Sagehen Creek Field Station

20 Jul, 01 AM - 22 Jul, 11 AM

PURPOSE Meadows with areas of lodgepole pine encroachment along borders will be experimentally burned to assess the effect that prescribed fires may have on cheatgrass establishment. DESIGN Five study plots will be subjectively located in meadow borders in order to sample areas where a gradient of lodgepole pine densities (from established forest to open meadow) exists. These plots will be established along the within-meadow moisture gradient. The plot length will be determined in the field based on the extent of lodgepole invasion into the meadow. Both ends of the centerline of the plot will be marked with a rebar monument and the UTM location will be recorded. The azimuth of the centerline of the plot will be recorded. Each plot will be divided into three equal segments, one per relative lodgepole density (high, medium, and low). Blocks of treatments will be established in each third of the plot. Four subplots (1 m2 square quadrats) will be established within each third of a plot. In total there will be 12 quadrats in each of the 5 plots, for a total of 60 subplots. Each subplot will have one of four treatments randomly applied: burn and sow cheatgrass, burn and don?t sow cheatgrass, don?t burn and sow cheatgrass, don?t burn and don?t sow cheatgrass. ACTIVITIES FOR JULY 26-28, 2008: Percent cover by species will be measured by ocular estimate in every subplot. Non-vegetated cover will also be recorded by substrate (soil, thatch, needle litter, rock, wood). The density of lodgepole seedlings (recently germinated trees without any branches) will be recorded. The density of pocket gopher mounds and their relative age will also be recorded. ACTIVITIES FOR OCTOBER, 2008: Burns will be conducted in the fall using a metal ?burn box? to contain the flames and burning vegetation; half of the subplots will be burned for a total area of 30 square meters. The maximum temperature reached during the fire will be recorded by placing a metal disc with temperature sensitive paints within the quadrats at a height of 0.2 m. For the subset of subplots where cheatgrass establishment will be examined we will sow 10 cheatgrass seeds following burn treatments. ACTIVITIES FOR JULY-AUGUST, 2009: Vegetation measurements will be repeated the summer following treatments. At the end of the growing season, but before seed dehiscence, all cheatgrass will be collected to quantify total biomass and seed production in the laboratory. To avoid accidental introduction of cheatgrass into meadows beyond the experiment, each cheatgrass seed will be adhered to a toothpick to allow removal of any dormant seeds. Frequent visitation will be made to each site in order to completely harvest all cheatgrass plants before seed drop. Visits will also be made to each site at the beginning and middle of the growing seasons, well before seed maturation, of the next two years in order to confirm that no cheatgrass seeds escaped harvest. Any remaining cheatgrass plants will be removed.

Visit #15122 @Sagehen Creek Field Station

Approved

Under Project # 9954 | Research

Effects of Fire on Meadow Plant Communities and Cheatgrass Establishment in the Tahoe Sierra

graduate_student - University of California, Davis

Reservation Members(s)

Group of 2 Graduate Student Jul 20 - 22, 2009 (3 days)
Group of 3 Other Jul 20 - 22, 2009 (3 days)

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Meadow Cabin (Lower Camp) 5 Jul 20 - 22, 2009