Qualitative assessments of rangeland health provide land managers and technical assistance specialists with a good communication tool for use with the public. Many of these tools have been used successfully for this purpose over the past 100 years. This technique, in association with quantitative monitoring and inventory information, can be used to provide early warnings of resource problems on upland rangelands. Rangelands are defined as “land on which the indigenous vegetation (climax or natural potential) is predominantly grasses, grass-like plants, forbs, or shrubs and is managed as a natural ecosystem. If plants are introduced, they are managed similarly. Rangelands include natural grasslands, savannas, shrublands, many deserts, tundra, alpine communities, marshes, and wet meadows” (Society for Range Management 1999). Also included in this definition are oak and pinyon-juniper woodlands.
The protocol described in this technical reference IS designed to:
• Be used only by knowledgeable, experienced people.
• Provide a preliminary evaluation of soil/site stability, hydrologic function, and biotic integrity (at the ecological site level).
• Be used to communicate fundamental ecological concepts to a wide variety of audiences.
• Improve communication among interest groups by focusing discussion on critical ecosystem properties and processes.
• Select monitoring sites in the development of monitoring programs.
• Provide early warnings of potential problems and opportunities by helping land managers identify areas that are potentially at risk of degradation or where resource problems currently exist.
The protocol is NOT to be used to:
• Identify the cause(s) of resource problems.
• Independently make grazing and other management changes.
• Monitor land or determine trend.
• Independently generate national or regional assessments of rangeland health.
Interpreting Indicators for Rangeland Health has been developed for use by experienced, knowledgeable land managers or technical assistance specialists. This assessment protocol is not intended for use by individuals who do not have experience or knowledge of the rangeland ecological sites they are evaluating. This protocol requires a good understanding of ecological processes, vegetation, and soils for each site to which it is applied. Our research has shown that the quality and consistency of evaluations is improved when two or more individuals (e.g., ecologist and soil scientist) work together. The input of multiple individuals is particularly critical in the development of reference sheets for each ecological site. Development of the reference sheets requires a knowledge of the range of spatial and temporal variability apparent at a particular ecological site.