Fire and Thinning Keep Trees from Invading the Sagebrush Sea

Trees are normally a very good thing for nature. But in southwest Montana, many forests are expanding into native sagebrush grasslands that form the unique habitat known as the Sagebrush Sea. A century of fire suppression has reduced the number of low-intensity fires that normally burn through this region and would keep both forests and sagebrush more resilient, including maintaining distinct forest edges. As a result, Douglas fir and juniper trees have moved out into the sagebrush, where they shade out and kill sagebrush and native grasses. The loss of habitat impacts pronghorn, sage-grouse and other iconic wildlife species that depend on the Sagebrush Sea for food and cover. The shift to forest also impacts ranchers who rely on the productive grasslands of the Sagebrush Sea for their livelihoods.

The Nature Conservancy, along with our partners at the Southwest Montana Sagebrush Partnership, strategically thins trees along these forest edges and where possible, conducts controlled burns to return fire to the landscape, controlling forest encroachment, and restoring a more resilient system. In this video, The Nature Conservancy’s Sean Claffey, landowner Terry Todd and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks biologist Dean Waltee show how the Southwest Montana Sagebrush Partnership is working together to restore sagebrush habitat for people and nature.

Learn more and find out how you can be a part of conserving the Sagebrush Sea. Visit http://smsp.tnc.org.

This work is made possible by the Southwest Montana Sagebrush Partnership, which includes:
Bureau of Land Management
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
USFWS Partners for Fish & Wildlife Program
The Nature Conservancy
Montana DNRC
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
Intermountain West Joint Venture

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