Pretreatment Tree Dominance and Conifer Removal Treatments Affect Plant Succession in Sagebrush Communities

Abstract In sagebrush ( Artemisia tridentata Nutt.) ecosystems, expansion and infilling of conifers decreases the abundance of understory perennial vegetation and lowers ecosystem resilience and resistance of the once shrub grass − dominated state. We prescribed burned or cut juniper ( Juniperus spp. L.) and pinyon ( Pinus spp. L.) trees at 10 sites across the western United States. We measured vegetation cover and density on untreated and treated plots 3 and 6 yr after treatment across a gradient of pretreatment tree dominance as quantified by the tree dominance index (TDI); (tree cover)/(tree + shrub + tall grass cover). We analyzed plant responses by functional group using mixed-model analysis of covariance, with TDI treated as a covariate. As tree cover increased and TDI exceeded 0.5, shrub cover declined to Bromus tectorum L.) increased on prescribed fire and on cut treatments, especially at higher pretreatment TDI. However, ratios of cheatgrass to tall grass cover were much lower on cut than burn plots. To retain the shrub, especially sagebrush, components on a site and increase ecosystem resilience and resistance through increases in tall grasses, we recommend treating at low to mid TDI using mechanical methods, such as cutting or mastication. Effects of fire and mechanical treatments implemented at different phases of tree dominance create different successional trajectories that could be incorporated into state-and-transition-models to guide management decisions.