BLM Natl FIAT Greater Sage-Grouse Wildfire Invasive Annual Grasses and Conifer Expansion Assessment (Fire and Invasive Assessment Tool) Document

The purpose of this assessment is to identify priority habitat areas and management strategies to reduce the threats to Greater Sage-Grouse resulting from impacts of invasive annual grasses, wildfires, and conifer expansion. The Conservation Objectives Team (COT) report (USFWS 2013) and other scientific publications identify wildfire and conversion of sagebrush habitat to invasive annual grass dominated vegetative communities as two of the primary threats to the sustainability of Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus, hereafter sage-grouse) in the western portion of the species range. For the purposes of this assessment protocol, invasive species are limited to, and hereafter referred to, as invasive annual grasses (e.g., primarily cheatgrass [Bromus tectorum]). Conifer expansion (also called encroachment) is also addressed in this assessment.   Point of Contact: Bureau of Land Management, National Operations Center, Fire Resource Data Liaison (BLM_OC_Fire_Geospatial@blm.gov)