What is SageSTEP?
SageSTEP (Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project) is a regional experiment evaluating methods of sagebrush steppe restoration in the Great Basin. Sagebrush communities have been identified as one of the most threatened land types in North America, and as much as half of this land type has already been lost in the Great Basin. From 2005-2010, fuels treatments were implemented at study sites and SageSTEP scientists began looking at the short-term effects of land management options on a variety of ecosystem components. In 2011, we began a long-term monitoring phase of the project to better understand the changes in response to treatment over time. Research results are being used to provide resource managers with information to make restoration management decisions with reduced risk and uncertainty. For summaries of SageSTEP studies and objectives, visit our About the Project page.
What's New?
SageSTEP News Issue 19, Summer 2012
What's Inside?
The Use of Remotely-Sensed Imagery to Analyze Vegetation Cover in Pinyon and Juniper Woodlands
2012 SageSTEP Field Days
Upcoming Events
PDF for screen viewing (1.3 MB)
PDF for print (3 MB)
2012 SageSTEP Spring Field DaysIn 2012, we will be holding two one-day field tours. The tours will provide opportunities to visit both treated and untreated areas in sagebrush and juniper woodlands, including SageSTEP and other research plots. Our goal is to facilitate an environment in which researchers and land managers can share information about wildfire, cheatgrass invasion, woodland encroachment and the implications of management actions. We hope you will join us! Woodlands, Sagebrush & Fuels Treatments Field Day Sagebrush & Fire Field Day |
SageSTEP News Issue 18, Spring 2012
What's Inside?
Short-term Response of Bird Communities to Restoration Treatments Conducted at Woodland Sites
The Importance of Resilience and Resistance to the Restoration of Sagebrush Rangelands
New DVD and Guide Available for Land Managers: Collaborating for Healthy Forests and Communities
2012 SageSTEP Field Days
Upcoming Events
PDF for screen viewing (1.1 MB)
PDF for print (3.4 MB)
SageSTEP Webinar Series hosted by the Great Basin Science Delivery Project
If you missed any of the webinars from our recent series with the GBSDP, click on the link below to view the PowerPoint recordings with audio.
SageSTEP Webinar Series
December 2011 - May 2012
Click here to view webinar recordings.
- Are we getting what we expect? Short-term response by bird communities to pinyon-juniper reductions. Dr. Steve Knick, US Geological Survey.
- Patterns of native and exotic understory growth during the first three years following prescribed fire, mechanical, tebuthiuron, and imazipic treatments. Dr. Gene Schupp, Utah State University.
- Characterizing pinyon-juniper woodlands using high resolution imagery. April Hulet, Ph.D. candidate
- How does tree dominance affect understory responses to pinyon-juniper fuel control treatments?, Dr. Bruce Roundy
- Hydrologic response to fuels treatments on woodland encroached sagebrush-steppe, Dr. Fred Pierson and Jason Williams
SageSTEP Short-term Post-treatment Results
Presented at:
Society for Range Management 65th Annual Meeting
SageSTEP Symposium: Disturbance, Resilience and Thresholds in Sagebrush Ecosystems
February 2, 2012
Spokane, Washington
WATCH PRESENTATIONS HERE.
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SageSTEP Long-Term Monitoring Fact SheetWant a snapshot of what we've accomplished so far and our plans for the future of the project? Check out this 2-page fact sheet. For more information about the original study, see our 2009 SageSTEP General Fact Sheet. |
CESU Project Spotlight
A two-page publication written by the Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (CESU) highlighting SageSTEP as an exemplary collaborative project. |
Guide for Quantifying Post-treatment Fuels in the Sagebrush Steppe and Juniper Woodlands of the Great Basin
Hard copies of the guide can be requested free of charge by sending an email to summer.c.olsen@usu.edu with your name, mailing address and desired number of copies. For more information about the guide, and to view a PDF version, click here. |
Cost of Treatments Fact Sheet
If you want to get a general idea of the cost of various fuels treatments and the advantages and disadvantages of each treament, check out our 1-page fact sheet.
Guide to Vegetation Treatment Costs for Land Management in the Great Basin Region
Guide to Legal and Institutional Resources for Restoration and Management of Great Basin RangelandsThis online guide is a compilation of resources intended to serve as a starting point to help public and private land managers figure out which considerations are most relevant to the implementation of vegetation treatments in Great Basin states. The guide includes the following information: Section 1 National Resources: Fire, Herbicides and Pesticides, Mechanical Treatments, Grazing, Sensitive Species, General Land Management Section 2 State Resources: Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington |
Pocket Guide to Sagebrush Birds
Sagebrush habitats are home to unique avian species. Degradation of sagebrush is causing population declines for many of these species making them high priorities for conservation.The Pocket Guide to Sagebrush Birds emphasizes 40 bird species that utilize sagebrush habitats and includes tips on species identification, biology, and conservation status. For more information about how to obtain your FREE copy of this guide, click here.
Guide to Stakeholder Groups
Click here for more information and links to the document and webpages. |
