Fuel breaks are increasingly being implemented at broad scales (100s to 10,000s of square kilometers) in fire‐prone landscapes globally, yet there is little scientific information available regarding their ecological effects (eg habitat fragmentation). Fuel breaks are designed to reduce flammable vegetation (ie fuels), increase the safety and effectiveness of fire‐suppression operations, and ultimately decrease the extent of wildfire spread. In sagebrush (Artemisia spp) ecosystems of the western US, installation of extensive linear fuel breaks is also intended to protect habitat, especially for the greater sage‐grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), a species that is sensitive to habitat fragmentation. We examine this apparent contradiction in the Great Basin region, where invasive annual grasses have increased wildfire activity and threaten sagebrush ecosystems. Given uncertain outcomes, we examine how implementation of fuel breaks might (1) directly alter ecosystems, (2) create edges and edge effects, (3) serve as vectors for wildlife movement and plant invasions, (4) fragment otherwise contiguous sagebrush landscapes, and (5) benefit from scientific investigation intended to disentangle their ecological costs and benefits.

中文翻译：

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野火燃料中断的生态不确定性：来自鼠尾草草原的实例

在全球易燃的景观中，越来越多的燃料中断正在大范围（100到10,000平方千米）内实施，但是关于其生态影响（例如生境破碎化）的科学信息很少。燃料中断的目的是减少易燃植物（即燃料），提高灭火操作的安全性和有效性，并最终减少野火蔓延的程度。在美国西部的鼠尾草（Artemisia spp）生态系统中，广泛的线性燃料中断的安装还旨在保护栖息地，尤其是对于更大的鼠尾草（Centocercus urophasianus），这是一种对栖息地破碎非常敏感的物种。我们研究了大盆地地区这种明显的矛盾，那里的入侵性一年生禾草增加了野火活动并威胁了鼠尾草生态系统。给定不确定的结果，我们研究了燃料中断的实施方式可能如何（1）直接改变生态系统，（2）产生边缘和边缘效应，（3）充当野生动植物运动和植物入侵的媒介，（4）破坏了否则连续的鼠尾草景观， （5）从旨在消除其生态成本和利益的科学研究中受益。