John E. Mitchell

An Integrated Social, Economic, and Ecologic Conceptual (ISEEC) framework for considering rangeland sustainability

Currently, there is no standard method to assess the complex systems in rangeland ecosystems. Decision makers need baselines to create a common language of current rangeland conditions and standards for continued rangeland assessment. The Sustainable Rangeland Roundtable (SRR), a group of private and public organizations and agencies, has created a forum to discuss rangeland sustainability and assessment. The SRR has worked to integrate social, economic, and ecological disciplines related to rangelands and has identified a standard set of indicators that can be used to assess rangeland sustainability. As part of this process, SRR has developed a two-tiered conceptual framework from a systems perspective to study the validity of indicators and the relationships among them. The first tier categorizes rangeland characteristics into four states. The second tier defines processes affecting these states through time and space. The framework clearly shows that the processes affect and are affected by each other.

Framework for Comparing Ecosystem Impacts of Developing Unconventional Energy Resources on Western US Rangelands

Abstract More diverse sources of energy are needed for countries to progress toward energy independence and to meet future food production needs. The US Task Force on Strategic Unconventional Fuels concluded that to achieve this objective it is essential to develop a domestic unconventional fuels industry. Rangelands, which cover 50% to 70% of the earths terrestrial surface and dominate much of the western half of the United States, represent a major source of alternative energy resources. A framework to systematically identify biophysical-socioeconomic links that influence the delivery of ecosystem services affected by alternative uses of rangelands has been lacking. The Integrated Social, Economic, and Ecological Conceptual framework was developed by the Sustainable Rangeland Roundtable to address this deficiency. We apply this framework to demonstrate how the effect on ecosystem services of exploiting rangeland-based biofuel, natural gas, and wind energy resources can be systematically compared. We also demonstrate the use of this framework for selecting suitable indicators to monitor changes in the biophysical-socioeconomic links affected by the development of these unconventional energy sources. This type of approach can potentially enhance coordination between federal, state, and local agencies that are attempting to set polices and regulations for the sustainable development of unconventional energy resources on rangelands. Resumen Más diversidad de fuentes de energía es necesaria para que los países progresen hacia la independencia energética y cumplan con sus necesidades futuras de alimentación. El grupo estratégico para combustibles no-convencionales de los EUA concluyó que para lograr el éste objetivo, es esencial desarrollar una industria de combustibles no-convencionales interna. Los pastizales, quienes cubren entre el 50 al 70% de la superficie del planeta y dominan más de la mitad del oeste de EUA representan la mayor fuente de recursos de energía alternativa. Hace falta desarrollar un marco conceptual que sistemáticamente identifique los enlaces biofísicos-socioeconómicos que influyen en la entrega de los servicios de los ecosistemas que son afectados por los usos alternativos de los pastizales. El Marco Conceptual de Integración Social, Económica y Ecológica desarrollado por la Mesa de Sostenibilidad de los Pastizales está dirigido para atender esta deficiencia. Aplicamos este marco conceptual para demostrar como el efecto en los servicios del ecosistema por la explotación de biocombustibles basados en los pastizales, gas natural y fuentes de energía eólica pueden ser comparados sistemáticamente. También demostramos que el uso de este marco conceptual para seleccionar indicadores adecuados para monitorear cambios en los enlaces biofísicos-socioeconómicos afectados por el desarrollo de estas fuentes de energía no convencionales. Este tipo de punto de vista puede potencialmente enriquecer la coordinación entre las agencias federales, estatales y locales que están intentando establecer políticas y regulaciones en el desarrollo sostenible de fuentes de energía no convencional en pastizales.

Private ranchlands and public land grazing in the southern Rocky Mountains.

Why the private land matters when we think about public lands grazing. DOI:10.2458/azu_rangelands_v29i3_talbert

Extent of Coterminous US Rangelands: Quantifying Implications of Differing Agency Perspectives

Abstract Rangeland extent is an important factor for evaluating critical indicators of rangeland sustainability. Rangeland areal extent was determined for the coterminous United States in a geospatial framework by evaluating spatially explicit data from the Landscape Fire and Resource Management Planning Tools (LANDFIRE) project describing historic and current vegetative composition, average height, and average cover through the viewpoints of the Natural Resources Inventory (NRI) administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program administered by the US Forest Service. Three types of rangelands were differentiated using the NRI definition encompassing rangelands, afforested rangelands, and transitory rangelands. Limitations in the FIA definition permitted characterization of only two rangeland types: rangeland and rangeland vegetation with a small patch size. These classes were similar to those from the NRI definition but differed in tree canopy cover threshold requirements. Estimated rangeland area resulting from the NRI- and FIA-LANDFIRE models were 268 and 207 Mha, respectively. In addition, the NRI-LANDFIRE model identified 19 Mha of afforested rangelands due principally to encroachment and increased density by species classified as trees belonging to the genera Quercus, Prosopis, and Juniperus. The biggest discrepancies between acreage estimates derived from NRI- and FIA-LANDFIRE models occurred in oak, pinyon-juniper, and mesquite woodlands. The differences in area estimates between the NRI and FIA perspectives demonstrate the need for development of unified, objective methods for determining rangeland extent that can be applied consistently to all rangelands regardless of ownership or jurisdiction. While the models and geospatial information developed here are useful for national-scale estimates of rangeland extent, they are subject to the limitations of the LANDFIRE data products.

Back to the Future: Forest Service Rangeland Research and Management

Back to the future: Forest Service rangeland research and management. DOI:10.2458/azu_rangelands_v27i3_mitchell

A synoptic review of U.S. rangelands: a technical document supporting the Forest Service 2010 RPA Assessment

The Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 requires the USDA Forest Service to conduct assessments of resource conditions. This report fulfills that need and focuses on quantifying extent, productivity, and health of U.S. rangelands. Since 1982, the area of U.S. rangelands has decreased at an average rate of 350,000 acres per year owed mostly to conversion to agricultural and residential land uses. Nationally, rangeland productivity has been steady over the last decade, but the Rocky Mountain Assessment Region appears to have moderately increased productivity since 2000. The forage situation is positive and, from a national perspective, U.S. rangelands can probably support a good deal more animal production than current levels. Sheep numbers continue to decline, horses and goats have increased numbers, and cattle have slightly increased, averaging 97 million animals per year since 2002. Data from numerous sources indicate rangelands are relatively healthy but also highlight the need for consolidation of efforts among land management agencies to improve characterization of rangeland health. The biggest contributors to decreased rangeland health, chiefly invasive species, are factors associated with biotic integrity. Non-native species are present on 50 percent of non-Federal rangelands, often offsetting gains in rangeland health from improved management practices.

Understory cover/biomass relationships in Alabama forest types

Foliar cover is often selected over biomass as the variable to sample when inventorying agroforestry systems. To assess forage production, biomass and cover must be satisfactorily correlated. Significant cover/biomass relationships were developed for four major Alabama forest types. Conversion factors varied by forest type. These relationships provide practical application of understory cover measurements taken in forest inventories for use in multiresource assessments and in designing agroforestry systems.

Climate change effects on rangelands and rangeland management: affirming the need for monitoring

Abstract Uncertainty as to the extent and magnitude of changes in conditions that might occur due to climate change poses a problem for land and resource managers as they seek to adapt to changes and mitigate effects of climate variability. We illustrate using scenarios of projected future conditions on rangelands in the Northern Great Plains and Desert Southwest of the United States. These two regions are different in the ways climate change is projected to affect the regions. Projection of a longer and warmer growing season in the Northern Great Plains could lead to increased forage production and land productivity. Highly uncertain effects on summer monsoons that primarily control rangeland productivity in the Desert Southwest, combined with the possibility of more intense and/or frequent drought events, could present land managers with challenges stemming from decreased forage production and land productivity. Climate projections, though uncertain, provide land managers with basic insight into future conditions they might encounter. They need more. A focus on vulnerability and resilience, with explicit recognition of interactions between ecological and socio‐economic factors, coupled with systematic monitoring and assessment of observable conditions on the land to supplement information based on climate projections, will more effectively provide critical and specific information managers need to adaptively manage rangelands under uncertain climate futures.

Use of a generalized linear model to evaluate range forage production estimates

Interdisciplinary teams have been used in federal land planning and in the private sector to reach consensus on the environmental impact of management. When a large data base is constructed, verifiability of the accuracy of the coded estimates and the underlying assumptions becomes a problem. A mechanism is provided by the use of a linear statistical model to evaluate production coefficients in terms of errors in coding and underlying assumptions. The technique can be used to evaluate other intuitive models depicting natural resource production in relation to prescribed variables, such as site factors or secondary succession.