Tapping Soil Survey Information for Rapid Assessment of Sagebrush Ecosystem Resilience and Resistance

Jeremy D. Maestas, Steven B. Campbell, Jeanne C. Chambers, Mike Pellant, Richard F. Miller

Abstract


• Emerging applications of ecosystem resilience and resistance concepts in sagebrush ecosystems allow managers to better predict and mitigate impacts of wildfire and invasive annual grasses.
• Widely available soil survey information can be harnessed to spatially depict and evaluate relative resilience and resistance from regional to site scales.
• New products and tools illustrate how managers can use soils data to inform rapid risk assessments, determine appropriate management strategies, and prioritize resources tomaintain and restore functioning sagebrush ecosystems.

Keywords: sagebrush ecosystems, sage grouse, resilience, resistance, soils, cheatgrass.


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