Early historical accounts of canyon grasslands and fire

Publication Type:

Magazine Article

Authors:

Gray, Karen

Source:

Sage Notes, Idaho Native Plant Society, Volume 23, Issue 2, p.13-17 (2001)

Call Number:

U01GRA01IDUS

Abstract:

In the past, the lower elevations of the canyons of the Clearwater, Salmon, Middle Snake, Imnaha and Grande Ronde rivers were dominated by bunchgrasses and prairie forbs, punctuated by patches of shrubs such as snowberry, roses, and chokecherry. Tisdale called them canyon grasslands. Most of those canyon grasslands have been altered in the last few hundred years. Many of the slopes have been grazed, both by Nez Perce horses since the 1700s, and cattle and sheep since the 1800s. Grazing caused selection for some native plants and against others, and facilitated weed dispersal and establishment. Flatter areas were usually plowed and planted. Recently, the role of fire in western ecosystems has become a hot topic, and attempts are being made to reintroduce fire in systems where suppression has altered the historical fire regime. Neither the historical plant composition nor the historical fire regimes in canyon grasslands are known now. They were probably never constant, but instead must have varied through the centuries with climatic fluctuations and disturbances such as erosion. Early written information is vague, but diaries, letters, and reports from railroad and government sponsored surveys contain some useful descriptions of the vegetation.