A rancher's guide to monitoring rangelands

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Monitoring is the very basis of management for any business. We set objectives, develop a management plan to meet those objectives, then monitor to determine whether the objectives are being met and, if not, why. The Society for Range Management (SRM, 1998) defines range monitoring as, "The orderly collection, analysis and interpretation of resource data to evaluate progress toward meeting management objectives. This process must be conducted over time in order to determine whether or not management objectives are being met." Monitoring must also identify what areas of management need revision to produce the desired objective. We cannot make effective management decisions if we do not know the effect of past management actions. Although this guide is designed for use by public land livestock permittees, it is just as important that ranchers monitor their private rangeland too. A primary goal of both public and private land managers/owners is to insure the sustainability of rangeland resources and the use of those resources, including their productive capacity. The monitoring plan is as important a part of the ranch/allotment plan as the grazing system or stocking rate. The objectives, sampling techniques, study locations, monitoring responsibilities and time tables for monitoring should be as detailed as possible. This document provides an overview, explanation, and guidance, as well as a list of references.

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ELECTRONIC FILE - Ecology

SWAP (2/19/2016) citation:
Sanders KD. 2006. A rancher's guide to monitoring rangelands. Moscow (ID): University of Idaho, College of Natural Resources. Contribution No. 1010 of the Idaho Forest, Wildlife and Range Experiment Station.