24
Bromus in any ecosystem should consider the likely net response of the plant
community and include effective contingency plans.
Restoration guidelines in Warm Deserts generally focus on maximizing abun-
dance and diversity of native species, diversity of functional types, and groups of
species important for critical aspects of ecosystem function (Brooks et al. 2013 ).
Thus, the most effective management approach for Bromus in the Warm Deserts is
to maximize ecosystem resilience to disturbance. In doing so, landscapes will be
less prone to ecosystem type conversions and can increase resistan ce to dom inance
by Bromus and other invasive plant species (Brooks and Chambers 2011 ; Chambers
et al. 2014a ). This can be done proactively by minimizing the extent and frequency
of major disturbances such as wildfi re (Brooks et al. 2007 ). Once these disturbances
occur, management options become much more limited. Post-fi re seeding is a stan-
dard management tool in other ecoregions to promote recovery of native species and
minimize dominance of undesirable invasives such as Bromus. However, its
long- term effi cacy has recently been shown to vary depending on relative resistance
and resilience in both the Cold Deserts (Beyers 2004 ; Shinneman and Baker 2009 ;
Pyke et al. 2013 ; Knutson et al. 2014 ) and Warm Deserts (Klinger et al. 2011b ).
Thus, the most effective fi re management strategy is to prevent fi res from starting,
and suppress fi res once they start, especially at middle elevations characteris tic of
the upper creosote bush scrub ecotones and blackbrush shrublands (Brooks et al.
2013 ) whe re resistance and resilience are both low (Fig. 2.4 ).
Fig. 2.7 Effects of fall Imazapic treatment of B. diandrus on subsequent increase in dominance by
B. tectorum the following spring in a riparian woodland in Zion Canyon, Utah (photo by M. Brooks,
Spring 2006)
M.L. Brooks et al.