegetation Group)	Fire severity*	Fire regime characteristics
		Percent of fires	Mean interval (years)	Minimum interval (years)	Maximum interval (years)
Basin big sagebrush	Replacement	80%	50	10	100
	Mixed	20%	200	50	300
Fire Severities: Replacement=Any fire that causes greater than 75% top removal of a vegetation-fuel type, resulting in general replacement of existing vegetation; may or may not cause a lethal effect on the plants. Mixed*=Any fire burning more than 5% of an area that does not qualify as a replacement, surface, or low-severity fire; includes mosaic and other fires that are intermediate in effects [1,2].

PLANT PHENOLOGY:
Phenology of the vegetation before the fall and spring fires was not described in detail, but vegetation was likely actively growing before the spring fire and beginning to senesce at the time of the fall fire.

FIRE SEASON/SEVERITY CLASSIFICATION:
Fall/moderate to high
Spring/low

FIRE DESCRIPTION:
The research objective was to examine the effects of fall and spring burning in a basin big sagebrush/Idaho fescue-bluebunch wheatgrass plant community, including fuel consumption and plant species' responses to fire treatments [4,5].

Prefire data for the fall fire were collected in July and August 1987, and fall burning was conducted on 25 September 1987. Postfire data for the fall fire were collected in May and June 1988 (postfire year 1) and June and July 1989 (postfire year 2). For the spring prescribed fire, prefire data were collected in April and May 1988, and spring burning was conducted on 24 May 1988. Postfire data for the spring fire were collected in June and July 1989 (postfire year 1); data were not collected for the spring fire in postfire year 2. Each burn unit was 30 × 50 m in area [4,5].

Ambient temperatures during the fall burn were 15 °C to 18 °C, relative humidity was 41% to 48%, and windspeeds were 0 to 15 km/h. Ambient temperatures during the spring burn were 23 °C to 35 °C, relative humidity was 21% to 24%, and windspeeds were 0 to 17 km/h [4,5].

Fire behavior: Higher aboveground biomass and lower fuel moisture in fall-burned plots resulted in significant differences in fire behavior parameters in fall-burned plots compared to spring-burned plots [4,5]:

Fire behavior on fall and spring burn plots. Data are means [4,5].
Variable	Treatment
Variable	Fall	Spring
Flame length (m)*	4.14	1.74
Fireline intensity (kW/m)*	6,441	883
Flame height (m)*	2.17	1.12
Flame depth (m)*	10.35	2.56
Rate of spread (m/s)	1.57	0.23
Total energy release (kJ/m²)*	18,119	9,267
Residence time (s)	6.92	11.66
* Significant difference in fire behavior between treatments (P<0.05).

Fuel consumption and residual fuel loads: Fuel consumption was significantly greater on fall- than on spring-burned plots for 10-hour and 100-hour fuels as a result of greater fuel loads and lower fuel moisture. Total postfire biomass of residual fuels was not significantly different between treatments [4,5]:

Mean fuel consumption and residual fuel loads in fall and spring prescribed burn plots [4,5]
Variable	Treatment
	Fall		Spring
Fuel consumption (Mg/ha and % consumption)
Fine fuels	3.64	95%	2.76	92%
1-hour timelag	1.65	92%	0.66	77%
10-hour timelag*	1.90	86%	0.54	52%
100-hour timelag*	2.63	97%	1.27	94%
Total biomass*	9.8	93%	5.23	84%
Residual fuel loads (Mg/ha)
Fine fuels	0.23		0.23
1-hour timelag	0.15		0.20
10-hour timelag	0.32		0.49
100-hour timelag	0.09		0.08
Total biomass	0.79		1.00
*Significant difference in fuel consumption between treatments (P<0.05).

FIRE EFFECTS ON PLANT COMMUNITY:

Responses of dominant bunchgrasses to fire
Responses of annual grasses, forbs, and woody species
Fire effects on the seed bank

Responses of dominant bunchgrasses to fire: Both bluebunch wheatgrass and Idaho fescue showed good survivorship and recovery from the fires. Postfire survivorship, abundance, growth, and production of seed-bearing culms were generally higher for bluebunch wheatgrass than for Idaho fescue [4], probably due to bluebunch wheatgrass's larger stature.

Survivorship: Bluebunch wheatgrass showed more resistance to fire-induced mortality than Idaho fescue. Survival of both species was greater after spring than fall fires, likely due to their higher moisture contents in spring. Most individuals killed by fall fires were located near basin big sagebrush plants [4].

Mean first-year mortality (% of 8-32 individually marked plants) of bluebunch wheatgrass and Idaho fescue after prescribed fires [4]
Species	Treatment
Species	Fall	Spring	Control
Bluebunch wheatgrass	5.2^a	4.4^b	0^b
Idaho fescue	20.1^a	3.5^b	0.7^b
Different superscripted letters denote a significant difference in mortality between treatments (P<0.1).

Abundance:
Density: Mean density of bluebunch wheatgrass was relatively constant across treatments. Density of Idaho fescue was greater on fall-burned plots compared to control plots throughout the study period [4]:

Mean density (plants/m²) of bluebunch wheatgrass and Idaho fescue by treatment and year [4]
Year	Treatment
Year	Fall	Spring	Control
Bluebunch wheatgrass
Prefire	2.2	3.3	1.8
Postfire year 1	2.2	3.8	1.8
Postfire year 2	1.9	ND*	2.0
Idaho fescue
Prefire	18.8^a	3.2	1.7
Postfire year 1	17.3^a	2.2	1.5
Postfire year 2	17.3^a	ND	1.2
*ND denotes that data were not collected for postfire year 2. A superscripted letter denotes a significant difference between fire treatment and control (P<0.1).

Basal cover of bluebunch wheatgrass was relatively stable across time on fire and control plots. Basal cover of Idaho fescue was significantly greater on fall-burned plots compared to control plots throughout the study period [4]:

Mean basal area (cm²) of bluebunch wheatgrass and Idaho fescue by treatment and year [4]
Year	Treatment
Year	Fall	Spring	Control
Bluebunch wheatgrass
Prefire	198.5^a	161.2	189.3
Postfire year 1	214.7^ab1	148.9	153.6
Postfire year 2	271.2^b1	ND*	171.8
Idaho fescue
Prefire	60.9	40.5	66.1
Postfire year 1	46.9	45.6	56.8
Postfire year 2	54.8	ND	48.6
*ND denotes that data were not collected for postfire year 2. Different superscripted letters denote a significant difference between years within treatments; a superscripted number denotes a significant difference between treatment and control within year a (P<0.1).

Mean basal area of bluebunch wheatgrass increased by 36% from prefire levels to postfire year 2 after fire burning; the decrease observed after spring burning was not statistically significant. Idaho fescue showed decreases after fall and spring fires, but none were significant [4].

Mean basal area (cm²) of bluebunch wheatgrass and Idaho fescue by treatment and year [4]
Year	Treatment
	Fall		Spring		Control
Bluebunch wheatgrass
Prefire	67.1^a	33.6^a	64.8^a	17.1	70.0^a	4.6^a
Postfire year 1	59.5^b	11.6^b1	59.6^b1	16.7	63.8^b	28.1^b
Postfire year 2	83.1^c1	58.7^c1	ND*	ND	73.4^a	22.6^c
Idaho fescue
Prefire	42.7^a	17.7^a	19.4^a	0.0^a	39.6^a	22.4^a
Postfire year 1	14.7^b1	0.0^b	26.2^b1	2.3^b1	18.3^b	0.0^b
Postfire year 2	36.8^a	11.1^c1	ND	ND	39.0^a	6.9^c
*ND denotes that data were not collected for postfire year 2. Different superscripted letters denote a significant difference between years within treatments. A superscripted number denotes a significant difference between treatment and control within years (P<0.1).

Growth and reproduction: Fire effects were variable for height and flowering culm production for both bluebunch wheatgrass and Idaho fescue. Mean maximum height of bluebunch wheatgrass and Idaho fescue on fall burns significantly decreased from prefire levels in postfire year 1 but significantly increased between postfire year 1 and postfire year 2. By postfire year 2, mean number of flowering culms had significantly increased on fall-burned compared to prefire and control plots for bluebunch wheatgrass but had decreased for Idaho fescue. Spring burning decreased maximum height of bluebunch wheatgrass compared to prefire and control plots, but spring burning did not significantly change the number of bluebunch wheatgrass's flowering culms compared to prefire numbers. For Idaho fescue, spring burning significantly increased the mean number of flowering culms and maximum plant height compared to the number of culms and maximum plant height on prefire and control plots [4].

Mean height (cm) and number of flowering culms of bluebunch wheatgrass and Idaho fescue by treatment and year [4]
Year	Treatment
	Fall		Spring		Control
	height	number	height	number	height	number
Bluebunch wheatgrass
Prefire	67.1^a	33.6^a	64.8^a	17.1	70.0^a	4.6^a
Postfire year 1	59.5^b	11.6^b1	59.6^b1	16.7	63.8^b	28.1^b
Postfire year 2	83.1^c1	58.7^c1	ND*	ND	73.4^a	22.6^c
Idaho fescue
Prefire	42.7^a	17.7^a	19.4^a	0.0^a	39.6^a	22.4^a
Postfire year 1	14.7^b1	0.0^b	26.2^b1	2.3^b1	18.3^b	0.0^b
Postfire year 2	36.8^a	11.1^c1	ND	ND	39.0^a	6.9^c
*ND denotes that data were not collected for postfire year 2. Different superscripted letters denote a significant difference between years within treatments. A superscripted number denotes a significant difference between treatment and control within years (P<0.1).

Responses of annual grasses, forbs, and woody species: Plant species diversity increased in the sagebrush steppe community on both fall-and spring-burned plots compared to prefire levels. The prescribed fires generally increased annual forb abundance and decreased abundance of annual grasses and woody species [4].

Density: Prescribed burning generally reduced the density of annual grasses compared to prefire densities. The exception was small sixweeks grass, which increased the year after fall fire but returned to prefire density in postfire year 2. Both fall and spring burning caused high mortality of basin big sagebrush, broom snakeweed, and western juniper, the only tree on study plots. Fire had no significant effect on green rabbitbrush density [4].

Mean density (plants/m²) of species with significant responses to fire, by treatment and year. 1987 is the prefire year for the fall treatment; 1988 is the prefire year for the spring treatment [4].
Species	Treatment
	Fall			Spring		Control
	1987	1988	1989	1988	1989	1978	1988	1989
Annual grasses
rattlesnake brome	23	0	2	3.0	0	13	0	0
soft chess	82^a	10^b	0^b	37^a	0^b	160^a	0^b	0^b
cheatgrass	446^a	43^b	169^b	552	85^b	524	662	476
small sixweeks grass	1.9	11	1.9	0	0	0	0	0
Shrubs
basin big sagebrush	3,033^a	0^b	0^b	987	133	1,334	1,334	1,334
shadscale	133	0	0	0	0	667	667	667
green rabbitbrush	33	33	33	240	240	44	44	44
broom snakeweed	500	0	0	400	112	889	1,121	946
Tree
western juniper	456	0	0	369	0	733	733	1,040
Within treatments, different superscripted letters denote a significant difference between years (P<0.10).

Frequency: Out of a total of 61 plant species, relatively few showed changes in frequency compared to prefire levels. Only 10, 9, and 4 species showed significant changes in frequency after fall fire, spring fire, and control treatments, respectively. Both fall and spring burning caused a short-term reduction in cheatgrass, but cheatgrass returned to prefire levels by the second postfire year on the fall burn. Sagebrush Mariposa lily frequency increased greatly following fall burning. Western yarrow and basin big sagebrush increased greatly after spring burning; increases in basin big sagebrush were due mostly to germinants [4].

Mean frequency (%) of plant species with significant responses to fire, by treatment and year. 1987 is the prefire year for the fall treatment; 1988 is the prefire year for the spring treatment [4].
Species	Year
Species	1987	1988	1989
Fall fire
Annual grasses
rattlesnake brome	22^a	2^b	4^b
cheatgrass	87^a	54^b	84^a
Annual forbs
spring draba	0^a	0^a	59^b
Canadian horseweed	0^a	2^a	15^b
chaparral willowherb	4^a	3^a	14^b
jagged chickweed	45^a	11^b	55^c
threadleaf phacelia	0^a	1^a	27^b
tumble mustard	1^a	1^a	27^b
Perennial forbs
sagebrush Mariposa lily	2^a	3^a	20^b
yellow salsify	9^a	12^a	3^b
Spring fire
Annual grasses
soft chess	*ND	27^a	3^b
cheatgrass	ND	89^a	73^b
Annual forbs
jagged chickweed	ND	33^a	72^b
prickly lettuce	ND	9^a	24^b
Perennial forbs
western yarrow	ND	46^a	67^b
smallflower woodland-star	ND	24^a	0^b
bigseed biscuitroot	ND	15^a	1^b
sagebrush false dandelion	ND	20^a	4^b
Shrub
basin big sagebrush	ND	13^a	50^b
Control
Annual grass
rattlesnake brome	10^a	0^b	0^b
Perennial forbs
western yarrow	2^a	17^b	39^b
nineleaf biscuitroot	0^a	17^b	1^a
Shrub
basin big sagebrush	2^a	9^a	33^b
Within rows, different superscripted letters denote a significant difference between years (P<0.1).

Plants showing no changes or statistically insignificant changes in response to fire are listed below [4].

Changes in relative plant frequency (%) relative to prefire conditions. "^↑" indicates significant increase, "^↓" indicates significant decrease, "0" indicates no significant change (P<0.1). Empty cells indicate the species was not found on that treatment unit [4].
Common name	Scientific name	Response to treatment
Common name	Scientific name	Fall burn**	Spring burn***	Control****
Annual grasses
rattlesnake brome	Bromus brizeformis	^↓ ^↓	0	^↓ ^↓
soft chess	Bromus hordaceus (Bromus mollis)*	0 0	^↓	0 0
cheatgrass	Bromus tectorum	^↓ 0	^↓	0 0
small sixweeks grass	Vulpia microstachys (Festuca microstachys)*	0 0	0	0 0
Perennial grasses
bottlebrush squirreltail	Elymus elymoides (Sitanion hystrix)*	0 0
Idaho fescue	Festuca idahoensis	0 0	0	0 0
needle-and-thread grass	Hesperostipa comata (Stipa comata)*	0 0
prairie Junegrass	Koeleria macrantha (Koeleria cristata)*	0 0		0 0
bulbous bluegrass	Poa bulbosa		0
Kentucky bluegrass	Poa pratensis	0 0	0	0 0
Sandberg bluegrass	Poa secunda (Poa sandbergii)*	0 0	0	0 0
bluebunch wheatgrass	Pseudoroegneria spicata (Agropyron spicatum)*	0 0	0	0 0
Annual forbs
pale madwort	Alyssum alysoides	0 0	0	0 0
bristly fiddleneck	Amsinckia tessellata		0
rough eyelashweed	Blepharipappus scaber		0
sticky chickweed	Cerastium glomeratum (Cerastium viscosum)*	0 0	0	0 0
thyme-leaf sandmat	Chamaesyce serpyllifolia (Euphorbia serpyllifolia)*	0 0	0
lambsquarters	Chenopodium album	0 0
miner's-lettuce	Claytonia perfoliata (Montia perfoliata)*	0 0
maiden blue-eyed Mary	Collinsia parviflora		0
pinnate tansymustard	Descurainia pinnata	0 0
spring draba	Draba verna	0 ^↑	0	0 0
chaparral willowherb	Epilobium minutum	0 ^↑	0	0 0
cutleaf filaree	Erodium cicutarium
stickywilly	Galium aparine	0 0	0
common sunflower	Helianthus annuus	0 0	0
jagged chickweed	Holosteum umbellatum	^↑ ^↑	^↑	0 0
branched lagophylla	Lagophylla ramosissima	0 0		0 0
clasping pepperweed	Lepidium perfoliatum	0 0	0	0 0
threadleaf phacelia	Phacelia linearis	0 ^↑	0	0 0
longhorn plectritis	Plectritis macrocera	0 0	0	0 0
tumble mustard	Sisymbium altissimum	0 ^↑	0	0 0
Perennial forbs
western yarrow	Achillea millefolium	0 0	^↑	^{↑ ↑}
low pussytoes	Antennaria dimorpha	0 0	0	0 0
basalt milkvetch	Astragalus filipes	0 0	0	0 0
woollypod milkvetch	Astragalus purshii		0
sagebrush mariposa lily	Calochortus macrocarpus	0 ^↑	0
Canadian horseweed	Conyza canadensis	0 ^↑	0
heart-podded hoary cress	Cardaria draba	0 0	0
bull thistle	Cirsium vulgare		0
largeflower hawksbeard	Crepis occidentalis		0	0 0
threadleaf fleabane	Erigeron filifolius	0 0		0 0
desert yellow fleabane	Erigeron linearis	0 0	0
shaggy fleabane	Erigeron pumilus	0 0	0
Blue Mountain buckwheat	Eriogonum strictum	0 0	0
prickly lettuce	Lactuca serriola	0 0	^↑	0 0
smallflower woodland-star	Lithophragma parviflorum		^↓
bigseed biscuitroot	Lomatium macrocarpum	0 0	^↓	0 0
nineleaf biscuitroot	Lomatium triternatum	0 0	0	^↑ 0
sagebrush false dandelion	Nothocalais troximoides (Microseris troximoides)*	0 0	^↓	0 0
silverleaf phacelia	Phacelia hastata		0
woolly groundsel	Packera cana (Senecio canus)*	0 0	0	0 0
spearleaf stonecrop	Sedum lanceolatum	0 0	0	0 0
Munro's globemallow	Sphaeralcea munroana	0 0
common dandelion	Taraxacum officinale
common mullein	Verbascum thapsus (biennial)		0
Shrubs
basin big sagebrush	Artemisia tridentata subsp. tridentata	0 0	^↑	0 ^↑
chadscale	Atriplex confertifolia	0 0		0 0
green rabbitbrush	Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus	0 0
broom snakeweed	Gutierrezia sarothrae	0 0	0	0 0
Tree
western juniper	Juniperus occidentalis	0 0		0 0
For species that have undergone scientific name changes, scientific names in parentheses are those used in the research paper. 1st value is for postfire year 1 (1988) relative to prefire (1987); 2nd value is for postfire year 2 (1989). Relative to prefire (1988). **1st value is for 1988 relative to 1987; 2nd value is for 1989 relative to 1987.

Fire effects on the seed bank: In greenhouse trials using soil and duff collected from burned and unburned plots, both fall and spring fires caused significant reductions in viable soil-stored seed populations. Fall fire significantly reduced the number of viable cheatgrass, spring draba, and jagged chickweed seeds. Spring fire reduced the number of viable cheatgrass and cutleaf filaree seeds [4].

Greenhouse trials and burned and unburned soil and duff samples by fire treatment. Data are mean number of germinants in paired burned and unburned soil samples (0.04 m²) [4].
Species and season of burning	Treatment
Species and season of burning	Burned	Unburned
Fall
cheatgrass	19*	184
spring draba	8.2*	95
cutleaf filaree	0.6	3.8
jagged chickweed	5.4*	151
common dandelion	0.2	1.4
Spring
cheatgrass	4.0*	161
spring draba	12.8	67
cutleaf filaree	4.2*	2.0
jagged chickweed	0	2.0
*Significant difference between burned and unburned treatments (P<0.05).

FIRE MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS:
Fire behavior and fuel consumption in basin big sagebrush plant communities differed greatly between fall and spring burning. Differences in active flaming were related to fuel moisture, and differences in fuel consumption and total energy were related to fuel availability. Fall fires stimulated growth of bluebunch wheatgrass and temporarily reduced the size and abundance of Idaho fescue plants. Both fall and spring burning shifted plant community composition toward dominance by forbs, bluebunch wheatgrass, and Idaho fescue. Abundance all woody species except green rabbitbrush was reduced by the fires. High postfire frequency of basin big sagebrush germinants on spring-burned plots suggests that basin big sagebrush may reestablish from seed relatively quickly from the spring fire. Sapsis [4] recommends burning in either fall or spring to restore native vegetation in basin big sagebrush/bluebunch wheatgrass-Idaho fescue communities. Spring burning may also lessen the fire hazard for the coming summer.

SPECIES INCLUDED IN THE SUMMARY:
This Research Project Summary contains fire effects and/or fire response information on the following species. For further information, follow the highlighted links to the FEIS reviews for those species.

Appendix
Common name	Scientific name
Grasses
Annual grasses
rattlesnake brome	Bromus briziformis
soft chess	Bromus hordeaceus (Bromus mollis*, annual or biennial)
cheatgrass	Bromus tectorum
small sixweeks grass	Vulpia microstachys (Festuca microstachys)*
Perennial grasses
bottlebrush squirreltail	Elymus elymoides (Sitanion hystrix)*
Idaho fescue	Festuca idahoensis
needle-and-thread grass	Hesperostipa comata (Stipa comata)*
prairie Junegrass	Koeleria macrantha (Koeleria cristata)*
bulbous bluegrass	Poa bulbosa
Kentucky bluegrass	Poa pratensis
Sandberg bluegrass	Poa secunda (Poa sandbergii)*
bluebunch wheatgrass	Pseudoroegneria spicata (Agropyron spicatum)*
Forbs
Annual forbs
pale madwort	Alyssum alysoides
bristly fiddleneck	Amsinckia tessellata
rough eyelashweed	Blepharipappus scaber
sticky chickweed	Cerastium glomeratum (C. viscosum)*
thyme-leaf sandmat	Chamaesyce serpyllifolia (Euphorbia serpyllifolia)*
lambsquarters	Chenopodium album
miner's-lettuce	Claytonia perfoliata (Montia perfoliata)*
maiden blue-eyed Mary	Collinsia parviflora
Canadian horseweed	Conyza canadensis (annual or biennial)
pinnate tansymustard	Descurainia pinnata
spring draba	Draba verna
chaparral willowherb	Epilobium minutum
cutleaf filaree	Erodium cicutarium
stickywilly	Galium aparine
common sunflower	Helianthus annuus
jagged chickweed	Holosteum umbellatum
branched lagophylla	Lagophylla ramosissima
clasping pepperweed	Lepidium perfoliatum (annual or biennial)
threadleaf phacelia	Phacelia linearis
longhorn plectritis	Plectritis macrocera
tumble mustard	Sisymbrium altissimum (annual or biennial)
yellow salsify	Tragopogon dubius (annual or biennial)
Perennial forbs
western yarrow	Achillea millefolium
low pussytoes	Antennaria dimorpha
basalt milkvetch	Astragalus filipes
woollypod milkvetch	Astragalus purshii
sagebrush Mariposa lily	Calochortus macrocarpus
Canadian horseweed	Conyza canadensis (biennial or perennial)
heart-podded hoary cress	Cardaria draba
bull thistle	Cirsium vulgare
largeflower hawksbeard	Crepis occidentalis
threadleaf fleabane	Erigeron filifolius
desert yellow fleabane	Erigeron linearis
shaggy fleabane	Erigeron pumilus
Blue Mountain buckwheat	Eriogonum strictum
prickly lettuce	Lactuca serriola (biennial or perennial)
smallflower woodland-star	Lithophragma parviflorum
bigseed biscuitroot	Lomatium macrocarpum
nineleaf biscuitroot	Lomatium triternatum
sagebrush false dandelion	Nothocalais troximoides
silverleaf phacelia	Phacelia hastata
woolly groundsel	Packera cana (Senecio canus)*
spearleaf stonecrop	Sedum lanceolatum
Munro's globemallow	Sphaeralcea munroana
common dandelion	Taraxacum officinale
common mullein	Verbascum thapsus (biennial)
Shrubs
basin big sagebrush	Artemisia tridentata subsp. tridentata
shadscale	Atriplex confertifolia
green rabbitbrush	Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus
broom snakeweed	Gutierrezia sarothrae
Tree
western juniper	Juniperus occidentalis
*For species that have undergone scientific name changes, scientific names in parentheses are those used in the research paper.

REFERENCES:

1. Hann, Wendel; Havlina, Doug; Shlisky, Ayn; [and others]. 2005. Interagency fire regime condition class guidebook. Version 1.2, [Online]. In: Interagency fire regime condition class website. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service; U.S. Department of the Interior; The Nature Conservancy; Systems for Environmental Management (Producer). Variously paginated [+ appendices]. Available: http://www.frcc.gov/docs/1.2.2.2/Complete_Guidebook_V1.2.pdf [2007, May 23]. [66734]

2. LANDFIRE Rapid Assessment. 2005. Reference condition modeling manual (Version 2.1), [Online]. In: LANDFIRE. Cooperative Agreement 04-CA-11132543-189. Boulder, CO: The Nature Conservancy; U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service; U.S. Department of the Interior (Producers). 72 p. Available: http://www.landfire.gov/downloadfile.php?file=RA_Modeling_Manual_v2_1.pdf [2007, May 24]. [66741]

3. LANDFIRE Rapid Assessment. 2007. Rapid assessment reference condition models, [Online]. In: LANDFIRE. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Lab; U.S. Geological Survey; The Nature Conservancy (Producers). Available: http://www.landfire.gov/models_EW.php [2008, April 18] [66533]

4. Sapsis, David B. 1990. Ecological effects of spring and fall prescribed burning on basin big sagebrush/Idaho fescue--bluebunch wheatgrass communities. Corvallis, OR: Oregon State University. 105 p. Thesis. [16579]

5. Sapsis, David B.; Kauffman, J. Boone. 1991. Fuel consumption and fire behavior associated with prescribed fires in sagebrush ecosystems. Northwest Science. 65(4): 173-179. [16594]

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