Effects of Fire Seasonality on Chihuahuan Desert Grasslands at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (2007-2020)

Desert grassland vegetation is a key resource upon which rangelands in the southwestern US are built, and managing these ecosystems remains a critical challenge today. This experimental fire seasonality research project, in collaboration with the USFWS, USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station, and the Sevilleta LTER, is intended to provide land management agencies with information about vegetation recovery following fire under different seasonal conditions and burning treatments. This experimental research will enable the FWS to more effectively set project objectives for prescribed burning on the Sevilleta NWR to benefit not only wildlife habitat, but to better align the timing and intensity of fire to benefit the reestablishment of the dominant native grama grasses Bouteloua eriopoda and B. gracilis. Since its creation in 1973, management has been devoted to restoring the Sevilleta NWR to the natural conditions that might have been seen around the turn of the century. The Sevilleta NWR is an ideal place for research because climatic conditions, plant species composition and net primary production following wildfire have been well documented by the Sevilleta LTER. Additional experimental research is needed, however, to better inform managers about the timing and use of fire as an ecosystem restoration and management tool. This is an on-going, long-term experiment under the auspices of the Sevilleta LTER program.荒漠草原植被是美国西南部牧场赖以存续的核心资源，当前对这类生态系统的管护仍是一项关键挑战。本项火烧季节性实验研究项目与美国鱼类及野生动物管理局（USFWS）、美国林务局落基山研究站（USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station）以及塞维利塔长期生态研究站点（Sevilleta LTER）合作开展，旨在为土地管理机构提供不同季节火烧条件与不同焚烧处理方案下的植被恢复相关信息。本实验可帮助美国鱼类及野生动物管理局更高效地制定塞维利塔国家野生动物保护区（Sevilleta NWR）内计划火烧的项目目标，不仅能为野生动物栖息地带来益处，还可通过优化火烧时机与强度，助力本土优势格兰马草属物种（Bouteloua eriopoda与B. gracilis）的恢复建植。自1973年设立以来，塞维利塔国家野生动物保护区的管护工作一直致力于将区域恢复至20世纪之交前后的自然状态。该保护区是开展相关研究的理想场地，因为塞维利塔长期生态研究站点（Sevilleta LTER）已对该区域的气候条件、植物物种组成以及野火后的净初级生产力开展了详实的记录工作。然而，仍需补充开展实验研究，以帮助管护人员更全面地掌握火烧作为生态系统恢复与管护工具的适宜时机与应用方案。本实验为依托塞维利塔长期生态研究站点项目开展的长期持续研究。