Skip to main content
ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Dubois, Idaho » Range Sheep Production Efficiency Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #159992
Title: SOIL MOISTURE PATTERNS AND RELATED CHANGES IN VEGETATION FOLLOWING FIRE IN SAGE-STEPPE

Author
item GERIMINO, M. - IDAHO STATE UNIVERSITY
item Seefeldt, Steven
item DICRISTINA, KATIE - IDAHO STATE UNIVERSITY
item BAUM, R. - IDAHO STATE UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Society for Range Management Meeting Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/14/2004
Publication Date: 1/25/2004
Citation: Gerimino, M.J., Seefeldt, S.S., DiCristina, K., Baum, R. 2004. Soil moisture patterns and related changes in vegetation following fire in sage-steppe. In: Proceedings of the Society of Range Management. 57th Annual Meeting, January 24-30, 2004, Salt Lake City, Utah. 2004 CDROM. 2004. Effects of soil moisture and surrounding vegetation on sagebrush seedling establishment following fires. In: Proceedings of the Society of Range Management. 57th Annual Meeting, January 24-30, 2004, Salt Lake City, Utah. 2004 CDROM.

Interpretive Summary: Very little research has been conducted to determine if plant recovery after fire can be predicted due to the many factors that influence vegetation growth and development. The purpose of this study was to determine how soil moisture and microclimate change in response to burning, and how much these changes are attributable to direct effects of fire, or indirect effects of fire that result from changes in species composition. Soil moisture, climate, and vegetation were measured for a year after a prescribe fire in a sagebrush steppe ecosystem at the US Sheep Experimental Station in Dubois ID. Comparisons of soil moisture and vegetation development between burned areas, unburned areas, and areas where the sagebrush had been cut down and removed were made. Soil water contents below about 0.4 m depth were greater in plots that had burned or had sagebrush removed. At depths less than 0.4m there was little difference in soil moisture. Soil water contents also appeared strongly influenced by the type and density of herbaceous vegetation. The indirect, vegetation-mediated effects of fire (ie. shrub and possibly perennial grass removal) appear to lead to consistent changes in soil moisture that are one of the dominant changes in physical properties of the site that could affect vegetation recovery.

Technical Abstract: Understanding when, where, and why plant resources change in response to fire will improve our ability to predict the composition of rangeland communities following fire. The purpose of this study was to determine how soil moisture and microclimate change in response to burning, and how much these changes are attributable to direct effects of fire, or indirect effects of fire that result from changes in species composition. Soil water, microclimate, and vegetation cover were measured for the entire year following a prescribed burn of sage-steppe rangelands (Artemesia tridentata ssp. vasayana) at the US Sheep Experimental Station in Dubois ID. Measurements were made in burns ranging in size from 0.01 to 100 ha, unburned control plots, and in unburned plots where all sagebrush were manually removed. At 100 sampling locations, soil temperatures during fire reached to ~600 C at the surface but did not penetrate beyond 1 cm into the soil. Soil surface temperatures following fire were only slightly warmer due to burning. Soil water contents below about 0.4 m depth were greater in plots that had burned or had sagebrush removed, but did not differ as consistently among treatments near the soil surface. Soil water contents also appeared strongly influenced by the type and density of herbaceous vegetation. The indirect, vegetation-mediated effects of fire (ie. shrub and possibly perennial grass removal) appear to lead to consistent changes in soil moisture that are one of the dominant changes in physical properties of the site that could affect post-fire community composition.