Sagebrush remediation discussed at Wildlife Society conference last month in Cody

The Wyoming Chapter of the Wildlife Society’s annual conference in Cody took place last month, drawing researchers and academics from across the region for three days of events and professional lectures on conservation and wildlife management affecting Wyoming ecosystems. 

Among those lectures was a series of talks held under the umbrella “Sagebrush Super Models,” which explored the rapidly changing sagebrush ecosystems integral to the western United States.

The research, presented by scientists representing the Fort Collins Science Center of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) delved into the remediation of invasive species (i.e. a species that is introduced to a habitat, becomes prevalent and eventually harms that habitat) in the sagebrush biome through statistical modeling. The research may ultimately provide assistance to local, state and federal land management agencies tackling the problem of sagebrush degradation with few resources and limited tools at their disposal.

Dr. Nick Van Lanen of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) presented research on the removal of invasive conifer species across the Great Basin. The research, published in 2022 (“Targeting Conifer Removal to Optimize Biodiversity Outcomes Across Sagebrush Shrublands and Juniper Woodlands”), found that sage-grouse and other native songbirds benefitted from the removal of invasive conifer species from sagebrush habitats and, through modeling and calculations, identified areas that held opportunities for land managers. In other words, the fewer pinyon-juniper trees on sagebrush territories, the greater the number of sage-grouse and other native bird species.

In addition to their impact on regional biodiversity, invasive tree species such as the pinyon-juniper also impact regional hydrology. A single juniper can draw as much as 40 gallons of water from the soil on a hot summer’s day. In 2014, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department began treating sagebrush habitats with mastication (mowing and grinding), cutting, piling and burning with prescribed fire to remove the invasive juniper trees. Restoration work continues under the supervision of multiple agencies, but Van Lanen and his team’s research and modeling is precisely the kind of tool that may be utilized moving forward by land managers.

Other threats to sagebrush habitats were discussed during Dr. Morgan Roche’s presentation on invasive grasses affecting sagebrush ecosystems. Dr. Roche noted that invasive grasses, such as cheatgrass, have altered wildfire regimes and led to severe degradation of the natural sagebrush ecosystems. Her research, captured in five-year increments, targeted multiple grasslands around the Wyoming and Montana sagebrush biomes to determine the rate of change and percent of cover between native and non-native grasses for treatment and remediation.

While fire is a natural part of a sagebrush ecosystem, fire has become increasingly prevalent and more severe due to climatic changes. In areas that once saw fire roughly once a century, wildfires now burn regularly, often hotter than what the plants can withstand. A multi-agency study published in 2022 found that 1.3 million acres of sagebrush are being burned each year as a result of wildfires. Due to the long incubation period that sagebrush plants require (it may take upwards of 30 years for a sagebrush plant to recover after being burned), increased fire temperatures, and competition with invasive grasses, a mass die-off is occurring that will reshape not just how the West looks, but the very fabric of its delicate ecosystems.