Location: Range Management Research
Title: Describing indicators of rangeland healthAuthor
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LEPAK, NIKA - Bureau Of Land Management |
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MOFFITT, JENNIFER - Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS, USDA) |
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Toledo, David |
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Newingham, Beth |
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LAURENCE-TRAYNOR, ALEX - Bureau Of Land Management |
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JOST, BRAD - Bureau Of Land Management |
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COULTRAP, DAWN - Us Forest Service (FS) |
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Herrick, Jeffrey - Jeff |
Submitted to: USGS - Scientific Investigations Report
Publication Type: Government Publication Publication Acceptance Date: 1/1/2024 Publication Date: 8/1/2024 Citation: Lepak, N., Moffitt, J., Toledo, D.N., Newingham, B.A., Laurence-Traynor, A., Jost, B., Coultrap, D., Herrick, J.E. 2024. Describing indicators of rangeland health. USGS - Scientific Investigations Report. Technical Reference. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: This technical reference explains a simple, repeatable protocol to describe and quantify 17 indicators of rangeland health where no reference is available. The protocol uses a combination of quantitative measurements and observations. Describing Indicators of Rangeland Health (DIRH) results can be used in several ways, including (1) to help develop Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health (IIRH) reference sheets, when collected on the same ecological site in areas that are at potential, (2)to develop ecological site-specific evaluation matrices when collected in areas on the same ecologica site that both are and are not at potential, (3) as a monitoring tool that integrates standardized quantitative data with observations of difficult-to-measure indicators such as soil erosion indicators, and (4) understanding the relationship between quantitative data and ecosystem processes. Use of DIRH requires basic rangeland monitoring experience, knowledge of soils, vegetation, and strong observational skills. |