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.

• 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.