Interpreting indicators of rangeland health, version 5

TitleInterpreting indicators of rangeland health, version 5
Publication TypeBook
Year of Publication2020
AuthorsPellant M., Shaver P.L, Pyke D.A., Herrick JE, Busby F., Riegel G, Lepak N, Kachergis E, Newingham B, Toledo DP
Series TitleInterpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health, Version 5
Number of Pages202
PublisherBLM National Operations Center’s Information and Publishing Services Section
CityDenver
ARIS Log Number352103
Abstract

Rangeland Health refers to the degree to which the integrity of the soil, vegetation, water, and air as well as the ecological processes of rangeland ecosystems are balanced and sustained. The most commonly used rangeland health assessment protocol on US rangelands is the Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health (IIRH) assessment. Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health was initiated in 1994 as a qualitative, rapid assessment technique to evaluate rangeland health. Seventeen field indicators are used to rate three attributes of rangeland health: 1) soil/site stability, 2) hydrologic function, and 3) biotic integrity. The published versions of this protocol are version 3 (2000) and version 4 (2005). Version 5 represents a continuing effort by an interagency cadre to improve the use of and consistency of results when using this protocol. The revision improves the development or modification of reference sheets and clarifies that the reference for conducting evaluations is the natural range of variability within the natural disturbance regime of the reference state. More emphasis is also placed on the functional/structural worksheet in conducting evaluations. This revision also supports linking qualitative and quantitative measurements, where quantitative measurements may also be used for baseline monitoring.

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