Videos

Manage woody plants in grasslands using thresholds

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One quantitative approach to prioritizing management actions uses a stepwise process. It starts by quantifying thresholds at which abrupt changes occur within ecological systems. In the case of prescribed fire in grasslands, thresholds can represent the fire intensity that results in death of a target species.

2013-23

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Climate warming and precipitation redistribution

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Oak savannas provide important habitat for plant and animal species adapted to this distinct, but rare ecosystem. Historically, oak savanna sustained bison and elk, but now it also plays a role in cattle
production in some parts of the country.

2014-15

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Where people move, woody plants follow

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The phenomenon of grassland conversion to shrublands and woodlands—known as woody plant encroachment—continues to receive increasing attention in rangelands worldwide.

2015-05

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Vegetation responses to prescribed burning of grazed shortgrass steppe

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Researchers have established that fire and grazing in-fluence structure and function of rangeland ecosystems. Fire’s effects in combination with grazing management varies throughout the Great Plains.

2015-04

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Prescribed fire risks relative to other management techniques used on private lands

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Land managers and the public often have the perception that, although prescribed fire assists in management of fire-dependent landscapes, it presents greater risks than the use of other land management tools, such as mechanical removal.

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Synthesis of elements of traditional fire knowledge

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On nearly every continent, prior and current cultures have practiced land management using fire. This publication compares fire practices in these traditional fire cultures and how they differ from the way modern management uses fire.

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Rising Great Plains Fire Campaign: citizen cooperatives

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Grasslands have supported a broad array of life over the millennia. Not only have they supported rich biodiversity, but also they shaped the region’s stream flow and groundwater hydrology, contributed to carbon sequestration, and offered many environmental benefits. Additionally, grasslands have provided the basis for agricultural and livestock production.

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2013-01 Rangeland Management: Calling on nature to sustain the future

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Most of the world’s grasslands evolved with fire, whether ignited by lightning or people. For millennia, flames burned regularly though small patches and vast stretches of prairie landscapes, restoring and sustaining an enormous variety of native grassland plants.

2013-01

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Prescribed fire liability factsheet: standards of care by state

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Prescribed fire liability standards vary from state to state and legal terms can sometimes be confusing. This fact sheet describes the different standards of care applied in prescribed burning‐related lawsuits.

Resistance to the use of prescribed fire is strong among many private land managers despite the advantages it offers for maintaining fire-prone ecosystems. Often, managers who are aware of the benefits of using prescribed fire as a management tool avoid using it because of fear of liability for damages that may result from an escaped fire or smoke.

2016-07

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Precipitation and fire impacts on small mammals in shortgrass prairie

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The ecological value of shortgrass prairies in North America has become increasingly evident as populations of prairie dog (Cynomys spp.) and burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia) begin to decline.

2015-08

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