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ARS Home » Plains Area » Las Cruces, New Mexico » Range Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #350486
Title: Introducing version 5 of Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health

Author
item PELLANT, MIKE - Retired Non ARS Employee
item SHAVER, PATRICK - Retired Non ARS Employee
item PYKE, DAVID - Us Geological Survey (USGS)
item Herrick, Jeffrey - Jeff
item BUSBY, FEE - Utah State University
item RIEGEL, GREGG - Forest Service (FS)
item LEPAK, NIKA - Bureau Of Land Management
item Toledo, David
item Newingham, Beth
item KACHERGIS, EMILY - Bureau Of Land Management

Submitted to: Society for Range Management Meeting Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/23/2017
Publication Date: 1/28/2018
Citation: Pellant, M., Shaver, P., Pyke, D., Herrick, J.E., Busby, F., Riegel, G., Lepak, N., Toledo, D.N., Newingham, B.A., Kachergis, E. 2018. Introducing version 5 of interpreting indicators of rangeland health [abstract]. 2018 Conference of The Society for Range Management. January 28-February 2, 2018. Sparks, Nevada

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health was initiated in 1994 as a qualitative, rapid assessment technique to evaluate rangeland health. Seventeen field indicators are used to rate three attributes of rangeland health: 1) soil/site stability, 2) hydrologic function, and 3) biotic integrity. The published versions of this protocol are version 3 (2000) and version 4 (2005). Version 5 represents a continuing effort by an interagency cadre to improve the use of and consistency of results when using this protocol. The revision improves the development or modification of reference sheets and clarifies that the reference for conducting evaluations is the natural range of variability within the natural disturbance regime of the reference state. More emphasis is also placed on the functional/structural worksheet in conducting evaluations. This revision also supports linking qualitative and quantitative measurements, where quantitative measurements may also be used for baseline monitoring. A provisional copy of version 5 will be posted online and field-tested in 2018. Input from field tests will be incorporated into the published technical reference available in early 2019.