Using Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring data for evaluating rangeland treatment effects in Northern New Mexico

Abstract

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