Wildfire Management Strategies | New Video Shows Projects that Protect the Sagebrush Sea
A new video by Steve Stuebner shows how fire prevention policies and ambitious rangeland restoration strategies are working to protect prime sage grouse habitat.
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(Photo to the left by Steve Stuebner.)
A new video by Steve Stuebner shows how an integrated rangeland fire management strategy released in May is boosting support for actions before, during, and after wildfire that protect and restore prime sage grouse habitat.
The video highlights how the strategy is already affecting several key aspects of managing fire and invasive threats including:
- steering where firefighting assets are pre-positioned and deployed
- enhancing the role of the ranching community in firefighting through Rangeland Fire Protection Associations
- strategically placing fuel breaks to support suppression
- scaling-up proactive conifer removal to manage fuels
- renewing long term commitments to post-fire rehabilitation and restoration
The video features instrumental Sage Grouse Initiative partners at the Bureau of Land Management in Idaho who have led the way on getting practices on the ground that stem threats from wildfire and invasive plants. SGI works with ranchers, BLM, and other partners to ensure these practices are implemented across private and public lands, as illustrated by the Burley Landscape Project in the video.
The new fire strategy leans heavily on recent science detailing the sagebrush ecosystem’s response to disturbance, as well as its susceptibility to cheatgrass invasion. This science allows managers to prioritize the right practices in the right places. Learn more about specific ways to address conifers, fuel breaks, and invasive annual grasses by reading these brand new Great Basin Fact Sheets.
Learn more about conifer removal and fire prevention in the Great Basin.
