- Do
you really count grass?
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What are rangelands, and how are they managed?
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Where do rangelands occur?
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How does Synergy perform range monitoring?
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How much does vegetation monitoring cost?
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How can long-term range monitoring help me?
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How do I start a range monitoring program?
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Do I have to start a long-term monitoring project?
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What does range monitoring tell me?
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Do I have to do all of these things at once?
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Will my ESI data go stale?
Do
you really count grass?
Yes! That really is one of the things we do. Synergy’s
staff is trained to count grasses, forbs, and shrubs as well as a large
number of wildlife and livestock. We don’t usually count every single
blade of grass, but we often count every single grass plant in a small
area. We use a variety of sampling methods adapted to the project objectives
and vegetation type.
Top of Page What
are rangelands, and how are they managed?
Rangelands are a landform whose natural vegetation is
dominated by grasses, forbs, and shrubs. Rangelands are not used for
annual crops (like corn) or occupied by buildings.
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- Rangelands
are managed, in most cases, for multiple uses, including:
- Wildlife
habitat
-
A source of open space
- Recreation
(hiking, biking, horseback riding, camping)
- Livestock
production
- Contribution
to clean air and water
Where
do rangelands occur?
According to the Society for Range Management, rangelands
occupy about 40% of the land area of the United States and the world.
Rangelands occur in every state and are the dominant type of land in
the arid and semi-arid regions. For example, 80% of the lands of Nevada
are classified as rangelands whereas only 7% of the lands of Maine are
classified as rangelands.
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How
does Synergy perform range monitoring?
One of many methods Synergy uses is based on
Ecological Status Inventory (ESI) (this concept used to be referred
to as “range condition”). ESI, greatly simplified, compares
current vegetation to potential vegetation. ESI also gives indications
of soil and watershed condition. The Natural Resource Conservation Service
bases its soil surveys and ecological site descriptions on ESI, so the
precedent exists for federal agencies to incorporate ESI into management
plans. ESI is one of the most cost effective and accurate data collection
method to incorporate the various aspects of the range ecosystem. Additionally,
ESI provides an excellent basis for habitat descriptions and wildlife
management.
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How
much does vegetation monitoring cost?
As every economist answers to every question,
“It Depends”. Monitoring programs are developed to fit project
budgets. The simplest monitoring projects cost about $2000, typical
projects cost $7500 to $20,000. Many projects are very large, for instance
a baseline vegetation inventory for a 500-mile pipeline may cost well
over $100,000.
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How
can long-term range monitoring help me?
Synergy firmly believes that successful management and
monitoring programs must identify and measure specific, quantifiable,
long-term objectives. A successful plan for grazing on public lands
must include measurable objectives, then create agency buy-in and agreement
of those objectives. It is important that objectives be long-term. Change
occurs very slowly on arid lands and few year-to-year changes are ecologically
significant. A well-developed monitoring plan will show those long-term
changes and provide you with the appropriate management direction to
meet objectives.
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How
do I start a range monitoring program?
1.
Call us at 406-586-4727 and talk to Synergy about the
short and long-term goals for your property or project.
2.
It is important to determine what you have on your property –
in other words, you have to find out what kind of vegetation you have
and where it is.
3.
Figure out how to get from where you are to where you want to be.
A monitoring program needs to be developed and implemented that allows
you to measure changes over time.
4.
Finally, management can be adjusted based on your data to help move
your operation closer to the established goals.
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Do
I have to start a long-term monitoring project?
Not necessarily, although you will receive the most “bang
for your buck” by looking at monitoring over a long time period.
Long-term projects are often most cost effective.
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What
does range monitoring tell me?
It can tell you where your vegetation resource is, how
it has changed over time, and how close you are to your objectives.
For example,
an Ecological Site Inventory (ESI) will tell you where your vegetation
community is
compared to the potential of the vegetation community or any other set
of vegetation community-based objectives. Long-term use of ESI allows
you to track changes to the resource over time and adjust management
to help you continue to move closer to your desired vegetation
community.
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Do
I have to do all of these things at once?
No. Most of our clients come to us with a very
specific need (such as litigation support or assistance
with a grazing permit).
Many of our clients have long-term projects.
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Will
my ESI data go stale?
Another reason Synergy prefers ESI is that the data do
not go stale. If you miss a monitoring period, you can just do it later;
you do not lose previous data. Additionally, these data will be useful
for future monitoring and modeling methods used to measure rangelands.
These data can be interpreted as part of a state-and-transition model
or functional group model. ESI data can be used to make management decisions
(i.e., adjust stocking rates, quantify forage resources, plan range
improvement projects, and increase success of post-fire rehabilitation).
The ESI data can be used in conjunction with GIS systems to correlate
a particular site to seed mixes best suited for that site.
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