Great Basin Fire Science Exchange
Ten years of science collaboration and connection
For a decade, the Great Basin Fire Science Exchange (GBFSE) has supported fire, fuels, and restoration research and outreach in the region. We accelerate awareness, adoption, and implementation of fire science by providing a forum for managers, scientists, policy makers, and the public to interact and share. As one of 15 regional fire science exchanges sponsored by the Joint Fire Science Program, we organize and disseminate current research, make connections, and support long-term relationships between practitioners, managers, and researchers to improve the health of Great Basin ecosystems. From climate to communication, we’ve tackled the toughest issues facing managers and stakeholders in a stressed and changing environment. On our 10-year anniversary, we review our accomplishments and look to future challenges.
Understanding the Region
The Great Basin Fire Science Exchange is part of 15 regional fire science exchanges supported by the Joint Fire Science Program.
The Great Basin stretches from California's Sierra Nevada range on the west to Utah's Wasatch Mountains on the east, from the Mojave Desert to the south to just beyond the Snake River Plain to the north. This area includes some of the nation's fastest-growing mid-sized metropolitan areas of Boise, Reno, and Salt Lake City. Our work at the GBFSE is important to the natural systems of this unique region and the rural and metro communities it encompasses. The intersection of ecosystems and communities adds to the multi-use challenges facing land managers.
Great Basin bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva) skeleton. This rare, long-lived, high-elevation species is sensitive to fire and vulnerable to climate change.
Sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) and other shrubs dominate the valleys of the Great Basin. Woodlands of pinyon pine (Pinus edulis, P. monophylla) and juniper (Juniperus osteosperma, J. occidentalis) occupy mid-elevation slopes. Some of these woodlands are ancient with trees more than 1,000 years old. Other conifers like ponderosa pine (P. ponderosa) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) inhabit upper slopes. Other unique habitats include aspen woodlands and riparian and meadow areas. The large elevation change between the Great Basin valleys and peaks supports a diversity of plants and wildlife, from those adapted to dry, cold desert conditions to those at home in forest and alpine environments.
Most of the Great Basin is federally managed, primarily by the Bureau of Land Management.
The Great Basin is North America's largest internally drained watershed and is the most mountainous region in the country. It is the nation's largest cold desert, with less than 10 inches (250 mm) of annual precipitation in most of the region, although this is highly variable with some parts of the Great Basin receiving less than 5 inches (125 mm), most of which is snow. Temperatures range from 18°F (-8°C) in the winter to 100°F (38°C) in the summer. Nearly 85% of the Great Basin is federally managed land, the largest percentage in the nation.
The Martin Fire of 2018 was the largest fire in Nevada's history, and third-largest in Great Basin's history (behind the 2007 Murphy Complex Fire and the 2012 Long Draw Fire), burning 439,230 acres (177,750 ha). The fire burned more than 22,000 acres (8,900 ha) within five hours of its detection.
Wildfire is a major issue in the Great Basin, as it is in many places in the West. Each year, the fire season starts earlier and ends later. Wildfires in the Great Basin are becoming larger, more frequent, and more intense, often outpacing forest fires. Almost every year brings new records in fire size, fire numbers, and fire severity. Fires in many parts of the Great Basin leave lasting ecosystem impacts.
Current Challenges
The Great Basin is facing many land management and conservation challenges. Climate change, wildfires, and invasive species change ecosystems in fundamental ways. Managers have to adapt traditional approaches to meet current challenges.
01 / 04
1
Cheatgrass Invasion
Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) is a highly successful and disruptive invasive species in the Great Basin that has created monoculture wastelands in parts of the Great Basin, such as this site in Park Valley, Utah.
Cheatgrass germinates readily in the fall, produces an abundance of seed every year, and captures much of the available water early in the growing season. Cheatgrass dries in the summer, producing a highly flammable fuel, and once ignited, drives large fires. After a fire, cheatgrass seed stored in the soil readily germinates, triggering a destructive cycle of repeated fires and cheatgrass dominance. Roughly one third (50 million acres [20 million ha]) of the Great Basin supports ≥15% cover of cheatgrass.
2
Restoring Ecosystems after Wildfire
Once the wildfire smoke clears, recovery to the pre-fire condition can take many years and require substantial economic investment. The 2012 Long Draw Fire burned 557,700 acres (225,700 ha) in southeastern Oregon and was the state's largest fire since 1865. The loss of vegetation following wildfires exposes soils to erosion. Strong storms and spring runoff on burned slopes can cause flooding and debris flows, which can damage structures, roads, trails, water supplies, and critical wildlife habitat. Unsafe and damaged post-fire conditions can remain for years after fires are extinguished.
Aggressive non-native species like cheatgrass, medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae), and ventenata (Ventenata dubia) become more abundant following fire, which negatively affects native vegetation and wildlife habitat. Active restoration is often necessary on burned sites where native plant diversity has been depleted. Immediate post-fire and ongoing restoration are important to limit long-term ecosystem losses in the Great Basin.
3
Pinyon-Juniper Expansion
Over the past century, pinyon and juniper (PJ) woodlands have expanded their range and become increasingly abundant in some mid- to high-elevation sites in the Great Basin, including the Spruce and South Ruby mountains in Nevada. While many woodlands represent long-established populations and some low-elevation woodlands are declining because of climate change and drought, those that are expanding can threaten sagebrush dominant shrublands and rural economies by reducing understory native plants and increasing the risk of severe stand-replacing wildfires. Rapid expansion of PJ woodlands can result in the loss of shrubs, grasses, and forbs, often through competition for limited soil water. This loss of understory vegetation coupled with the increase in dense crown fuels, can result in intense burning conditions and poor post-fire vegetation recovery.
Managers are actively working to slow the expansion of PJ woodlands by removing those trees moving into sagebrush shrublands. Researchers continue to evaluate the long-term effectiveness these strategies.
4
Sagebrush-Dependent Wildlife
Wildfire and invasive species have been particularly devastating to sagebrush ecosystems and those wildlife species dependent on sagebrush habitat. Less than 10% of the greater sage-grouse's (Centrocercus urophasianus) original population remains in the West. Greater sage-grouse require intact and relatively undisturbed expanses of sagebrush to survive.
Restoring sagebrush communities for the greater sage-grouse also benefits the other iconic wildlife species that rely on sagebrush habitats such as pronghorn (Antilocapra americana), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), pygmy rabbits (Brachylagus idahoensis), and burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia).
Working Toward Solutions
Addressing big-picture ecosystem challenges is a slow and complex process. It requires communication, cooperation, and continual learning. The Great Basin Fire Science Exchange (GBFSE) provides access to timely research, potential management strategies, and insight from dedicated experts. Below are some of the ways the GBFSE has helped land managers and researchers work together to address land management challenges in the Great Basin.
Webinar Series
The 2018 Moving the Needle on Cheatgrass: Putting What We Know into Practice webinar series was created in partnership with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Sage Grouse Initiative, USDA Agricultural Research Service, US Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management. It provided a platform for researchers and managers to share information on integrated management approaches, strategies, and tools proven useful in managing cheatgrass.
Great Basin Factsheet Series
These factsheets summarize the best available information on contemporary management issues in the Great Basin. Each section and topic was developed through a collaborative process between knowledgeable scientists and managers from our federal agency, university, extension, and SageSTEP partners.
Targeted Grazing Resources
The focused use of livestock to manage fuels and invasive species is being tested and evaluated in the Great Basin. The GBFSE, in partneship with the Bureau of Land Management and Society for Range Management, is currently developing a Targeted Grazing Resource Center to provide background information, implementation guidance, and findings from current targeted grazing projects.
Seeding Webinar Series
The Right Seed in the Right Place at the Right Time: Tools for Sustainable Restoration Webinar series featured more than 30 researchers and practitioners. Developed in partnership with the Great Basin Native Plant Project, Bureau of Land Management, US Forest Service, and the Society for Ecological Restoration Great Basin Chapter, presentations addressed all phases of post-fire restoration from selecting and collecting native seed to restoration planning to seeding and planting in wildlands.
Field Guides and Other Publications
We've spearheaded and supported the development of multiple field guides and syntheses that serve as comprehensive, one-stop references for land managers:
Field Workshops
We've hosted a series of field workshops throughout the Great Basin that walked attendees through the process of assessing a site's resilience to disturbance, resistance to nonnative invasive species, successional trajectory, and need and suitability for restoration treatments. These workshops are co-hosted by local agencies, institutions, and collaborative projects and are open to the public.
"I learned more from the event about how I should be managing sage than I would have after months of picking through the literature."
Pinyon-Juniper Synthesis
We supported the writing and publication of a comprehensive synthesis The Ecology, History, Ecohydrology, and Management of Pinyon and Juniper Woodlands. It represents the most comprehensive summary of pinyon-juniper woodlands and their management.
Expansion Infographic
To communicate to a broad audience about the changes that accompany pinyon-juniper woodland expansion, we produced a simple infographic in partnership with the Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project (SageSTEP). Using pictures and minimal text, the complex ecosystem changes associated with PJ dominance and potential ways to reverse these changes are illustrated.
Pinyon-Juniper Woodland Management Webinar Series
Our PJ Woodland Management webinar series presented an introduction to the history, ecology, and ecohydrology of PJ woodlands and a discussion of new tools for management and balancing the needs of sagebrush- and woodland-dependent wildlife. This series was developed in partnership with SageSTEP, the Intermountain West Joint Venture, Sage Grouse Initiative, and the Society for Ecological Restoration Great Basin Chapter and followed another webinar answering questions about PJ treatments hosted by our partners at Utah State University Forestry Extension.
Leveraging Partnerships
All of the accomplishments and science delivery products we've highlighted are the result of communication, cooperation, and collaboration with our steering and advisory committees and our regional partners, which include federal, state, local, and tribal agencies; universities, colleges, and extension agencies; non-governmental organizations; and other boundary-spanning groups.
Sage-Grouse Conservation Strategy
We facilitated information exchange from the Department of Interior on the Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy (IRFMS). In partnership with the Great Basin Consortium we hosted a workshop to prioritize the science needs in the Actionable Science Plan that was developed as part of the strategy.
From Classroom to Agency
Fire Science Online is a collaborative project between the GBFSE and the University of Idaho that offers fire professionals opportunities to take classes and earn degrees and certificates remotely.
"The best part of being a student in this program is knowing everything I learn for my degree is directly in line with what I need to be successful as a fire planner.”
Darcy McDaniel, BLM Nevada with fire planning duties for roughly 26 million acres (10,500,000 ha).
Collaborative Synthesis
The online book Western Forbs: Biology, Ecology, and Use in Restoration represents a partnership between the Bureau of Land Management, US Forest Service, Great Basin Native Plant Project, Plant Conservation Alliance, and GBFSE.
Over the past 25 years, our partners invested substantially into better understanding the growth of important Great Basin forbs. This newly gathered research is being compiled with existing knowledge in a comprehensive synthesis for seed collectors, seed growers, landowners, and land managers working to incorporate the use of forbs in Great Basin restoration.
Facing the Future
The years ahead will bring additional challenges for this region and those who manage it. The Great Basin Fire Science Exchange will be there to help to identify and implement solutions.
"Creative solutions are needed to adapt to an era of larger, hotter, and more frequent wildfires. We look forward to sharing these new ideas and techniques to protect communities and livelihoods, and help the land recover."
Mark Brunson, Professor, Utah State University and GBFSE Principal Investigator & Steering Committee Chair
"Restoring and maintaining resilient ecosystems and communities in the face of annual grass invasions, altered fire regimes, and climate change is the most important management issue in the Great Basin. Over the past ten years, the Fire Science Exchange has kept both managers and researchers apprised of emerging issues, current findings, and innovative management approaches, and helped to build more effective partnerships. I am proud to have played a role in developing the Fire Science Exchange and I look forward to seeing it grow into the future."
Jeanne Chambers, Research Ecologist and Senior Scientist, USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station and GBFSE Co-Founder & Advisory Member
“The importance of science informing management has been a cornerstone of my 42 year career with BLM. I have been involved with the Great Basin Fire Science Exchange since its inception and it has exceeded all of my expectations and is now the premier science/management partnership in the Great Basin. It is truly a special organization that is essential as managers face a future with increased wildfires and invasive plants in a changing climate.”
Mike Pellant, Rangeland Ecologist (retired), Bureau of Land Management and GBFSE Co-Founder & Advisory Member
"One of the original co-founders, Nora Devoe, used to say the goal of this program was to be a match-maker for science. And that’s probably what I love most ... the ability of the program to bring people together in a variety of ways to have conversations about the needs, solutions, and possibilities for using science to care for our Great Basin."
Génie MontBlanc, Research Professional, University of Nevada Reno and GBFSE Program Manager
Want to know more about what we do or get involved? Visit us at greatbasinfirescience.org . You can wish us happy birthday on Facebook @GreatBasinFireSci or on Twitter @GBfirescience.
