We 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

The 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