Tree Removal as a Mechanism to Reverse Ecohydrologic Thresholds in Pinyon- and Juniper-Encroached Shrublands

Pinyon and juniper encroachment has altered vegetation structure, ecological condition, hydrologic function, and delivery of ecosystem goods and services on millions of hectares of sagebrush rangelands in the western US. Pinyon and juniper out-compete shrubs and herbaceous vegetation for water and nutrients and facilitate a decline in vigor and cover of understory plants. These cover declines educe a shift from biotic-controlled resource retention to abiotic-driven losses of critical soil resources over time (soil erosion feedback). Our research objective was to evaluate tree removal by mastication, burning, and cutting as a threshold-reversal mechanism for restoration of sagebrush steppe ecohydrologic resilience over a ten year period. We examined vegetation, soils, infiltration, runoff, and erosion from artificial rainfall and concentrated flow experiments across multiple scales in two late succession woodlands before and 1, 2, and 10 yr after tree removal to address two research questions: 1) Can tree removal decrease late-succession woodland ecohydrologic resilience by increasing vegetation and ground cover within the first 10 yr post-treatment?, and 2) Is the soil erosion feedback reversible in the later stages of woodland encroachment? Distributing shredded tree debris into bare areas improved infiltration and reduced soil erosion in the first few years following tree mastication. Cutting and placing downed trees in bare patches had no initial effect on runoff and erosion. Burning initially reduced infiltration and increased runoff and erosion at the sites, but favorable grass and forb cover recruitment 2 yr after burning reduced erosion from the mostly bare intercanopy between tree mounds. Our presentation of the overall study will chronicle these published pre-fire, 1 yr, and 2 yr responses and preliminary results from the 10th yr post-treatment to address the questions outlined above. The collective results advance understanding of pinyon and juniper encroachment on vegetation, hydrology, and erosion processes and the short-term and decadal ecohydrologic recovery of sagebrush steppe following tree removal by mastication, burning, and cutting.