BLM - The Great Basin: Healing the Land
In 1999, the Great Basin, which encompasses most of Nevada and portions of Idaho, Utah, Oregon and
California, suffered through its worst wildland fire season in more than four decades. Nearly two million acres of
public land burned destroying critical wildlife habitat, forage for wild horses and livestock, and private property.
However, long before the devastating fires in 1999, the ecological health of the Great Basin was in jeopardy.
Exotic annual grasses and noxious weeds, multiplying at alarming rates for decades, have crept across the Great
Basin until roughly one-third of its 75 million acres are infested. The results are alarming. For one, a wildland
fire/annual grass cycle has begun that accelerates with increased weed and annual grass invasions.
Additionally, native shrubs and perennial grasses and forbs are weakened or completely lost, affecting the
diverse plants and animals for which the Great Basin is known and appreciated.
In a report, "Out of Ashes, An Opportunity" (1161 kb Acrobat PDF file) released in November 1999, the BLM addressed the Great Basin
crisis and identified the need for long-term restoration that goes beyond rehabilitation and treatment of invasive
species on a piece-meal basis. In April 2000, the BLM released a second report, or restoration strategy, entitled
"The Great Basin: Healing the Land." (10 MB Acrobat PDF file) This document reviews the background and challenges of restoration,
identifies guiding principles and strategies to help the work move forward.