Cumulative Landscape Analysis & Restoration Planning Tools
To manage rangeland ecosystems effectively, we need to understand not only the impacts of individual management actions and natural disturbances, but how the sum total of all actions and disturbances affects ecosystem health both now and into the future. The Cumulative Effects Assessment (CEA) Tool of the Landscape Toolbox provides for investigation of how dynamic rangeland landscapes may change over time under different management and disturbance scenarios. This kind of “possible-future” information can be indispensable for planning what kinds of activities to engage in and where they should be located to increase the chance of accomplishing management goals. For example, using sagebrush community maps produced by the Multi-scale Landscape Assessment component of the Landscape Toolbox, the CEA Tool can help assess the future condition of rangelands and help users predict the potential for success and economic feasibility of various management strategies, such as sagebrush restoration. From the links below you will find more information on the state-and-transition models developed for the Landscape Toolbox and how to get and use the CEA Tool.
State & Transition Models
At the heart of the CEA Tool is the concept of State and Transition (S/T) Models that capture and quantify our understanding of how rangeland ecosystems operate and change. We have compiled the S/T models from our Landscape Toolbox case studies and made them available in this library. These S/T models can be used in other areas with similar rangelands and are a good way to document our understanding of rangeland systems.
Scenario Modeling
The CEA Tool is built upon ESSA Technologies’ VDDT landscape-scenario-modeling core. In combination, these models help users quantify and assess the effects of various management and treatment options in moving landscapes to a desired future condition. The final outcome will result in the ability to inform future planning efforts on project specific management opportunities at site-, project-, and landscape-scales.