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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Boise, Idaho » Northwest Watershed Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #368951
Research Project: Assessment and Mitigation of Disturbed Sagebrush-Steppe Ecosystems

Location: Northwest Watershed Research Center

Title: Vegetation, rainfall simulation, and overland flow experiments before and after tree removal in woodland-encroached sagebrush steppe: the SageSTEP hydrology study

Author
item Pierson Jr, Frederick
item Williams, Christopher - Jason
item KORMOS, PATRICK - National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
item AL-HAMDAN, OSAMA - Texas A&M University
item JOHNSON, JUSTIN - University Of Arizona

Submitted to: Ag Data Commons
Publication Type: Database / Dataset
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/24/2019
Publication Date: 9/30/2019
Citation: Pierson Jr, F.B., Williams, C.J., Kormos, P.R., Al-Hamdan, O.Z., Johnson, J.C. 2019. Vegetation, rainfall simulation, and overland flow experiments before and after tree removal in woodland-encroached sagebrush steppe: the SageSTEP hydrology study. Ag Data Commons. https://doi.org/10.15482/USDA.ADC/1504518.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15482/USDA.ADC/1504518

Interpretive Summary: A series of vegetation, hydrology, and erosion experiments were conducted over a 10 yr period across multiple rangeland sites in the Great Basin to evaluate the ecological impacts of tree encroachment into sagebrush steppe vegetation. The study is part of a larger study, the Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project (SageSTEP, www.sagestep.org), evaluating ecological impacts of invasive species and woodland encroachment into sagebrush ecosystems and the effects of various sagebrush restoration practices. Results from the experiments improved understanding of vegetation, hydrology, and erosion interactions for these ecosystems in response to various management actions. The resulting database is a valuable data source for developing and testing hydrology and erosion models for applications to diverse vegetation and ground cover conditions on rangelands. Further, the repeated measures in the dataset provide a unique data source for exploring long-term landscape vegetation and hydrologic and erosion responses to various land management practices and disturbances.

Technical Abstract: Simulated rainfall and overland-flow experiments are useful for enhancing understanding of surface hydrologic and erosion processes, quantifying runoff and erosion rates, and developing and testing predictive quantitative models. This extensive dataset (1021 experimental plots) consists of rainfall simulation (1300 plot runs, 0.5 m2 to 13 m2 scales) and overland flow (838 plot runs, ~9 m2 scale) experimental plot data coupled with associated measures of vegetation, ground cover, and surface soil properties across point to hillslope scales. The data were collected at three woodland-encroached sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) rangelands in the Great Basin, USA, under undisturbed/untreated conditions and 1 yr to 9 yr following fire and/or mechanical tree-removal treatments. The methodology employed and resulting experimental data contribute to quantifying and understanding scale-dependent surface hydrologic and erosion processes for Great Basin woodlands and sagebrush rangelands before and after tree removal and for sparsely vegetated sites elsewhere. The dataset is a valuable source for developing and testing hydrology and erosion models for applications to diverse vegetation and ground cover conditions. Lastly, the series of repeated measures in the dataset for some sites over time provides a valuable dataset for exploring long-term landscape vegetation and hydrologic and erosion responses to various land management practices and disturbances.