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 The effect of fire on vegetation of semi-arid steppe has not been studied extensively. Wildfires are rare in some steppe rangelands because of high levels of large herbivore grazing. However, grazing is sometimes restricted or excluded in areas such as national parks or the areas where afforestation projects are conducted. Therefore, sometimes, wildfires occur during the dormant season when litter (the uppermost layer of organic debris on the soil surface; essentially the freshly fallen or slightly decomposed vegetal material) mass has resulted in peak levels. Our study assessed the effects of a single fire on litter mass, forage production, and forage crude protein, Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF), and Acid Detergent Fiber (ADF) in high altitude rangelands of Eastern Anatolia. We found significant effects of treatment (fire and no fire), years, and sampling date on all variables. Following the prescribed fire in 2011, litter mass and forage production was less in treated plots compared to untreated control plots during both years. The effect of the fire on litter and forage production was more pronounced in 2012 compared to 2013. The effects of the fire on forage quality variables were also greater in 2012 than in 2013. Forage crude protein levels were consistently higher in treated plots during all 2012 sampling periods. Similarly, NDF and ADF tended to be lower in treated plots relative to the control plots during 2012. All effects we found were more pronounced in the first growing season following the fire compared to the second growing season, suggesting a relatively transient nature of fire effects in the steppe vegetation we studied.

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This study was conducted on high-elevation rangelands of Erzurum, Turkey, between 2011 and 2014 for four year. The aim was to determine the effects of Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria (PGPBs) applications on rangeland canopy cover ratio. PGPBs strains (Pseudomonas fluorescens T26, Pantoea agglomerans 16B, Paenibacillus polymyxa TV-12E, Bacillus cereus TV-30D, and Bacillus megatherium TV-3D) used in this study were obtained from the culture collection unit in the Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture at Atatürk University, Erzurum, Turkey. Four study year results showed that PGPBs treatments had significant effects on the canopy cover of rangelands. The highest canopy cover ratio occupied was in treatment T21 (50 kg N ha-1+25 kg P2O5 ha-1+B. megatherium. TV-3D). There was a significant difference between treatments T21 and the other treatments, while the lowest was in treatment T14 (50 kg N ha-1+B. cereus TV-30D). In plots of P. polymyxa TV-12E, P. fluorescens T26, and B. megatherium TV-3D bacteria strains plus half of N+P fertilizer, the canopy cover was higher than that of the other treatments.

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Mining areas have become a major environmental problem for developing countries due to their undesirable effects of dust pollution and digging operations. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of dust emitted from pumice mining areas on canopy coverage, functional plant groups and seed bank, and growth performance of common plants in areas surrounding the mining. Canopy coverage increased with decreasing dust accumulation, while dust led to different effects on functional plant groups and seed bank. The height and the bunch of Festuca ovina L., the dominant plant species, increased with distance from the dust center. Dust emission on natural environment must be reduced by using appropriate technologies during operation to minimize its negative effects.