Photo: Sagebrush steppe, Wyoming, with Pronghorn Antelope. © 2017 Delena Norris-Tull
Rangeland Restoration
Research summaries and commentary by Dr. Delena Norris-Tull, Professor Emerita of Science Education, University of Montana Western, September, 2020.
DiTomason, 2000, reports that, “Rangeland and pastures comprise about 42% of the total land area of the United States… Many ranges have had domestic stock grazing for more than 100 years and, as a result, the plant composition has changed greatly from the original ecosystems. Western rangelands previously dominated by perennial bunchgrasses have been converted, primarily through overgrazing, to annual grasslands that are susceptible to invasion by introduced dicots. Today there are more than 300 rangeland weeds in the United States… weeds in rangeland cause an estimated loss of $2 billion annually in the United States, which is more than all other pests combined. They impact the livestock industry by lowering yield and quality of forage, interfering with grazing, poisoning animals, increasing costs of managing and producing livestock, and reducing land value. They also impact wildlife habitat and forage, deplete soil and water resources, and reduce plant and animal diversity.”
Rangeland is a very broad category that covers many ecosystems, all of which have been used, at one time or another, for livestock forage. The Rangelands Partnership website describes 15 types of rangelands in the United States. 14 rangeland types occur in the Western United States: alpine tundra, California annual grassland, cold desert (Great Basin: sagebrush steppe, salt desert), hot desert (Chihuahuan, Sonoran, and Mojave), mountain browse, northern mixed prairie, oak woodland, Palouse prairie, pinyon-juniper woodland, western coniferous forest, southern pine forest, and shortgrass, southern mixed, and tallgrass prairies. Eastern deciduous forests are the only rangeland type not occurring in the West.
Many rangeland ecosystems in the Western USA have been severely damaged or destroyed by human activities. As a result, many invasive plants have been able to encroach onto these disturbed lands. A wide variety of habitat restoration projects have been under way in recent years. This section will describe some of those projects.
Native plants are key to restoring rangeland ecosystems. Within this website, refer to the sections, Native Plants and Why We Need Plants, for background on the role of plants in ecosystems.
Sheley, et al, 2011, conducted an extensive review of research on invasive plant management within rangelands. They describe Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs on rangelands. IPM incorporates “the coordinated use of pest biology, environmental information, and management technologies.” They point out that IPM approaches are not yet widely in place in rangelands. Current programs “include the combination of biological control agents…, prescribed burning…, grazing…, mowing…, and revegetation… (Often) with judicious use of herbicides.” They examined the extent to which these programs are effective at meeting stated goals. Their analysis is summarized here. But reading their entire report is highly valuable.
With the USA, the Regional IPM Centers provide some coordination between four Regional Integrated Pest Management Centers. Each Center provides some funding for projects on rangelands and in agricultural settings, some of which addresses issues related to Pest Management.
References:
Links to Rangeland Restoration projects:
Links to other Innovative Solutions:
Rangeland Restoration
Research summaries and commentary by Dr. Delena Norris-Tull, Professor Emerita of Science Education, University of Montana Western, September, 2020.
DiTomason, 2000, reports that, “Rangeland and pastures comprise about 42% of the total land area of the United States… Many ranges have had domestic stock grazing for more than 100 years and, as a result, the plant composition has changed greatly from the original ecosystems. Western rangelands previously dominated by perennial bunchgrasses have been converted, primarily through overgrazing, to annual grasslands that are susceptible to invasion by introduced dicots. Today there are more than 300 rangeland weeds in the United States… weeds in rangeland cause an estimated loss of $2 billion annually in the United States, which is more than all other pests combined. They impact the livestock industry by lowering yield and quality of forage, interfering with grazing, poisoning animals, increasing costs of managing and producing livestock, and reducing land value. They also impact wildlife habitat and forage, deplete soil and water resources, and reduce plant and animal diversity.”
Rangeland is a very broad category that covers many ecosystems, all of which have been used, at one time or another, for livestock forage. The Rangelands Partnership website describes 15 types of rangelands in the United States. 14 rangeland types occur in the Western United States: alpine tundra, California annual grassland, cold desert (Great Basin: sagebrush steppe, salt desert), hot desert (Chihuahuan, Sonoran, and Mojave), mountain browse, northern mixed prairie, oak woodland, Palouse prairie, pinyon-juniper woodland, western coniferous forest, southern pine forest, and shortgrass, southern mixed, and tallgrass prairies. Eastern deciduous forests are the only rangeland type not occurring in the West.
Many rangeland ecosystems in the Western USA have been severely damaged or destroyed by human activities. As a result, many invasive plants have been able to encroach onto these disturbed lands. A wide variety of habitat restoration projects have been under way in recent years. This section will describe some of those projects.
Native plants are key to restoring rangeland ecosystems. Within this website, refer to the sections, Native Plants and Why We Need Plants, for background on the role of plants in ecosystems.
Sheley, et al, 2011, conducted an extensive review of research on invasive plant management within rangelands. They describe Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs on rangelands. IPM incorporates “the coordinated use of pest biology, environmental information, and management technologies.” They point out that IPM approaches are not yet widely in place in rangelands. Current programs “include the combination of biological control agents…, prescribed burning…, grazing…, mowing…, and revegetation… (Often) with judicious use of herbicides.” They examined the extent to which these programs are effective at meeting stated goals. Their analysis is summarized here. But reading their entire report is highly valuable.
With the USA, the Regional IPM Centers provide some coordination between four Regional Integrated Pest Management Centers. Each Center provides some funding for projects on rangelands and in agricultural settings, some of which addresses issues related to Pest Management.
References:
- DiTomaso, J.M. (April, 2000). Invasive weeds in rangelands: Species, impacts, and management. Weed Science, 48 (2): 255-265. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1614/0043-1745(2000)048[0255:IWIRSI]2.0.CO;2
- Sheley, R.L., James, J.J., Rinella, M. J., Blumenthal, D., & DiTomaso, J.M. (2011). Invasive plant management on anticipated conservation benefits: A scientific assessment. In D.D. Briske (Ed.) Conservation benefits of rangeland practices: Assessment, recommendation, and knowledge gaps. (pp. 293-336). USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Links to Rangeland Restoration projects:
- Prairie Restoration
- Sagebrush Steppe Restoration
- Revegetation with Native Plants
- Dogs as detectors of noxious weeds
Links to other Innovative Solutions: