Wildland Fire in Sagebrush

Sagebrush at Fossil Butte National Monument in Wyoming.

Distribution and General Characteristics

Mountain big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata subsp. vaseyana) lives primarily in thirteen western states, including large parts of the Columbia Basin, Wyoming Basin, and Great Basin. Winters are cold and summers are dry. Several types of shrubby sagebrush grow in different places based on elevation, soil type, and average rainfall. The scientific name Artemisia comes from the Greek Artemis, goddess of the hunt and the moon. The leaves of most species have a silvery blue color and a distinctive smell that helps them repel plant-eating animals. Under and between sagebrush species, many kinds of grasses and wildflowers turn the landscape green in spring.

Prescribed fire in sagebrush at Grand Teton National Park

NPS

Historic Role of Fire

Sagebrush will burn when the surrounding grasses are dry. With strong winds, fire spreads rapidly with flames sometimes reaching over 30 feet high. While fire easily kills sagebrush, the other plants resprout from protected roots producing lush forage for wildlife and livestock. It takes a few years for sagebrush seedlings to return and it can be decades before sagebrush dominates the landscape again.

Before European settlement, fire was a natural part of the sagebrush landscape. Animals depended on all stages of the fire cycle, including the post-fire regrowth and the oldest and biggest plants. American Indians used fire to attract grazing bison, deer, and elk. Each sagebrush species had a different fire cycle. However, scientists do not yet understand how frequently fire returned to specific locations.

Sagebrush seedlings in previously burned area.

NPS

Current State and Management Actions

Farming, livestock grazing, and land development has reduced sagebrush on the landscape. If land managers prevent fire from burning for too many years, trees like juniper can move in and take over. The biggest threat, however, comes from exotic plants that have moved in from other continents. Several kinds of grasses from other places have taken over the areas between and under sagebrush and made areas more vulnerable to fire. Cheatgrass, for example, dries out early in the summer and makes a thick carpet of fuel for fires. If fire burns through these areas too often, sagebrush seedlings cannot survive. If sagebrush is lost, the area can no longer support the animals (such as sage grouse and pronghorn) that depend on it for habitat. The National Park Service works to keep exotic plants from becoming established. Fire managers use fuels treatments, such as thinning or removal of vegetation, and prescribed fire to build fuel breaks and keep a resilient balance of sagebrush ages on the landscape.

Distribution of sagebrush in the western United States.

https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/pdfs/Little/arttri.pdf

For Further Information

• Saving Our Sagebrush Sea - A recent study underscores the importance of protecting sagebrush lands in national parks to prevent a national treasure from disappearing
• Fire Effects Information System
• Northern Rockies Fire Science Network
• Great Basin Fire Science Exchange