Index of Species Information
SPECIES: Poa secunda
Introductory
SPECIES: Poa secunda
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION :
Howard, Janet L. 1997. Poa secunda. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online].
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station,
Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/graminoid/poasec/all.html [].
ABBREVIATION :
POASEC
SYNONYMS :
Poa ampla Merr. [49] big bluegrass
Poa canbyi (Scribn.) Piper [29,39,49] Canby bluegrass
Poa gracillima Vasey [35,49] slender bluegrass
Poa incurva Scribn. & Will [49]
Poa juncifolia Scribn. [30,35,49] alkali bluegrass
Poa nevadensis Vasey [35,39,49] Nevada bluegrass
Poa sandbergii Vasey [30,35,49] Sandberg bluegrass
Poa scabrella (Thurb.) Benth. ex Vasey [35,49] pine bluegrass
SCS PLANT CODE :
POSE
COMMON NAMES :
Sandberg bluegrass
TAXONOMY :
The currently recognized scientific name of Sandberg bluegrass is Poa
secunda Presl. [33,38,70]. Based upon different chromosome numbers,
Soreng [59] recognizes two subspecies of Sandberg bluegrass: P. secunda
ssp. secunda and P. secunda ssp. juncifolia (Scribn.) R.J. Soreng. Most
systematists consider the entities listed under the SYNONYMS heading
above to be ecotypes, forms, or cultivars within the Poa secunda complex
[33,40,41,70]. Characteristics used to separate these entities vary
even within a single population and can result from environmental
conditions or a tendency for individual plants to be self-fertile
[33,35,41].
Hickman [33] describes delicate bluegrass as a distinct species, P.
tennerrima Scribn. Kartesz [38], however, lists it as a synonym for P.
secunda.
Sandberg bluegrass hybridizes with Wheeler bluegrass (P. nervosa) [70]
and Kentucky bluegrass (P. pratensis) [33].
LIFE FORM :
Graminoid
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS :
NO-ENTRY
OTHER STATUS :
NO-ENTRY
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Poa secunda
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION :
Sandberg bluegrass occurs from southeastern Alaska across southern
Canada (although sporadically east of the Rocky Mountains), throughout
the western and Great Plains states to Arkansas and the Great Lakes
region. It occurs infrequently in New Mexico and Arizona [29,33,58,59].
Disjunct populations occur on the Gaspe Peninsula of Quebec and in Chile
[41].
ECOSYSTEMS :
FRES10 White-red-jack pine
FRES15 Oak - hickory
FRES17 Elm-ash-cottonwood
FRES20 Douglas-fir
FRES21 Ponderosa pine
FRES23 Fir - spruce
FRES26 Lodgepole pine
FRES28 Western hardwoods
FRES29 Sagebrush
FRES30 Desert shrub
FRES33 Southwestern shrubsteppe
FRES34 Chaparral - mountain shrub
FRES35 Pinyon - juniper
FRES36 Mountain grasslands
FRES37 Mountain meadows
FRES38 Plains grasslands
FRES39 Prairie
FRES40 Desert grasslands
FRES41 Wet grasslands
FRES42 Annual grasslands
FRES44 Alpine
STATES :
AK AR AZ CA CO HI ID KS MI MN
MT NE NV NM ND OK OR SD TX UT
WA WI WY AB BC MB ON PQ SK YT
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS :
1 Northern Pacific Border
2 Cascade Mountains
3 Southern Pacific Border
4 Sierra Mountains
5 Columbia Plateau
6 Upper Basin and Range
7 Lower Basin and Range
8 Northern Rocky Mountains
9 Middle Rocky Mountains
10 Wyoming Basin
11 Southern Rocky Mountains
12 Colorado Plateau
15 Black Hills Uplift
16 Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS :
K003 Silver fir-Douglas-fir forest
K005 Mixed conifer forest
K007 Red fir forest
K008 Lodgepole pine-subalpine forest
K009 Pine-cypress forest
K010 Ponderosa shrub forest
K011 Western ponderosa forest
K020 Spruce-fir-Douglas-fir forest
K022 Great Basin pine forest
K024 Juniper steppe woodland
K025 Alder-ash forest
K026 Oregon oakwoods
K028 Mosaic of K002 and K026
K029 California mixed evergreen forest
K030 California oakwoods
K033 Chaparral
K034 Montane chaparral
K035 Coastal sagebrush
K039 Blackbrush
K047 Fescue-oatgrass
K048 California steppe
K050 Fescue-wheatgrass
K051 Wheatgrass-bluegrass
K065 Grama-buffalograss
K066 Wheatgrass-needlegrass
K067 Wheatgrass-bluestem-needlegrass
K068 Wheatgrass-grama-buffalograss
K095 Great Lakes pine forest
SAF COVER TYPES :
1 Jack pine
42 Bur oak
63 Cottonwood
206 Engelmann spruce-subalpine fir
207 Red fir
208 Whitebark pine
210 Interior Douglas-fir
211 White fir
213 Grand fir
217 Aspen
218 Lodgepole pine
219 Limber pine
220 Rocky Mountain juniper
221 Red alder
222 Black cottonwood-willow
229 Pacific Douglas-fir
233 Oregon white oak
234 Douglas-fir-tanoak-Pacific madrone
235 Cottonwood-willow
236 Bur oak
237 Interior ponderosa pine
238 Western juniper
239 Pinyon-juniper
243 Sierra Nevada mixed conifer
244 Pacific ponderosa pine-Douglas-fir
245 Pacific ponderosa pine
246 California black oak
247 Jeffrey pine
248 Knobcone pine
249 Canyon live oak
250 Blue oak-foothills pine
255 California coast live oak
256 California mixed subalpine
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
101 Bluebunch wheatgrass
102 Idaho fescue
103 Green fescue
104 Antelope bitterbrush-bluebunch wheatgrass
105 Antelope bitterbrush-Idaho fescue
106 Bluegrass scabland
107 Western juniper/big sagebrush/bluebunch wheatgrass
108 Alpine Idaho fescue
109 Ponderosa pine shrubland
110 Ponderosa pine-grassland
201 Blue oak woodland
202 Coast live oak woodland
203 Riparian woodland
204 North coastal shrub
205 Coastal sage shrub
206 Chamise chaparral
207 Scrub oak mixed chaparral
208 Ceanothus mixed chaparral
209 Montane shrubland
210 Bitterbrush
212 Blackbush
213 Alpine grassland
214 Coastal prairie
215 Valley grassland
216 Montane meadows
217 Wetlands
301 Bluebunch wheatgrass-blue grama
302 Bluebunch wheatgrass-Sandberg bluegrass
303 Bluebunch wheatgrass-western wheatgrass
304 Idaho fescue-bluebunch wheatgrass
305 Idaho fescue-Richardson needlegrass
306 Idaho fescue-slender wheatgrass
307 Idaho fescue-threadleaf sedge
308 Idaho fescue-tufted hairgrass
309 Idaho fescue-western wheatgrass
311 Rough fescue-bluebunch wheatgrass
312 Rough fescue-Idaho fescue
314 Big sagebrush-bluebunch wheatgrass
315 Big sagebrush-Idaho fescue
317 Bitterbrush-bluebunch wheatgrass
318 Bitterbrush-Idaho fescue
319 Bitterbrush-rough fescue
320 Black sagebrush-bluebunch wheatgrass
321 Black sagebrush-Idaho fescue
322 Curlleaf mountain-mahogany-bluebunch wheatgrass
323 Shrubby cinquefoil-rough fescue
324 Threetip sagebrush-Idaho fescue
401 Basin big sagebrush
402 Mountain big sagebrush
403 Wyoming big sagebrush
404 Threetip sagebrush
405 Black sagebrush
406 Low sagebrush
408 Other sagebrush types
409 Tall forb
410 Alpine rangeland
411 Aspen woodland
412 Juniper-pinyon woodland
413 Gambel oak
414 Salt desert shrub
415 Curlleaf mountain-mahogany
416 True mountain-mahogany
417 Littleleaf mountain-mahogany
421 Chokecherry-serviceberry-rose
422 Riparian
501 Saltbush-greasewood
502 Grama-galleta
504 Juniper-pinyon pine woodland
505 Grama-tobosa shrub
601 Bluestem prairie
607 Wheatgrass-needlegrass
608 Wheatgrass-grama-needlegrass
612 Sagebrush-grass
613 Fescue grassland
614 Crested wheatgrass
615 Wheatgrass-saltgrass-grama
715 Grama-buffalograss
721 Sand bluestem-little bluestem (plains)
722 Sand sagebrush-mixed prairie
717 Little bluestem-Indiangrass-Texas wintergrass
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES :
Classifications listing Sandberg bluegrass as a dominant or indicator
species are listed below.
Vegetation and soils of the Cow Creek Watershed [7]
Vegetation and soils of the Coils Creek Watershed [8]
An ecological reconnaissance of the Artemisia steppe on the east central
Owyhee uplands of Oregon [17]
Steppe vegetation of Washington [18]
Sagebrush-steppe habitat types in northern Colorado: a first
approximation [24]
Natural vegetation of Oregon and Washington [26]
Plant communities of the Blue Mountains in eastern Oregon and
southeastern Washington [31]
Sagebrush-grass habitat types of southern Idaho [34]
Plant associations of the Crooked River National Grassland [36]
Meeks Table Research Natural Area reference sampling and habitat
classification [61]
Native vegetation of Idaho [64]
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS
SPECIES: Poa secunda
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE :
Sandberg bluegrass is a widespread and highly drought-resistant forage
grass. It is one of the earliest grasses to green up in spring and is
sought by all classes of livestock. Sandberg bluegrass matures early
and remains choice for a shorter time than other forage bunchgrasses.
Horses and cattle continue to make some use of it during the summer
months. In the fall, horses, cattle, and domestic sheep graze the cured
foliage [66]. Townsend's ground squirrels apparently consume Sandberg
bluegrass in portion to the grass' relative abundance [42]. On the Arid
Land Ecology Reserve of eastern Washington, where Sandberg bluegrass is
a dominant grass, Sandberg bluegrass averaged 49 percent of the Townsend
ground squirrel's diet [37].
PALATABILITY :
The degree of use shown by livestock and wildlife species for
Sandberg bluegrass in several western states is rated below [21]. The
values reported are a compilation of ratings given to plant populations
identified as Sandberg bluegrass, Nevada bluegrass, big bluegrass, and
Canby's bluegrass. For this reason some entries have more than one
value.
CO MT UT WY
Cattle good good good good
Sheep good/fair good good/fair good
Horses good/fair good good good
Pronghorn ---- poor good/fair good/fair
Elk ---- good/poor good/poor good
Mule deer good good/poor good/fair good/fair
Small mammals ---- ---- good/fair good
Small nongame birds ---- ---- good/fair good
Upland game birds ---- ---- good/fair good
Waterfowl ---- ---- fair/poor fair/poor
NUTRITIONAL VALUE :
Sandberg bluegrass has a fair energy content but is generally considered
to be a poor source of protein [21].
COVER VALUE :
The degree to which Sandberg bluegrass provides cover for wildlife
species has been rated as follows [21]:
CO MT UT WY
Small mammals ---- ---- fair good/fair
Small nongame birds ---- ---- fair/poor good/fair
Upland game birds ---- ---- fair/poor good/fair/poor
Waterfowl ---- good fair/poor fair/poor
In shrub-steppe of eastern Washington, elk preferred big sagebrush
(Artemisia tridentata)-Sandberg bluegrass habitat for bedding and
Sandberg bluegrass-cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) habitat for foraging
[47].
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES :
Sandberg bluegrass is often included in native seed mixes [6,16].
Maguire and others [45] provide information on processing Sandberg
bluegrass seed.
Rehabilitation case examples: Sandberg bluegrass was included in a
herbaceous seed mix used on coal spoils in northwestern Colorado.
Sandberg bluegrass established successfully and remained an important
component of the vegetation for at least 7 years after seeding [55].
After the level of a lake in the Columbia River Basin of eastern
Washington was raised, native riparian species were planted on the new
shoreline to prevent establishment and spread of noxious weeds. A
Sandberg bluegrass cultivar, `Sherman' big bluegrass (Poa ampla sensu
Hitckcock and Cronquist [35]), and `Durar' hard fescue (Festuca ovina
ssp. duriuscula) were seeded in. Five years after planting, dense grass
cover had established. Few forbs, shrubs, or trees had established
except on spots that were missed during grass seeding operations [13].
`Sherman' big bluegrass was rated among the 10 top performing grasses for
erosion control in the Tahoe Basin of California [57].
OTHER USES AND VALUES :
NO-ENTRY
OTHER MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Wildlife habitat restoration after fire: Sage grouse disappeared from
the Fitzner/Eberhardt Arid Lands Ecology Reserve of north-central
Washington following large-acreage wildfires that removed big sagebrush.
Postfire vegetation was dominated by Sandberg bluegrass and bluebunch
wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata). In order to reduce grass cover
and increase sagebrush cover for sage grouse, big sagebrush seeds from
unburned, remnant plants were hand-seeded on plowed, herbicide-treated
(glyphosate) plots and on untreated plots. Sandberg bluegrass cover was
reduced the most, and big sagebrush establishment was best, on
herbicide-treated plots. Bluebunch wheatgrass did not respond to
herbicide treatment [22].
Range: Sandberg bluegrass is a palatable species, but its production is
closely tied to weather conditions. It produces little forage in
drought years, making it a less dependable food source than other
perennial bunchgrasses [20].
Sandberg bluegrass increases under grazing pressure [65]. In
bluebunch wheatgrass-Sandberg bluegrass habitat types of eastern
Washington, cheatgrass and Sandberg bluegrass often occur on the same
site. One or the other may be favored depending on the class of
livestock. With heavy grazing by domestic sheep, Sandberg bluegrass is
favored. When cattle are the dominant grazers, cheatgrass often
dominates [18].
Some forms of Sandberg bluegrass are of interest to range managers
because thay are better forage grasses than the typical Poa secunda.
For example, P. ampla, P. canbyi, P. juncifolia, P. nevadensis, and P.
scabrella (sensu Hitckcock and others [35] and Munz [49]) tend to have
longer basal leaves, and P. ampla and P. scabrella continue to grow
longer into the summer [41].
Sandberg bluegrass has been identified as a high water indicator plant
along Idaho waterways [54].
BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Poa secunda
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS :
Sandberg bluegrass is a shallow-rooted, cool-season perennial
bunchgrass. Growth form ranges from small tufts with only one or two
culms to large tussocks up to 1 foot (0.3 m) in diameter [66]. Sandberg
bluegrass is relatively short lived, and its populations tend to
fluctuate with annual weather conditions [20].
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM :
Chamaephyte
REGENERATION PROCESSES :
Sandberg bluegrass regenerates by tillering and by seed. Plants are
pollinated by wind or are self-fertile. Sandberg bluegrass can also
produce viable seed without pollination (facultative apomixis)
[18,28,35,41]. Sandberg bluegrass produces significant amounts of seed
in most years. In the laboratory, fifty percent germination was
obtained from fresh seed after a 3-month afterripening period [64].
SITE CHARACTERISTICS :
Sandberg bluegrass occurs on flats and ridgetops, slopes, meadows, and
open timberline. It grows well in rich clay loam soils but most often
inhabits shallow, rocky, or sandy soils. It is the characteristic grass
of the scablands of eastern Washington and Oregon [56,66]. It is
usually found on well-drained soils. Sandberg bluegrass is fairly
shallow-rooted and is favored over deeper-rooted perennials in areas
receiving frequent light rains or where soil moisture is otherwise
limited [34,50]. In intermountain grassland of northeastern Nevada,
Sandberg bluegrass-dominated communities occurred on the driest sites
[46]. In southeastern Washington cheatgrass-Sandberg bluegrass
communities, Sandberg bluegrass generally dominated north-facing slopes,
while cheatgrass dominated south-facing slopes [44]. In southern Idaho,
Sandberg bluegrass was found to decrease on periodically flooded
streambanks [54].
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS :
Sandberg bluegrass occurs in open sun to partial shade. In fallow
fields in western Montana, it returned 7 years after plowing [69].
Sandberg bluegrass tends to persist with fire and/or grazing. In the
absence of fire in sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) steppe, it may be shaded
out by sagebrush [1,65,69]. Sandberg bluegrass succession in plant
communities other than sagebrush steppe is poorly documented, but it is
likely that with canopy closure, Sandberg bluegrass becomes shaded out
in any plant community in which it occurs.
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT :
Sandberg bluegrass completes spring growth earlier than many other
perennial grasses. Because it is a shallow-rooted species, it must
complete growth and seed production before available soil moisture has
been depleted on summer-dry ranges [10].
In eastern Washington, Sandberg bluegrass has two periods of maximum
leaf height: midwinter and May. Leaves begin growing in fall as soon
as rains begin. Soaking rains are not necessary; light showers are
sufficient to initiate growth. The decline in growth after midwinter
may be due to autosenescence of fall leaves. Spring leaves generally
reach maximum development late in the season. Cessation of growth
coincides with depletion of soil moisture in the top 4 inches (10 cm) of
soil. Sandberg bluegrass roots appear to be active in the temperature
range of 42 to 59 degrees Fahrenheit (5.5-15 deg C) [19].
The following data were collected from 1941 to 1947 on the upper Snake
River Plain of Idaho at 5,500 feet (1,676 m) elevation. Average
precipitation was 10 inches (254 mm). The average date of snowmelt
during this period was March 30 [10].
Average Date
______________________________
P. secunda P. nevadensis
Growth starts 3/30 3/30
Flower stalks appear 4/27 5/6
Heads fully out 5/15 6/3
Flowers in bloom 6/5 6/18
Seed ripe 6/26 7/9
Dissemination starts 6/30 7/15
Dissemination over 7/25 8/8
Plant drying 5/23 6/30
Plant dried 7/9 8/9
FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Poa secunda
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS :
Sandberg bluegrass is generally unharmed by fire. It produces little
litter, and its small bunch size and sparse litter reduces the amount of
heat transferred to perennating buds in the soil [40]. Its rapid
maturation in the spring also reduces fire damage, since it is dormant
when most fires occur [39]. Sandberg bluegrass cover often increases
when interference from other species is reduced by fire [9].
FIRE REGIMES :
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under
"Find Fire Regimes".
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY :
Tussock graminoid
FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Poa secunda
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT :
Sandberg bluegrass is usually unharmed or only slightly damaged by fire
[51,72]. In a big sagebrush-Thurber needlegrass (Stipa thurberiana)
community near Boise, Idaho, Wright and Klemmedson [71] observed no size
reduction of dormant Sandberg bluegrass 1 to 3 inches (2.5-7.6 cm) in
basal area after either June, July, or August fires (see the Summer
Fire/Combustion Chamber/ID fire case study). Fire may cause damage if
litter has accumulated at the base of the plant, and/or if plants are
old and pedestaled [72]. Large bunches are more susceptible to damage
than small ones, probably because of greater litter buildup [71] and/or
because the growing points of the elevated plants are no longer
insulated by soil [15,64,72]. Tisdale [62] reported some damage to
pedestaled Sandberg bluegrass in sagebrush with 7 to 14 percent big
sagebrush cover [52].
Seed mortality and postfire seedling emergence: Fire effects on the
Sandberg bluegrass seedbank are not well documented, but fire may kill
some seed in the upper layer of soil. In one study, Sandberg bluegrass
seedling emergence was significantly reduced by both "cool" and "hot"
prescribed fires. In a burning chamber, used onsite in a mountain big
sagebrush community in eastern Oregon, soil surface temperatures reached
a maximum of 219 degrees Fahrenheit (104 deg C) after 30 seconds with
prescribed cool fire and a maximum of 781 degrees Fahrenheit (416 deg C)
after 60 seconds with hot fire. After the fires, soil samples were
collected from the burn sites from two depths (0-1 cm and 1-2 cm),
samples from the two depths were mixed, and the mixed-depth samples were
used for greenhouse emergence trials. Number of emerging Sandberg
bluegrass seedlings follows. Means followed by different letter differ
at the 5 percent significance level; means followed by an asterisk also
differed at the 1 percent significance level [14].
Control Cool Fire Hot Fire
----------------------------------
8.5a* 2.8b 0.3b*
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT :
NO-ENTRY
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE :
Sandberg bluegrass generally increases after fire [20,71,72]. Some
variability in response has been reported, however. Conditions that may
produce variability such as site differences, prefire plant condition,
and postfire weather are not well documented.
Variability in fire effects is reported for Sandberg bluegrass on big
sagebrush-bunchgrass sites on the Snake River Plain of Idaho. The sites
were prescription burned in 1936, protected from grazing for 1 year, then
lightly grazed in spring and fall by domestic sheep. At postfire year
15, Sandberg bluegrass on severely burned plots was producing less than
plants on less severely burned plots. At a different location in the
same study, there was no difference in Sandberg bluegrass production on
plots of different burn severity after 12 years [10]. After 30 years,
all burned plots were producing more Sandberg bluegrass than unburned
plots, and the differences in Sandberg bluegrass production attributed
to fire severity were negligible. Annual production of Sandberg
bluegrass (lb/acre, air-dry) on unburned (UB) and burned (B) plots was
as follows [32]:
____________________________________________________________
| 1916 1937 1939 1948 1966 |
| ________ ________ _______ _______ _______ |
| UB B UB B UB B UB B UB B |
| -------- -------- ------- ------- ------- |
| 7 10 12 12 33 39 58 88 8 15 |
|__________________________________________________________|
Increases: Fire generally favors production of Sandberg bluegrass and
other bluegrasses (Poa spp.) over bluebunch wheatgrass when bluegrasses
and bluebunch wheatgrass occur together. Bluegrasses may also compete
successfully with cheatgrass as a result of the tillering that occurs
following the reduction of litter and improved insolation caused by fire
[20]. But these postfire gains last only a few years, after which
cheatgrass resumes prefire dominance.
After a mid-July fire in western Montana, an increase in Sandberg
bluegrass cover was noted the first postfire year. Additionally, the
percentage of Sandberg bluegrass plants bearing flowering stalks was 73
percent on burned plots compared to 44 percent on unburned control
plots [48].
Sandberg bluegrass cover increased significantly (p < 0.05) on burned
plots compared to unburned control plots following September and October
(1978) prescribed burning in Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata
ssp. wyomingensis)-bluebunch wheatgrass near Boise, Idaho. In postfire
year 1 (1979), precipitation was below normal in spring and near normal
for the rest of the year. In 1980, precipitation was two times above
normal. Percent cover of Sandberg bluegrass was [15]:
________________________________
| Control | Burned |
|_______________|______________|
| 1979 1980 | 1979 1980|
|_______________|______________|
| 7.03 6.69 | 1.33 2.65|
|_______________|______________|
Four years after August wildfire in a big sagebrush-bunchgrass community
in southeastern Oregon, Sandberg bluegrass and other bunchgrasses
dominated burned sites. Big sagebrush and forbs dominated adjacent
unburned sites [1].
Decline: Sandberg bluegrass cover was less on burned plots relative to
unburned plots 2 years after spring or fall prescribed burning in Wind
Cave National Park, South Dakota [12].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE :
For further information on Sandberg bluegrass response to fire, see
Fire Case Studies and these Research Project Summaries:
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
NO-ENTRY
SPECIES: Poa secunda
- 1st FIRE CASE STUDY:
Prescribed fire effects on Sandberg bluegrass in a mountain
big sagebrush community in Lava Beds National Monument, California
- 2nd FIRE CASE STUDY:
Response of Sandberg bluegrass from an Idaho big sagebrush
community to a burn chamber experiment
1st FIRE CASE STUDY:
Prescribed fire effects on Sandberg bluegrass in a mountain big sagebrush
community in Lava Beds National Monument, California
FIRE CASE STUDY CITATION :
Howard, Janet L., compiler. 1997. Prescribed fire effects on Sandberg bluegrass in a
mountain big sagebrush community in Lava Beds National Monument, California. In:
Poa secunda. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department
of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences
Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://www.fs.usda.gov
/database/feis/ [].
REFERENCES :
Champlin, Mark R. 1982. Big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) ecology and management
with emphasis on prescribed burning. Corvallis, OR: Oregon State University. 136 p.
Dissertation. [9484] [14].
Champlin, M. R.; Winward, A. H. 1979. The response of bunchgrasses to prescribed
burning in mountain big sagebrush plant communities. In: 1979 Progress report...research
in rangeland management. Special Report 549. Corvallis, OR: Oregon State University,
Agricultural Experiment Station: 14-16. In cooperation with: U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Agricultural Research--SEA. [73].
SEASON/SEVERITY CLASSIFICATION :
Lava Beds: late spring/moderate
Crooked River: fall/severe
STUDY LOCATION :
The study was conducted at two locations. The first study area was on
Lava Beds National Monument, California. The second was on the Crooked
River National Grassland near Prineville, Oregon [1,2].
PREFIRE VEGETATIVE COMMUNITY :
Four plant communities on two locations were burned. Mountain big
sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana) was the dominant prefire
shrub in all four communities. At Lava Beds National Monument, the
relatively mesic north-facing slopes were occupied by mountain big
sagebrush/Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis) communities that included
Sandberg bluegrass (Poa secunda), bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria
spicata), Thurber's needlegrass (Stipa thurberiana), prairie Junegrass
(Koeleria macrantha), and cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), in descending
order of frequency. Swales and hilltops were dominated by mountain big
sagebrush/bluebunch wheatgrass-Thurber's needlegrass communities.
Sandberg bluegrass and prairie Junegrass were also present in these
communities, with lesser amounts of bottlebrush squirreltail (Elymus
elymoides) and cheatgrass. At Crooked River National Grasslands, the
prefire community was mountain big sagebrush/bluebunch wheatgrass.
Cheatgrass, Sandberg bluegrass, Idaho fescue, and bottlebrush
squirreltail were also present, in descending order of frequency [1,2].
TARGET SPECIES PHENOLOGICAL STATE :
Sandberg bluegrass was dormant and desiccated at time of burning on both
sites [2].
SITE DESCRIPTION :
Lava Beds site: Mean annual temperature is 47.7 degrees Fahrenheit (8.7
deg C); mean annual precipitation is 14.5 inches (363 mm). The site is
on a broken monocline at 4,465 feet (1,353 m) elevation. Slopes vary
from 0 to 8 percent.
Crooked River site: Mean annual temperature is 45.1 degrees Fahrenheit
(7.3 deg C); mean annual precipitation is 14.0 inches (349 mm). The
site is on a 60 percent, northwest-facing slope at 3,379 feet (1,024 m)
elevation. The upper 8 inches (20 cm) of soil is tuffaceous gravel less
than 0.8 inch (2 cm) in diameter with little soil between the coarse
material [1].
FIRE DESCRIPTION :
The purpose of the prescribed fires was to reduce mountain big sagebrush
cover and increase cover of bunchgrasses. Four plant communities were
burned in 1976. Ten 20 x 50 cm plots were located along four 15-m
transects for determining herbaceous frequency, basal cover, height, and
production [1]. The Lava Beds fire was a late spring burn conducted 2
days after 0.5 inch (13 mm) of rain. The Crooked River fire was a fall
burn conducted 4 days after 0.4 inch (10 mm) of rain. Shrub fuel
loading was similar at the four sites. Strip head fires were used to
ignite each area. Flame lengths were 3 times greater and rate of fire
spread 10 times faster at Crooked River than at Lava Beds, resulting in
a fire intensity much greater than at Lava Beds [2].
Average weather conditions at the two study locations during prescribed
burning were [1]:
Relative Wind Wind
Location Temperature Humidity Speed Direction
(deg F) (%) (mi/hr)
-------------------------------------------------------------
Lava Beds 73 25 6.6-9.6 NW
Crooked River 73 31 0.0-6.6 N-NE
-------------------------------------------------------------
Prefire grass loading (kg/ha) was as follows. Since big sagebrush was
the dominant shrub in all four communities, communities are identified
by the dominant bunchgrass [1].
______________________________________________________________________________
| Lava Beds Crooked River|
| -------------------------------------- -------------|
| Wheatgrass- Wheatgrass- |
| Fescue Needlegrass Needlegrass Wheatgrass |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|Sandberg bluegrass 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 |
|Total 540.0 811.5 343.6 549.9 |
|____________________________________________________________________________|
Fuel moisture contents (%) during prescribed burning were [1]:
Location Grass Shrub Foliage 1-hour Fuel 10-hour Fuel
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Lava Beds 39.9 96.9 7.5 5.4
Crooked River 35.2 118.3 26.9 26.2
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fire behavior on four plant communities follows [1].
Lava Beds Crooked River
----------------------------------- -------------
Swale Hilltop
----- -------
Wheatgrass- Wheatgrass-
Fire Behavior Fescue Needlegrass Needlegrass Wheatgrass
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
grass flame height 2.6 ft 3.0 ft 1.65 ft 8.9 ft
shrub flame height 11.2 ft 7.2 ft 7.2 ft 20.1 ft
rate of fire spread 3.0 ft/min 3.0 ft/min 17.8 ft/min 265.65 ft/min
fireline intensity* 340 350 220 2000
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
*BTU/ft/min
FIRE EFFECTS ON TARGET SPECIES :
Sandberg bluegrass productivity generally increased after prescribed
burning, although response differed by site, fire intensity, and
postfire weather conditions. At Lava Beds, precipitation in the first
postfire winter was 130 percent of normal. Precipitation at Crooked
River in the first postfire winter was 86 percent of normal [1,2].
Sandberg bluegrass on the driest site at Lava Beds (hilltop) showed no
response. Production increased on the north slope and swale sites of
Lava Beds and on the Crooked River site [2].
Two years after burning at Lava Beds, Sandberg bluegrass had
significantly increased basal cover in Idaho fescue communities, and had
regained prefire basal cover in swale and hilltop bluebunch
wheatgrass-Thurber's needlegrass communities. Sandberg bluegrass showed
little change on bluebunch wheatgrass communities at Crooked River.
Basal cover of Sandberg bluegrass before burning (1976) and after
burning (1977 and 1978) was [1]:
Lava Beds Crooked River
-------------------------------------- -------------
Swale Hilltop
----------- -----------
Wheatgrass- Wheatgrass-
Fescue Needlegrass Needlegrass Wheatgrass
------------------------------------------------------------------
1976 0.9a 1.3 1.4a 1.0
1977 0.6a* 1.1 0.9b* 1.5
1978 1.4b* 1.3 1.8a* 0.3
------------------------------------------------------------------
Means followed by different letters differ at the 5% significance
level. Means followed by an asterisk differ at the 1% significance
level.
Height growth increased significantly. Height (cm) of Sandberg
bluegrass before and after burning was [1]:
Lava Beds Crooked River
-------------------------------------- -------------
Swale Hilltop
----------- -----------
Wheatgrass- Wheatgrass-
Year Fescue Needlegrass Needlegrass Wheatgrass
-----------------------------------------------------------------
1976 1.07a 1.20a 1.16a 1.06a
1977 2.55b 3.76b 3.16b 4.20b
1978 3.40c 3.38c 3.60c 4.72b
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Values followed by different letters within each site differ at
the 1% significance level.
FIRE MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS :
The prescribed fires generally favored Sandberg bluegrass growth,
especially on the more mesic sites. At both Lava Beds and Crooked
River, the fires reduced mountain big sagebrush cover to less than 1
percent. Removal of shrubs and litter contributed to increased soil
temperatures and therefore, to earlier growth of Sandberg bluegrass.
Early growth and Sandberg bluegrass' shallow, spreading root system
enabled Sandberg bluegrass to take advantage of early spring rains.
With reduced competition from other species, Sandberg bluegrass
increased in height and basal area [1,2]. At Lava Beds, Sandberg
bluegrass and bluebunch wheatgrass apparently increased at the expense
of Idaho fescue and Thurber's needlegrass. This advantage was
especially evident on the relatively moist Idaho fescue and swale sites,
but also evident on the hilltop site [2].
The timing of the two fires in relation to drought conditions of 1977
may have influenced the rapid recovery of Sandberg bluegrass cover at
the Lava Beds site. At Lava Beds, a heavy 3.1-inch (79-mm) August rain
occurred less than 1 month after the fire. At Crooked River, drought
followed immediately after the fire. In addition, Lava Beds received 61
percent of its normal precipitation between September 1976 and June
1977, while Crooked River received only 41 percent of its normal
precipitation during that period.
2nd FIRE Case Study:
Response of Sandberg bluegrass from an Idaho big sagebrush community to
a burn chamber experiment
FIRE CASE STUDY CITATION :
Bradley, Anne F., compiler. 1986. Response of Sandberg bluegrass from an Idaho big
sagebrush community to a burn chamber experiment. In: Poa secunda. In:
Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory
(Producer). Available: https://www.fs.usda.gov
/database/feis/ [].
REFERENCE :
Wright, Henry A.; Klemmedson, James O. 1965. Effect of fire on bunchgrasses of
the sagebrush-grass region in southern Idaho. Ecology. 46(5): 680-688. [71].
SEASON/SEVERITY CLASSIFICATION :
summer/moderate
STUDY LOCATION :
55 miles (88.5 km) southeast of Boise, Idaho
PREFIRE VEGETATIVE COMMUNITY :
Plants chosen for this study were part of a big sagebrush (Artemisia
tridentata)-Thurber needlegrass (Stipa thurberiana) community. Sandberg
bluegrass (Poa secunda) was generally subdominant, but sometimes
dominated disturbed areas. Individual Sandberg bluegrass plants studied
were on a site which had been burned and seeded to crested wheatgrass
(Agropyron cristatum) in 1957 (3 years prior to the study). Crested
wheatgrass establishment was poor to fair. Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum)
and Russian-thistle (Salsola kali) dominated the stand, with lesser
amounts of crested wheatgrass, Sandberg bluegrass, Thurber needlegrass,
Indian ricegrass (Oryzopsis hymenoides), and needle-and-thread (Stipa
comata) present.
TARGET SPECIES PHENOLOGICAL STATE :
Plants were burned on three different dates in 1960. Dates and plant
condition follow:
June 9 plants dry but seed not cast
July 8 plants dry with some seed cast
August 18 plants dry with seed stalks (culms) broken by the wind
SITE DESCRIPTION :
Data on the burn site are presented below:
Elevation: 2,950 feet (890 m)
Mean annual
precipitation: 8 inches (203 mm)
Topography: undulating
Soils: soils are part of the Sierozem great soil
groups with surface soils a light,
grayish-brown, loosely structured noncalcareous,
sandy loam low in organics; subsurface soils are
light gray, calcareous and compact; color of the
subsoils and depth to lime vary
Geology: sedimentary deposits in the Bruneau Formation;
detrital material is dominated by massive lake
beds of white-weathering fine silt, diatomite,
clay, and minor amounts of alluvial silt and
sand
FIRE DESCRIPTION :
Sandberg bluegrass plants were burned individually. Plants were
selected by two basal area size classes. Classes were 0.5 to 1.5 inches
(1.27-3.81 cm) in diameter, and greater than 2 inches (5.08 cm) in
diameter. A combustion chamber made from a 55-gallon oil drum and a
metal ring restricted the fire to the vicinity of the study plant.
Other plants and litter within a 1-foot (30.5-cm) radius from the study
plant were removed. Shredded paper was used for fuel. Fuel levels were
predetermined to give maximum soil temperatures of 200 degrees
Fahrenheit and 400 degrees Fahrenheit (93 and 204 deg C). Burning
treatments occurred on June 9, July 8, and August 18, 1960.
FIRE EFFECTS ON TARGET SPECIES :
Sandberg bluegrass was burned on three different dates and at two
different temperatures. The following results were obtained:
Percentage of original basal area alive 1 year after treatment
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
June July August Control
---------- ---------- ------------ -------
temperature (F)* 200 400 200 400 200 400
---------- ---------- ------------ -------
small (0.5-1.5 in) 183 231 148 163 141 213 166
large (>2 in) 120 111 95 92 98 98 106
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
*200 deg F = 93 deg C; 400 deg F = 204 deg C
There was no significant change in basal area at any season for either size
class.
FIRE MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS :
Sandberg bluegrass was relatively unaffected by fire in this study.
Dormancy and the unpedestaled condition of the plants were probably
responsible for their survival. Pedestaled plants may be more
susceptible to fire damage, since their growing points are uninsulated
by soil.
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