Photo: Noppadol Paothong
wildfire
We provide scientific reports, project profiles, technical tools, videos, photos, field guides, and links that tell the story of how cooperative conservation is making a difference for working lands and wildlife across the West.
Publication Alert
More woody encroachment means more wildfire risk. Prescribed fire can lower it.
April 12, 2023
WLFW-affiliated research details the risk of increasing wildfire in the Great Plains due to woody encroachment and how prescribed fires help reduce that ...
Ask an Expert
Getting Ahead of Large Rangeland Fires in the Great Basin
September 20, 2022
Join Joe Smith and Jeremy Maestas for a discussion about new, annual fire-prediction maps for the Great Basin and what they mean for managing for wildfire in ...
News
Beaver Breaks: How Beavers (and low-tech riparian restoration) Help Reduce Impacts From Fire
November 29, 2021
Historically, beavers created vast wetlands that provided critically important habitat for a diverse array of wildlife and plant species. Now, conservationists are restoring ...
Ask an Expert
Fire and the Great Plains
August 11, 2020
Fire used to play a big role in shaping the Great Plains. Does it today and how do the Plains recover from fire? Dr. Victoria Donovan answers these and other questions in this ...
News
Webinar Replay | Restoration of Annual Grass Invaded Landscapes
July 6, 2020
Overview of the devastating impacts of annual invasive grasses, regional scale strategies to tackle the problem, on-the-ground examples of restoration, and introduction to a ...
Sage Whiz Quiz
Sage Whiz Quiz | Conifers
April 10, 2020
Test your knowledge of conifer trees and how they impact sagebrush and grassland ...
News
Beavers, Water, and Fire—A New Formula for Success
November 6, 2018
National Wildlife Federation Blog | Low-tech stream restoration works wonders for people and ...
News
Meet Leah Mori: Helping Ranchers Weather Wildfire Storms in Nevada’s Sagebrush Sea
August 20, 2018
This story features Leah Mori, a soil conservation technician in Winnemucca, Nevada, who is combating the twin threats of wildfire and ...
Sage Whiz Quiz
Sage Whiz Quiz | How Are Weeds Linked To Wildfire?
July 2, 2018
Take this quiz to test your knowledge of how invasive annual grasses are linked to wildfires in the ...
News
Lessons & Photos from SGI’s 8th Annual Workshop: Combating Wildfire & Weeds
June 18, 2018
The 2018 SGI field tour and presentations focused on cooperative, science-based conservation that's working to thwart fire and invasives in sagebrush ...
News
NEW REPORT: Recommendations For Reducing The Spread Of Weeds & Wildfire
June 13, 2018
New report pinpoints gaps in combatting invasive grasses and wildfires across vast sagebrush rangelands in the western ...
News
#FridaysOnTheFarm: Restoring Sagebrush Country With ‘Modern Wildfire’
June 8, 2018
Through the Sage Grouse Initiative (SGI), private landowners across Eastern Oregon are volunteering to perform proactive conservation treatments on their rangeland to promote ...
News
Wildfire and Weeds: 5 Things Ranchers Should Know
May 29, 2018
Here is what you should know about invasive weeds--which lead to wildfires out West--and how to combat ...
News
What Causes Wildfires In The West?
April 23, 2018
Wildfires are now more frequent and more intense in sagebrush country. Learn why (and how to reduce fire risk) from BLM fire planner Darcy ...
News
Montana Ranchers Improve Sage Grouse Habitat And Reduce Fire Risk
February 8, 2018
By Hayden Nelson, SGI Range Conservationist, Roundup, Montana NRCS Field Office | Landowners are partnering with the Sage Grouse Initiative to restore sagebrush habitat and ...
News
Why Is Cheatgrass Bad?
January 30, 2018
Mike Pellant with the Bureau of Land Management explains how cheatgrass and wildfire create a vicious cycle that harms wildlife and our way of life in the West ... and gives ...
News
A Tale of Two Fires: Prescribed Fire Thwarts Wildfire on the New Mexico Prairie
November 29, 2017
NEWS: Two lightning-caused wildfires on the same site in eastern New Mexico yielded profoundly different results. Why? Prescribed fire played a key ...
News
Oregon Rancher Mike Greeley Enhances Mahogany Mountain For The Bird And The Herd
December 6, 2016
Rancher Mike Greeley uses conservation-minded management to sustain his working lands in eastern Oregon for wildlife and livestock. Check out this video of Mike on his ...
News
Comprehensive ‘Ecosystem Resilience & Resistance’ Map Available For Entire Sage Grouse Range
November 15, 2016
Newly expanded visual tool on the SGI Web App allows managers to better predict and mitigate negative impacts of fire and cheatgrass across sagebrush ...
News
The Science of Sagebrush: Measuring the Resilience of Rangelands
July 11, 2016
by Joshua Dillon | An Oregon field trip with SGI partners examines the ability of sagebrush landscapes to recover from a fire. Read the full story ...
News
Secretary Jewell Announces $10 Million for Wildfire Resilience in the West
May 24, 2016
The new funds announced today by Secretary Jewell will complement Sage Grouse Initiative's ongoing, cooperative work to remove conifers and restore sagebrush habitat in ...
News
New NRCS Resource Aims to Reduce Wildfire Impacts in Sage Grouse Country
March 31, 2016
A new resource released by the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service will help private and public land managers work collaboratively to get ahead of the curve and ...
News
Seeding Techniques for Sagebrush Community Restoration After Fire
March 22, 2016
By Jeff Ott, Anne Halford, and Nancy Shaw | This new Great Basin Fact Sheet outlines important considerations and options for post-fire seeding, including the selection of ...
News
Woody Fuels Reduction in Wyoming Big Sagebrush Communities
November 20, 2015
By Eugene W. Schupp, Chad S. Boyd, and Shane Green | This new Great Basin Fact Sheet discusses how reducing woody plant cover can increase the production of perennial grasses ...
News
Assessing Impacts of Fire on Runoff and Erosion
November 18, 2015
Frederick B. Pierson, C. Jason Williams and Peter R. Robichaud | This fact sheet provides an overview of the hydrologic impacts of fire, as well as the effectiveness of ...
News
Assessing Fuel Loads in Sagebrush Steppe and PJ Woodlands
October 22, 2015
By Stephen C. Bunting and Jeff Rose | This fact sheet helps define wildland fuels and review the approaches used to assess fuel loads in the Great ...
News
Wind Erosion Following Wildfire in Great Basin Ecosystems
October 19, 2015
By Matthew J. Germino | Wind erosion is a problem in the Great Basin, particularly following large wildfires. This factsheet helps resource managers with a "how to" for ...
News
New Tools For Land Managers | Predicting Vegetation Response to Treatments and Wildfire
August 31, 2015
Maintaining a resilient sagebrush steppe is job number one for sustaining sage grouse populations in the West. New tools are available to help conservationists better assess ...
News
Wildfire Management Strategies | New Video Shows Projects that Protect the Sagebrush Sea
August 19, 2015
A new video by Steve Stuebner shows how fire prevention policies and ambitious rangeland restoration strategies are working to protect prime sage grouse ...
News
Establishing Big Sagebrush and Other Shrubs from Planting Stock
July 16, 2015
Bareroot or container seedlings can be used to quickly re-establish big sagebrush and other native shrubs post-fire or other disturbances in situations where direct seeding is ...
News
Post-Fire Grazing Management in the Great Basin
July 16, 2015
Successful post-fire recovery hinges on the growth of perennial understory plants, especially perennial grasses that provide livestock forage and wildlife habitat. This fact ...
News
Fuel Breaks That Work
July 16, 2015
This fact sheet provides a framework for using established fuel breaks for protecting sagebrush ecosystems that are prone to fire due to the invasion of nonnative annual ...
News
Putting Resilience and Resistance Concepts into Practice
July 7, 2015
This fact sheet is designed to assist land managers in using resilience and resistance concepts to assess risks, prioritize management activities, and select appropriate ...
News
Wildfire and Cheatgrass: New Science Helps Reduce Threats to Sage Grouse
November 22, 2014
Wildfires and the invasion of exotic annual grasses like cheatgrass can transform large expanses of sagebrush habitat, which is bad for sage grouse. This new strategy serves ...