Modeling the Potential Habitat Gained by Planting Sagebrush in Burned Landscapes

Abstract

Many revegetation projects are intended to benefit wildlife species. Yet, there are few a priori evaluations that assess the potential efficiency of restoration actions in recovering wildlife habitats. We developed a spatial vegetation–habitat recovery model to gauge the degree to which field planting strategies could be expected to recover multi-factor habitat conditions for wildlife following wildfires. We simulated a wildfire footprint, multiple sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) planting scenarios, and tracked projected vegetation growth for 15 years post-fire. We used a vegetation transition framework to track and estimate the degree to which revegetation could accelerate habitat restoration for a Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus) population within the Great Basin, western United States. We assessed the amount of habitat 15 years post-fire to estimate the degree to which revegetation could be expected to accelerate habitat restoration. Our results highlight a potential disconnect between the expansive areas required by wide-ranging wildlife such as sage-grouse and the relatively small areas that planting treatments have created. Habitat restorations and planting strategies that are intended to benefit sage-grouse may only speed up localized habitat restoration. This study provides an example of how linked revegetation–habitat modeling approaches can scope the expected return on restoration investment for habitat improvements and support the strategic use of limited restoration resources.