Rachel Williams will be defending her thesis (capstone project) in a presentation titled: Successional Trajectories in Sagebrush Communities Following Conifer Removal on July 1 at 11:00 am.
If you are interested in remotely attending the presentation, please use the following link: https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?password=M.19C11EA0056D5D3BC3797830F6AFA1&sid=407
Here is a brief description of her project:
Successional trajectories following conifer removal treatments in sagebrush ecosystems are highly dependent upon residual plant structure and function. Understanding how tree dominance and tree-reduction treatment method interact over time will help predict effects on ecosystem resistance and resilience and inform state and transition models to guide management. We reduced conifers by prescribed fire and cutting at 10 sites across the Great Basin and found that in order to retain the shrub components on a site and increase ecosystem resilience and resistance, treatments should be conducted at low-mid tree dominance and mechanical methods such as cutting or mastication should be employed.
For more information, please contact Renee Gracon at gracon1@illinois.edu