1 / 23

Understanding Rangeland Health Reference Models

Learn how reference models are used to assess and manage rangeland health based on ecological site potential and realistic scenarios. Explore the importance of reference sheets and guidelines for evaluation.

pmcgee
Download Presentation

Understanding Rangeland Health Reference Models

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Part I: What’s the reference? 1

  2. 2

  3. 3

  4. 4

  5. ? 5

  6. The rangeland health reference is based on what is possible (long-term ecological potential) for a particular soil and climate combination (i.e. ecological site) • S&T models indicate what is realistic (based on short-term potential and limited resource availability) (i.e. communities in an ecological state) 6

  7. Knowing what’s possible provides: • Consistent standards for inventory, assessment & monitoring • Complete range of management options 7

  8. Knowing what’s realistic provides: • A secondary standard for inventory, assessment & monitoring • Complete range of management options 8

  9. Reference State Alternative State Community A Community Pathway Shrub/Exotic Annual Grass – Increased Fire Shrub/Native Perr. Grass Alternative State Thresholds (Relatively Irreversible Transitions) Exotic Annual Grass – Increased Fire 9

  10. SUMMARY -- S&T models • Ecological site-basedstate & transitionconceptual models can be used in two ways. • The “reference state” = what is possible based on ecological site potential • Communities within a current state = what isrealistic 10

  11. SUMMARY -- IIRH and S&T are used: • To determine departure from the reference state • None to Slight – expected for the ecological site and falls within the range of variation for the indicator (no threshold crossed) • SM, M, ME - indicates that a threshold is being approached or has already been crossed • Extreme to Total – Up to and including maximum possible departure for the indicator 11

  12. SUMMARY -- IIRH and S&T are used: (cont) • To identify specific issues of concern (erosion, hydrology, biotic integrity) • To help identify and communicate management options 12

  13. Part I: What’s the reference – using IIRH together with S&T modelsPart II: Reference sheet development overview 13

  14. Reference sheet development (pages 21-25, 72-74) Capture spatial and temporal variability (including short-term disturbance effects)! Page 74 14

  15. Reference sheet development (pages 21-25, 72-74) Reference Sheet defines the “None to Slight” Category in the Evaluation Matrix Page 25

  16. Reference State Alternative State Community A Community Pathway Shrub/Exotic Annual Grass – Increased Fire Shrub/Native Perr. Grass A Reference Sheet is developed for the “Reference State” of each ecological site… Alternative State Exotic Annual Grass – Increased Fire 16

  17. Page 74 Composition (indicators 10 and 12) based on:__ Annual Production, __ Foliar Cover, __Biomass 17

  18. Page 74 Composition (indicators 10 and 12) based on:__ Annual Production, __ Foliar Cover, __Biomass 18

  19. Generating the reference sheet • What do you need to define potential for an ecological site? • Ecological Site Descriptions • Soil survey information • Ecological Reference Area(s) • Expert knowledge (old timers and brilliant ecologists) • Other data (e.g. from LTER and other long-term studies) 19

  20. What if I don’t have… • A state and transition model? • An ecological site description? • A soil survey? 20

  21. Generating the Reference Sheet • How do you evaluate the quality of the information? • Go to the source, or people who knew it • Compare different sources 22

  22. T.K. Stringham and others. 2003. State and transition modeling: An ecological process approach. Journal of Range Management 56: 106-113. J.E. Herrick and others. 2006. An integrated framework for science-based arid land management. Journal of Arid Environments 65: 319-335. No Reference Worksheet: don’t bother going to the field! 23

More Related