The range has changed: My viewpoint on living in the Sagebrush Sea in the new normal of invasives and wildfire

Abstract

• This Special Issue of Rangelands describes the Defend the Core framework, based on a December 2020 symposium focused on the impacts of wildfire and invasive annual grasses in Oregon, the Northern Great Basin, and sagebrush ecosystems across the West. • Invasive annual grasses, wildfire, and climate change are changing ecosystem processes in the sagebrush biome at a pace and scale requiring an assessment of where processes can be saved, where they can be regained, and where they are lost. • Confronting these threats is the primary focus of restoration and management efforts, guiding policy creation, project prioritization, and action on the ground. • The new Defend the Core framework helps land managers, landowners, and policy makers to use the tools or management actions most likely to improve conditions. © 2022 The Society for Range Management