Mountain big sagebrush canopy cover and stem density in the burned plot remained low. Low fine fuel loading is a common problem. Burning sagebrush shrubland may not result in intended increases in grass and forb production, but may instead result in unplanned and detrimental shifts in plant community composition. Fire does not result in substantial increases of herbaceous perennials on sites dominated by exotic annuals. The fuel load may be sufficient in such sites to sustain a fire, but the presence of annuals may prevent the establishment of perennial species.
Annuals often increase following a fire, creating conditions where wildfires occur more frequently.
Frequent fires prevent the reestablishment of shrubs and may reduce the existing perennial herb populations. In that study, only small areas burned because the canopy was not dense enough to carry fire. Several monographs provide detailed information about managing fire in sagebrush. The other 3 discuss mountain big sagebrush, but recommendations are general in scope, extending to other species of sagebrush. Related fire case studies for Wyoming big sagebrush and basin big sagebrush are available in the FEIS reports for those species.