| Due to the recent increase in pinyon juniper (Pinus monophylla and Juniperus osteosperma) woodland tree cover, the risk of natural, catastrophic fires and the desire for prescribed burns by land managers have also increased. Concurrent with an increase in tree cover, understory cover and species diversity tends to decrease. In this thesis I document the relationship between tree cover and the soil seed bank and also the effect of a spring, prescribed burn on the soil seed bank in order to better inform land managers for post-fire reseeding. Contrary to predictions, an increase in tree cover did not negatively affect seed density, species diversity, or species composition in the seed bank, although a few individual species showed distinct relationships to tree cover. However, prescribed burn altered seed density, species diversity and species composition of the seed bank immediately following and two growing seasons after the burn at most microsites. |
