Fire management, Invasive species management, Restoration
Rangeland Restoration Following the Martin Fire in Reno, Nevada
Case Study by Conservation and Adaptation Resources Toolbox and the Drought Learning Network
Status
Ongoing

Location

States

Nevada

Ecosystem

Rural

Subject

Fires
Invasive species
Nature-based solutions
Plants
Sagebrush
Soil management

Introduction

Two individuals in a field with planted seedlings
Image Details

The Martin Fire of 2018 burned 435,000 acres in NV and is considered one of the largest fires in modern U.S. history. After the fire, the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of the Great Basin Rangelands Research Unit and the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) completed a restoration project on public and private land to rehabilitate the burned rangeland. Using herbicide and previously tested experimental seed mixes, the project sought to control cheatgrass and establish both native and non-native perennial plant species to lessen the long-term wildfire damage on the rangeland. The collaborative effort seeded 136,182 acres and treated 32,328 acres with herbicide, in addition to treatments implemented by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Restoring this rangeland was necessary to provide critical habitat for important native fauna such as sage grouse, American pronghorn, bighorn sheep, elk, and mule deer. 

 Split into the USDA Elko and Winnemucca Districts, partners seeded the rangeland immediately after the Martin Fire using preplanned post-fire budgets to capitalize on nutrient-rich soil for seedling establishment. This time window was important for seeding because the highly invasive annual grass, cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), has the ability to build persistent seed banks that can outcompete desirable perennial species (e.g. bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata) and Siberian wheatgrass (Agropyron fragile)) at the seedling stage. Therefore, native species such as bluebunch wheatgrass need to be seeded before the conversion to cheatgrass dominance. After evaluating these initial efforts in 2018, plot by plot evaluations were made in 2019 on the success of these seed mixes, their effectiveness at suppressing cheatgrass, and whether or not more weed control and seeding were necessary. 

Key Issues Addressed

Though fires are a natural occurrence in Nevada, the Martin Fire of 2018 was the largest recorded fire in state history. Increasingly dry climatic conditions lead to droughts and leave Nevada vulnerable to devastating wildfires. The large burn areas left in the wake of wildfires reduce wildlife habitat and leave rangelands vulnerable to invasion by non-native species. Sage grouse, American pronghorn, and mule deer rely on the forage and habitats decimated by wildfires. 

While wildfires are a natural phenomenon of the landscape, increased fire frequency can cause significant detrimental impacts to native ecosystems and habitats. For example, perennial sagebrush sagebrush
The western United States’ sagebrush country encompasses over 175 million acres of public and private lands. The sagebrush landscape provides many benefits to our rural economies and communities, and it serves as crucial habitat for a diversity of wildlife, including the iconic greater sage-grouse and over 350 other species.

Learn more about sagebrush , common across many Nevada rangelands and key habitat for native wildlife, is negatively affected by increased fire frequency, whereas annual cheatgrass is able to quickly colonize the viable land after a fire. Cheatgrass is a tenacious, non-native annual grass that emerges before most perennial grasses’ growing seasons begin and competes with native species like sagebrush for water and nutrients. Cheatgrass provides little wildlife habitat value, reduces sustainable livestock forage, and contributes to the growth and spread of fires. 

Wildfires also continue to impose a risk to infrastructure near or on the rangeland. Fire-adaptation techniques to protect infrastructure include using and testing more fire-resistant seed mixes around infrastructure. This technique is referred to as “green stripping.” Certain seeding mixes can also help suppress cheatgrass and reduce the associated fire hazard, while providing improved wildlife habitat values. 

Project Goals

  • Enhance food and cover sources required for species of concern such as sage grouse, American pronghorn, bighorn sheep, elk, and mule deer
  • Restore rangeland to an improved state by establishing a high density of native perennial species
  • Apply herbicide on cheatgrass to disrupt its growing cycle and protect infrastructure from fire
  • Annually measure seeded species density and cheatgrass growth in quadrats to gauge success of seeding and suppression of cheatgrass in seeded and unseeded areas that received different treatments.

Project Highlights

State-Federal Partnership: State agencies like NDOW can operate on both public and private lands, while federal land management agencies operate solely on public land. During and after the Martin fire, the nation was experiencing a federal government shutdown, halting federal agency actions. While the ARS contributed to the whole project, the shutdown and greater flexibility of state agencies encouraged NDOW to act as the department responsible for seeding contracts, acquiring seeds, and contributing the necessary equipment for seeding.

  • Herbicide: In the Elko district (East), herbicide was applied in a line to create a clear buffer with little vegetation to stop the spread of future fires into or near areas deemed as critical habitat locations. The herbicide treatment of 6 oz of Imazapic and 3 gallons of water per acre was the most successful and cost-effective mixture. This formula allowed distributors to haul more water in a single day covering more acreage. In the Winnemucca district, the Imazapic was applied aerially to 5,954 acres.
  • Aerial Native Seeding: The NDOW in the Elko district (East) seeded 30,610 acres and the NDOW in the Winnemucca district seeded 22,563 acres using seed mixes with native species.
    • Elko District Seed Mix #1: Upland (24,035 acres)
      • 24,040 lbs of Wyoming sagebrush
      • 2,400 lbs of Yarrow
    • Elko District Seed Mix #2: Watershed (6,575 acres)
      • 3,280 lbs of Basin sagebrush
      • 35,800 lbs of Thickspike wheatgrass
      • 9,850 lbs of Great Basin wild rye
      • 10,200 lbs of Snake river wheatgrass
    • Winnemucca District Seed Mix #1 (4,080 acres total)
      • 4,080 lbs of Wyoming big sagebrush
      • 500 lbs of Yarrow
      • 1,100 lbs of Thickspike wheatgrass
  • Winnemucca District Seed Mix #2 (520 acres total)
    • 520 lbs of Mt big sagebrush
    • 100 lbs of Yarrow
    • 100 lbs of Thickspike wheatgrass
  • Winnemucca District Seed Mix #3 (17,963 acres total)
    • 174,000 lbs of 5 mixes of diverse shrub, grass, form mix
  • Aerial Non-native Seeding: Non-native seeding was completed thanks to massive efforts to map where wildlife critical areas were located. The Winnemucca seeded a total of 4,091 acres with a non-native seed mix.
    • Winnemucca District Seed Mix #1 (4,091 acres)
      • 4,120 lbs of Forage kochia
      • 3,460 lbs of Snowstorm kochia
      • 14,950 of Siberian wheatgrass
  • Drill Seeding: When drill seeding occurred, seeding conditions weren’t optimal. Some of the factors NDOW experienced included frozen ground, muddy ground, and dry ground. A total 5,987 acres were seeded.
    • Winnemucca District Seed Mix #1 (3,400 acres)
      • 1,800 lbs of Indian ricegrass
      • 11,700 lbs of Snake river wheatgrass
      • 4,400 lbs of Thickspike wheatgrass
      • 11,400 lbs of Siberian wheatgrass
      • 1,150 lbs of Sandberg's bluegrass
  • Winnemucca District Seed Mix #2 (2,250 acres)
    • 8,700 lbs of Snake river wheatgrass
    • 9,300 lbs of Thickspike wheatgrass
    • 1,000 lbs of Sandberg's bluegrass
    • 1,500 lbs of Basin wildrye
  • Winnemucca District Seed Mix #3 (337 acres)
    • 135 lbs of Squirreltail
    • 1,112 lbs of Snake river wheatgrass
    • 101 lbs of Great Basin wildrye
    • 1,106 lbs of Siberian wheatgrass
    • 260 lbs of Sandberg's bluegrass
    • 404 lbs of Fouwing saltbush
    • 300 lbs of Thickspike wheatgrass
    • 202 lbs of Snowstorm Kochia
  • Density Evaluation: In the Elko district, evaluations were completed a year after the initial seedings and herbicide treatment to monitor the suppression of cheatgrass and the density of desired species and help determine if restoration efforts were necessary the following year. From a visual assessment of the native response, this second round of restoration was deemed unnecessary. For the Winnemucca district, to determine the success of the seedings, quadrat density of cheatgrass and newly planted seedlings were evaluated through a visual examination, photos of the seeded and treated areas were taken in 2018, 2019, and 2020, and an effectiveness rating system was developed based upon an ocular assessment by the project lead. 

Lessons Learned

An area with some vegetation
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By working with ARS research managers, NDOW had access to the most updated science throughout treatments. ARS annually uses small-scale test plots to evaluate the effectiveness of the seed mixes which provided NDOW with foresight on which mixes and treatments should be used. There was also a tremendous amount of collaboration across stakeholders that contributed to the scheduled completion of this enormous project. 

One of the most successful attributes of these projects is partnerships. Partnerships provide an opportunity to combine and stretch resources further than individual implementation. Furthermore, partnerships create a more durable environment and are an important element for successful rehabilitation. Specifically, the BLM Winnemucca District was furloughed during a federal government shutdown and unable to get 174,000 lbs of seed on the ground, equal to 17,963 acres. Due to the partnership between BLM and NDOW, NDOW was able to contract the aerial application of this seed, which would have otherwise missed the critical seeding window in the Great Basin. 

Apart from partnerships, implementing several different treatment options can ensure that some will be successful. For example, after the initial seedings for the year, both districts felt that more green stripping should have been integrated. Moving forward, incorporating more fire-resistant seed mixes around roads and other infrastructure will help ensure future protection from wildfires, which occurred in 2019 and 2020. 

Both the Elko and the Winnemucca districts determined herbicide was the best method for suppressing cheatgrass in both 2019 and 2020. Partners considered multiple s factors that affected the success of treatments, including specifications of the herbicide application tools they used. Small details such as nozzle positioning and aerodynamics of spray impact can change the outcome. 

Both districts felt that aerial native seeding was successful based on visual observation of a high ratio of perennial plants to cheatgrass and bare ground. In 2019 and 2020 in the Winnemucca district, NDOW found yarrow and sagebrush seeding to be the most successful seeding mix. NDOW observed low seeding success in the 17,963-acre shrub, grass, and forb mix; however, in 2020 partners observed moderate success even with a patchy distribution of seeded species. Observing poor success in 2019 (1-year post treatment) and moderate success in 2020 (2 years post treatment) demonstrates the importance of giving seedings multiple years to establish. 

The aerial non-native seeding in the Winnemucca district in winter 2018/2019 moderately to highly successfully provided wildlife with forage and cover. Snowstorm kochia was established in high densities and forage kochia established in moderate densities. In 2020 observations, the area that was seeded with a non-native mix was grazed heavily, making it difficult to evaluate the cover. However, a high density of snowstorm kochia and a moderate to low density of forage kochia and Siberian wheatgrass from the seed mix were observed. 

Lastly, drill seeding undertaken in the Winnemucca district was considered moderately successful in 2019. However, by 2020, the drill seeding was considered moderately to highly successful. This can be attributed to varied conditions resulting from seeding at different times, seeding late, and different seeding conditions (frozen ground, muddy ground, dry ground, etc.). The most successful to least successful of the established drill seedings were those with Siberian wheatgrass, snake river wheatgrass, thickspike wheatgrass, sandberg’s bluegrass, Indian ricegrass, and finally basin wildrye. 

Next Steps

  • Continue to use the test plots to find improved seeding mixes and herbicide treatments
  • Learn from each restoration effort about how to improve future land management
  • Adopt herbicide treatment to control cheatgrass on other acres of the rangeland
  • Seed in locations where the herbicide treatment was originally administered in 2018 and native species have not returned to the landscape
  • Use herbicide and fire-resistant plant materials to install greenstrips and build an improved environment for future fire suppression efforts

Funding Partners

Resources

Contacts

CART Lead Author

The DLN is a peer-to-peer knowledge exchange between climate service providers and resource managers, created to gather and share lessons learned from drought events to prepare for future events. The DLN partners with CART to develop Case Studies, with funding from the National Drought Mitigation Center for interns and coordination support from the USDA Southwest Climate Hub.

Suggested Citation

Bickle, E., R. (2021). “Rangeland Restoration Following the Martin Fire in Reno, Nevada.” CART. Retrieved from https://www.fws.gov/project/restoration-after-fire-reno.

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