Phase 1 project will research and establish feasibility of integrating three independent, state of the art, rangeland assessment/monitoring techniques. This will produce a standardized, ecologically comprehensive, paper based Level III rangeland monitoring system for use on public and private lands. Project will be collaborated with USDA ARS research scientists. Subsequent research will determine technical feasibility to employ automatic digital recording capabilities with assembled software to speed data entry and management. The U.S. contains more than 300,000,000 hectares of rangeland producing annual estimated forage values of $5.9 billion for agricultural producers, and numerous other economic, ecological, and societal values. The chief commercial use of rangelands in the United States is livestock grazing to produce food, fiber, and draft animals. Serious degradation can and has resulted in the irreversible loss of the capacity of rangelands to produce commodities and satisfy ecological and social values. High value is placed on sustaining and improving resource "function" for future generations. Concerns have been raised regarding the "health" of rangeland ecosystems, and current scientific data, from multiple evolutionary rangeland monitoring techniques, can not determine whether rangelands are improving or degrading. Research and development for an optimal, standardized monitoring system is economically, socially, and environmentally important.
Anticipated Results/Potential Commercial Applications of Research: This project will provide public and private land stewards the capability to monitor rangelands. Resulting system will provide more standardized ecological measurements and significantly reduce time and costs associated with field data collection, management, and analysis, while increasing stewards ability to monitor and sustainably manage rangeland ecosystems. This assembled rangeland monitoring system will allow approximately 900,000 U.S. land stewards to use a standardized soil and vegetative monitoring tool. This will stimulate documentation and improved analytical and management capabilities for increased economic sustainability, rangeland production, and ecological health, as well as provide abilities to comply with statutory and regulatory monitoring requirements.
