Threats to the resistance and resilience of the sagebrush ecosystem span multiple spatial and temporal scales and overlie a complex social-ecological landscape.1 Conifer encroachment and non-native annual grasses interact with wildfire occurrence and severity and create positive feedback loops.2, 3, 4 Unfortunately, risk mitigation and management interventions generally react to conifer encroachment, annual grass invasion, and wildfire events as isolated threats to ecosystem resilience—despite their mutual reinforcement. Strategic management before, during, and after wildfires focused on improving ecosystem resilience is foundational to addressing disrupted fire regimes in the sagebrush ecosystem. Therefore, a fundamental change to rangeland management is needed; managing for improved fire outcomes must be the lens through which all activities are planned and implemented. We use the Harney County Wildfire Collaborative’s (HCWC) adoption of Potential Operational Delineations (PODs) to discuss the utility of an integrated fire management approach to transition reactive rangeland management to proactive planning and management to promote rangeland values at risk before, during, and after a wildfire.
