30 years of vegetal change following burning of sagebrush-grass range.

Highlight: A sagebrush-grass range was burned according to plan in 1936. Long-term results show that sagebrush yields have increased while most other important shrub, grass, and forb yields have decreased. Evaluation by subspecies of sagebrush was helpful in interpreting sagebrush behavior. The return of sagebrush shows the need for planning sagebrush control on a continuing basis for maximum forage qualities. from the four classes into which the study plots had been grouped. We found that by 1966 the differences among the burned plots were negligible, consequently, we combined yield data from the three burned classes in making our analysis. Moreover, Blaisdell’s analysis was based on data taken from 268 plots, but we resampled only 93 plots in our analysis because a portion of the burn had been sprayed with 2,4-D in 1961. Fire has been responsible for improving or damaging lands dominated by sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata). Haphazard burning and improper grazing practices after burning have resulted in serious deterioration of vegetation and soil; however, planned burning of sagebrush-grass range followed by good grazing practices has resulted in marked improvement of forage yields and availability (Pickford, 1932; Hanson, 1939; Pechanec et al., 1954). Before treatment the herbage production naturally differs between burned and unburned areas and from year to year. To account for these inherent variations, we used relative instead of absolute values. The relative value was calculated in two steps: