Assessment of Post-fire Reseeding Efforts Undertaken in Box Elder County, Utah

Invasive annual grasses alter public western rangeland ecosystems after a fire. Our research goal is to examine the success of post-fire re-vegetation and seeding treatments in Box Elder County Utah. We have begun examining the establishment of seeded species in treatment areas. We will examine the capability of these treatments to limit or reverse the dominance of annual invasive annual grasses in addition to on the ground sampling to assess species composition. We will use the Rangeland Analysis Platform tool (RAP) to examine trends of shrubs, perennial grasses, and annual grasses. Both on the ground sampling sites and RAP trend studies will be used to determine the varying degrees of treatment success and addressing the question of whether the treatments were successful at creating more resilient and stable plant communities. The overall goal for this research is to provide relevant and timely information to the Box Eder Coordinated Resource Management group to help them, and their partners make more informed decisions in the future. Our work will serve as source of information to assist and provide support for the decision-making process faced by managers in the region. Having a better understanding of past treatment outcomes will help land managers in this region respond quickly and use funds efficiently when fires occur in the future. On the ground sampling in treatment areas began in the summer of 2019, further sampling will be performed through the summer of 2020, across the county.