RSS 1.0Rangelands
ABOUT THE COLLECTIONS
Welcome to the Rangelands archives. The archives provide public access, in a "rolling window" agreement with the Society for Range Management, to Rangelands (1979-present) from v.1 up to two years from the present year.
The most recent issues of Rangelands are available with membership in the Society for Range Management (SRM). Membership in SRM is a means to access current information and dialogue on rangeland management.
Your institution may also have access to current issues through library or institutional subscriptions.
ISSN: 0190-0528
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Recent Submissions
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Rangelands Table of Contents Volume 42, Number 6 (2020)Society for Range Management, 2020-12
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Herbicide treatment of Western honey mesquiteOnce mesquite encroachment is initiated it is difficult to reverse and continually degrades grasslands, hindering grass production that benefits both livestock and wildlife. We evaluated the effectiveness of Sendero herbicide in the treatment of western honey mesquite. We compared two treatment types (Sendero and Sendero plus Remedy Ultra) and two application methods (individual plant treatment and aerial broadcast). Percent cover of grasses and some forbs increased throughout our study sites post treatment. All treatment types were successful at decreasing the percent canopy cover of western honey mesquite, and we found no difference between treatment types. © 2020 The Society for Range Management
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Snapshot of rancher perspectives on creative cattle management optionsWe assessed rancher perceptions of three creative management strategies (heritage genetics, precision ranching, and alternate supply chain options) at the 2020 Southwest Beef Symposium. Nearly all cattle producers (n = 36), mostly from Texas and New Mexico, currently monitor rainfall and more than half are interested in additional rainfall information. Some producers would consider using animal tracking sensors (31%), rainfall sensors (42%), and water level sensors (50%). Most producers surveyed raise British breeds (72%), but some (11%) are interested in learning about Spanish Heritage breeds. Nearly all (33 of 36) respondents self-identified as ranchers, with nearly half (16 of 33) knowing where their cattle are finished at least some of the time. Eight of 36 survey respondents indicated grass-finishing and other supply chain options as the topic most immediately applicable to their operation. Please see the project website (https://southwestbeef.org/) for newsletters, on-ranch demonstrations, and research updates. © 2020 The Society for Range Management
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Mismatches in prescribed fire awareness and implementation in Oklahoma, USAWe surveyed residents across Oklahoma about their awareness of prescribed fire. Most respondents expressed support for prescribed fire for managing rangelands. Although there was support for prescribed fire, few individuals implemented it. Of the several reasons given for not burning, the most common were lack of training, lack of equipment, and choosing not to burn. © 2020 The Society for Range Management
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Rangelands Table of Contents Volume 42, Number 5 (2020)Society for Range Management, 2020-10
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Holistic perspectives—Understanding rancher experiences with holistic resource management to bridge the gap between rancher and researcher perspectivesHolistic Resource Management (HRM) is a ranch management strategy plagued by controversy; experimental evidence from ecological studies has consistently failed to support that HRM provides ecological benefits, yet many ranchers staunchly support the method. Using a qualitative approach, we found that the HRM processes used on four case study ranches in eastern Colorado provided a systematic framework for key ranch stakeholders to improve long-term, adaptive approaches to managing ranches as complex socioecological systems. Notably, the ranchers emphasized the planning benefits of HRM over the grazing benefits, suggesting the value of the system is not in how the cattle are grazed but in how it changes the way ranchers make decisions about how to graze their cattle and manage the many other complexities of operating a ranch. Approaching HRM as a planning framework versus as a grazing strategy may be a key factor in the difference in claims between ranchers practicing HRM and researchers studying grazing systems. © 2020
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Rapidly quantifying drought impacts to aid reseeding strategiesRemote sensing for rapid estimation of forage losses. Cross referencing forage losses from drought with ecological sites can aid seeding decisions. Drought monitors, by themselves, do not necessarily reflect extent and scope of forage losses. Partnering with multiple agencies and stakeholders can enhance the overall response to drought. © 2020
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All systems are equal: In defense of undervalued ecosystemsWe introduce the concept of biodiversity potential to assign equal biodiversity value among socially valued and undervalued ecosystems. Widespread greasewood (Sarcobatus vermiculatus) ecosystems were examined as a case study of biodiversity potential of an undervalued ecosystem at the sodic end of soil salinity. Groundwater pumping could drop the water table below greasewood taproots, which could degrade wildlife habitat through decreased canopy cover, increased mineral soil, invasive flammable non-native annual species, and exotic forbs. State-and-transition simulation models and field studies can be used to assess degraded greasewood ecosystems. © 2020 The Author(s)
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Rangelands Table of Contents Volume 42, Number 4 (2020)Society for Range Management, 2020-08
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Incorporating diversity measures into Ecological Site Descriptions to manage biodiversity on heterogeneous landscapesWe examined whether diversity metrics could be incorporated into the Ecological Site Descriptions and State and Transition Models (ESD-STM) framework to manage multiple goals including biodiversity on heterogeneous landscapes. We evaluated plant diversity in two vegetation states (i.e., grassland and shrubland) across three ecological sites in Southern California and found that alpha diversity differed by ecological site and vegetation state. Functional diversity remained similar across our three ecological sites. Beta diversity between vegetation states was higher than that within each state—in other words, two states support more dissimilar vegetation communities than one state alone. Describing both biodiversity metrics and forage values in ESD-STM may help guide conservation planning on working ranches, such as the Tejon Ranch in Southern California. © 2020 The Authors
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Kentucky bluegrass invaded rangeland: Ecosystem implications and adaptive management approachesSummary of multidisciplinary research on Kentucky bluegrass expansion throughout the Great Plains based on symposium held at 2019 SRM Annual Meeting. Fire, grazing, and their combination are promising tools for managing Kentucky bluegrass to maintain diverse and productive grasslands. Kentucky bluegrass growth and dominance results in accumulation of surface residues, which alter soil hydrology. Gradients of Kentucky bluegrass abundance in grasslands are associated with shifts in butterfly pollinator communities. Community organization, education, and establishment of burn associations support prescribed fire on the ground, but challenges in adopting fire as a management tool remain. © 2020 The Society for Range Management
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Using Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring data for evaluating rangeland treatment effects in Northern New MexicoThe Bureau of Land Management used the Assessment, Inventory and Monitoring (AIM) program to assess sagebrush and pinyon-juniper removal areas in Northern New Mexico. A broad network of nontreated AIM data were used as a “reference” to evaluate treatments with respect to their management objectives. Groupings of reference data enabled informative comparisons among treatment methods based on land potential. Mechanical treatments showed lower cover of wildlife-desirable vegetation and slower recovery of foliar cover compared with chemical treatments. AIM data, when summarized using appropriate groups, was a cost-efficient and accessible tool for evaluating restoration treatments. © 2020
