prepared by Grant Hamilton
Introduction
Developed by the USDA Agricultural Resource Service (ARS) Jornada Experimental Range, the Monitoring Manual for Grassland, Shrubland and Savanna Ecosystems is intended to provide guidance for rangeland managers following monitoring protocols established by the Bureau of Land Management’s Assessment, Inventory and Monitoring (AIM) Strategy or Natural Resources Conservation Service’s National Resources Inventory (NRI) for non-federal rangelands.
Core Monitoring Methods
Core methods generate indicators which represent the minimum information necessary to describe three key ecosystem attributes: soil and site stability, watershed function, and biotic integrity. For this reason, the ARS recommends all public land managers follow the core monitoring protocols without modification. Detailed descriptions of the core methods can be found in Volume I of the Monitoring Manual. Core monitoring methods consist of the following procedures:
| Core Method | Indicators Assessed |
|---|---|
| Line-point intercept with plot-level species inventory | • Bare ground • Susceptibility to wind and water erosion • Non-native invasive plant species • Non-native invasive plant species • Plant species of management concern |
| Vegetation height | • Vegetation height |
| Canopy Gap intercept | • Proportion of soil surface in large intercanopy gaps |
| Soil stability | • Soil aggregate stability |
| Multiple core methods | Integrated/modeled indicators: • Susceptibility to wind and water erosion • Wildlife habitat structure |
Supplemental Monitoring Methods
Supplemental methods may be included when the core methods are insufficient to inform a particular management objective. These additional methods are not intended to replace the core methods. Instead they provide additional information necessary to answer local management questions. Supplemental methods in conjunction with the core methods allow these data to be used for multiple management objectives by providing basic ecosystem attribute information while also meeting local monitoring needs. Detailed descriptions of the supplemental methods can be found in Volume II of the Monitoring Manual.
| Supplemental Method | Indicators Assessed |
|---|---|
| Compaction test | • Soil compaction |
| Infiltration | • Soil infiltration capacity |
| Plant production | • Total annual production |
| Species richness (modified Whitaker method) | • Biodiversity |
| Plant density | • Non-native invasive plant species • Plant density • Plant species of management concern |
| Vegetation structure | • Visual obstruction |
| Tree density | • Structure diversity • Woody biomass |
| Riparian vegetation | • Riparian vegetation composition |
| Channel/gully profiles | • Channel shape |
Manuals
- USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range. (2014). Monitoring Manual for Grassland, Shrubland and Savanna Ecosystems, Volume I: Core Methods. 2nd Ed. https://landscapetoolbox.org/methods-manuals/monitoring-manual-2nd-edition/
- USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range. (2009). Monitoring Manual for Grassland, Shrubland and Savanna Ecosystems, Volume II: Design, Supplementary Methods and Interpretation. 2nd Ed.https://landscapetoolbox.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/MMGSSE_vol2.pdf.