Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Miles City, Montana » Livestock and Range Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #185037
Title: FIRE AND GRAZING EFFECTS ON VEGETATION AND BIOLOGICAL SOIL CRUSTS

Author
item Muscha, Jennifer - Boyle
item Vermeire, Lance
item Haferkamp, Marshall

Submitted to: Research Update for Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratory
Publication Type: Popular Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/30/2005
Publication Date: 7/15/2005
Citation: Muscha, J.M., Vermeire, L.T., Haferkamp, M.R. 2005. Fire and grazing effects on vegetation and biological soil crusts. 2005 Research Update for Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratory. p. 48-49.

Interpretive Summary: Biological soil crusts increase soil water retention and may enhance plant establishment. Crusts may be sensitive to disturbances, but little information is available on their response to fire and grazing in the Northern Plains. We measured cover on permanent plots in grazed, burned, and non-grazed non-burned sites before and after disturbance to determine crust response. First-year results indicate burning increased bare ground, but left lichens intact. Moss cover was reduced by either grazing or fire. Shifts in bare ground may be expected to have delayed effects on lichen cover and monitoring is being continued.

Technical Abstract: Biological soil crusts increase soil water retention and may enhance plant establishment. Crusts may be sensitive to disturbances, but little information is available on their response to fire and grazing in the Northern Plains. We measured cover on permanent plots in grazed, burned, and non-grazed non-burned sites before and after disturbance to determine crust response. First-year results indicate burning increased bare ground, but left lichens intact. Moss cover was reduced by either grazing or fire. Shifts in bare ground may be expected to have delayed effects on lichen cover and monitoring is being continued.