BLM OR-WA Drought and Sagebrush: Management Implications

Climate change models predict that the duration and intensity of drought in the Western United States will increase under future climate regimes, yet we still do not understand how plant communities will respond to these predicted changes in climate. The sagebrush steppe ecosystem, a critical habitat for the threatened Sage Grouse, covers much of the western United States. Unfortunately, little climate change research has occurred in this important ecosystem. The goal of this project is to implement a drought experiment in the Klamath Falls Resource Area in native sagebrush steppe vegetation. Data will be collected on forage production and plant community composition over four years to determine the effects of intense, long-term drought on the western sagebrush steppe ecosystem. The experiment will be part of a large network of concurrent drought experiments that use the same protocols and methodology, called the International Drought Experiment (IDE) network.