Rangeland vegetation monitoring - western juniper and big sagebrush

Researchers monitor the effects of land treatments such as western juniper removal (left) and big sagebrush restoration seeding and planting. Juniper encroachment into sagebrush steppe landscapes can alter wildlife habitat and contribute to wildfire risk. Planting or seeding native shrubs like sagebrush after fires helps ecosystems recover. The juniper trees on the left, some dead and some partly dead, were photographed in the Stinkingwater Mountains of Oregon. On the right is a photo of new sagebrush germinants in the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area in Idaho.