Field technicians collect soil samples and monitor plants in an invasive grass dominated sagebrush steppe ecosystem in Colorado. The team measured carbon levels at two soil depths at undisturbed sites, sites that have been burned and invaded, areas that are unburned but invaded, and sites that were burned but not invaded.
Toby M Maxwell (Former Employee)
Science and Products
Impacts of Exotic Annual Grass Invasion, Wildfire, and Restoration on Carbon Storage in the Sagebrush Steppe
USGS is investigating the impact of the annual grass-fire cycle-- and restoration land treatments aimed at slowing that cycle-- on carbon storage in dryland soils.
The Impact of Climate-Driven Phenological Shifts on Cheatgrass in Western North America
Climate change-induced warming can alter plant phenology and disrupt ecosystems like the sagebrush steppe in western North America. The invasive annual grass cheatgrass can thrive under these altered conditions, exacerbating wildfires and threatening wildlife habitat, carbon storage, and other important ecosystem services. We are studying how different densities of cheatgrass respond to increased...
Plant-Soil-Environment Laboratory (FRESC)
We produce basic and applied science needed to manage landscapes in ways that make them resistant and resilient to stressors such as wildfire, exotic plant invasions, drought, and temperature extremes. These stressors impact ecosystem productivity and functioning and pose costly risks to human health and safety in the western United States. We team with other state and federal agencies to find...
Collecting soil samples in a cheatgrass-invaded landscape
Field technicians collect soil samples and monitor plants in an invasive grass dominated sagebrush steppe ecosystem in Colorado. The team measured carbon levels at two soil depths at undisturbed sites, sites that have been burned and invaded, areas that are unburned but invaded, and sites that were burned but not invaded.
Science and Products
Impacts of Exotic Annual Grass Invasion, Wildfire, and Restoration on Carbon Storage in the Sagebrush Steppe
USGS is investigating the impact of the annual grass-fire cycle-- and restoration land treatments aimed at slowing that cycle-- on carbon storage in dryland soils.
The Impact of Climate-Driven Phenological Shifts on Cheatgrass in Western North America
Climate change-induced warming can alter plant phenology and disrupt ecosystems like the sagebrush steppe in western North America. The invasive annual grass cheatgrass can thrive under these altered conditions, exacerbating wildfires and threatening wildlife habitat, carbon storage, and other important ecosystem services. We are studying how different densities of cheatgrass respond to increased...
Plant-Soil-Environment Laboratory (FRESC)
We produce basic and applied science needed to manage landscapes in ways that make them resistant and resilient to stressors such as wildfire, exotic plant invasions, drought, and temperature extremes. These stressors impact ecosystem productivity and functioning and pose costly risks to human health and safety in the western United States. We team with other state and federal agencies to find...
Collecting soil samples in a cheatgrass-invaded landscape
Field technicians collect soil samples and monitor plants in an invasive grass dominated sagebrush steppe ecosystem in Colorado. The team measured carbon levels at two soil depths at undisturbed sites, sites that have been burned and invaded, areas that are unburned but invaded, and sites that were burned but not invaded.
Field technicians collect soil samples and monitor plants in an invasive grass dominated sagebrush steppe ecosystem in Colorado. The team measured carbon levels at two soil depths at undisturbed sites, sites that have been burned and invaded, areas that are unburned but invaded, and sites that were burned but not invaded.