Download or read book Rangeland Soil Quality written by and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 2 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rangeland health and soil quality are interdependent. Rangeland health is characterized by the functioning of both the soil and the plant communities. The capacity of the soil to function affects ecological processes, including the capture, storage, and redistribution of water; the growth of plants; and the cycling of plant nutrients.

Download or read book Rangeland Soil Quality Organic Matter written by and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 2 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Soil organic matter is carbon-rich material that includes plant, animal, and microbial residue in various stages of decomposition. Live soil organisms and plant roots are part of the carbon pool in soil but are not considered soil organic matter until they die and begin to decay.

Download or read book Rangeland Health written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1994-02-01 with total page 201 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rangelands comprise between 40 and 50 percent of all U.S. land and serve the nation both as productive areas for wildlife, recreational use, and livestock grazing and as watersheds. The health and management of rangelands have been matters for scientific inquiry and public debate since the 1880s, when reports of widespread range degradation and livestock losses led to the first attempts to inventory and classify rangelands. Scientists are now questioning the utility of current methods of rangeland classification and inventory, as well as the data available to determine whether rangelands are being degraded. These experts, who are using the same methods and data, have come to different conclusions. This book examines the scientific basis of methods used by federal agencies to inventory, classify, and monitor rangelands; it assesses the success of these methods; and it recommends improvements. The book's findings and recommendations are of interest to the public; scientists; ranchers; and local, state, and federal policymakers.

Download or read book Rangeland Soil Quality written by and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 2 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Indicators are key soil or plant community characteristics that are sensitive to change in the environment. They reflect complex ecosystem processes that are too difficult or expensive to be measured directly. They provide information about the current status of rangeland ecosystems. Trends from indicators measured regularly provide clues about the response of the system to management. Soil quality indicators complement vegetation indicators and may be qualitative or quantitative.

Download or read book Rangeland Soil Quality written by and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 2 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Water erosion is the detachment and removal of soil material by water. The process may be natural or accelerated by human activity. The rate of erosion may be very slow to very rapid, depending on the soil, the local landscape, and weather conditions.

Download or read book Rangeland Soil Quality written by and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 2 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Wind erosion is the physical wearing of the earth's surface by wind. Wind erosion removes and redistributes soil. Small blowout areas may be associated with adjacent areas of deposition at the base of plants or behind obstacles, such as rocks, shrubs, fence rows, and roadbanks. In many cases the fine soil particles and organic matter are blown offsite or into the atmosphere as dust. Reducing the amount of bare ground by increasing the extent of vegetation, litter, and biological crusts reduces the risk of wind erosion.

Download or read book Rangeland Soil Quality written by and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 2 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Wind erosion is the physical wearing of the earth's surface by wind. Wind erosion removes and redistributes soil. Small blowout areas may be associated with adjacent areas of deposition at the base of plants or behind obstacles, such as rocks, shrubs, fence rows, and roadbanks. In many cases the fine soil particles and organic matter are blown offsite or into the atmosphere as dust. Reducing the amount of bare ground by increasing the extent of vegetation, litter, and biological crusts reduces the risk of wind erosion.

Download or read book Rangeland Soil Quality written by and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 2 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Soil aggregates are groups of soil particles that are bound to each other more strongly than to adjacent particles. Organic matter "glues" produced when soil biota break down dead roots and litter hold the particles together. Threadlike strands of fungi also bind particles into aggregates. Microscopic aggregates are the building blocks of larger aggregates. The larger aggregates and the arrangement of them, along with chemical attraction between particles, determine soil structure. The structure of the surface layer commonly is granular or blocky, but a degraded surface layer can be crusted, platy, or structureless. Pores important for the movement of air, water, and plant nutrients occur within and between aggregates. Pores also provide thoroughfares for soil organisms.

Download or read book Rangeland Soil Quality written by and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 2 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Soil biota, the biologically active powerhouse of soil, include an incredible diversity of organisms. Tons of soil biota, including micro-organisms (bacteria, fungi, and algae) and soil "animals" (protozoa, nematodes, mites, springtails, spiders, insects, and earthworms), can live in an acre of soil and are more diverse than the community of plants and animals above ground. Soil biota are concentrated in plant litter, the upper few inches of soil, and along roots. Soil organisms interact with one another, with plant roots, and with their environment, forming the soil food web.

Download or read book Forest and Rangeland Soils of the United States Under Changing Conditions written by Richard V. Pouyat and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-09-02 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This open access book synthesizes leading-edge science and management information about forest and rangeland soils of the United States. It offers ways to better understand changing conditions and their impacts on soils, and explores directions that positively affect the future of forest and rangeland soil health. This book outlines soil processes and identifies the research needed to manage forest and rangeland soils in the United States. Chapters give an overview of the state of forest and rangeland soils research in the Nation, including multi-decadal programs (chapter 1), then summarizes various human-caused and natural impacts and their effects on soil carbon, hydrology, biogeochemistry, and biological diversity (chapters 2–5). Other chapters look at the effects of changing conditions on forest soils in wetland and urban settings (chapters 6–7). Impacts include: climate change, severe wildfires, invasive species, pests and diseases, pollution, and land use change. Chapter 8 considers approaches to maintaining or regaining forest and rangeland soil health in the face of these varied impacts. Mapping, monitoring, and data sharing are discussed in chapter 9 as ways to leverage scientific and human resources to address soil health at scales from the landscape to the individual parcel (monitoring networks, data sharing Web sites, and educational soils-centered programs are tabulated in appendix B). Chapter 10 highlights opportunities for deepening our understanding of soils and for sustaining long-term ecosystem health and appendix C summarizes research needs. Nine regional summaries (appendix A) offer a more detailed look at forest and rangeland soils in the United States and its Affiliates.

Download or read book Managing Agricultural Greenhouse Gases written by Mark Liebig and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2012-10-16 with total page 602 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Global climate change is a natural process that currently appears to be strongly influenced by human activities, which increase atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHG). Agriculture contributes about 20% of the world’s global radiation forcing from carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, and produces 50% of the methane and 70% of the nitrous oxide of the human-induced emission. Managing Agricultural Greenhouse Gases synthesizes the wealth of information generated from the GRACEnet (Greenhouse gas Reduction through Agricultural Carbon Enhancement network) effort with contributors from a variety of backgrounds, and reports findings with important international applications. Frames responses to challenges associated with climate change within the geographical domain of the U.S., while providing a useful model for researchers in the many parts of the world that possess similar ecoregions Covers not only soil C dynamics but also nitrous oxide and methane flux, filling a void in the existing literature Educates scientists and technical service providers conducting greenhouse gas research, industry, and regulators in their agricultural research by addressing the issues of GHG emissions and ways to reduce these emissions Synthesizes the data from top experts in the world into clear recommendations and expectations for improvements in the agricultural management of global warming potential as an aggregate of GHG emissions

Download or read book Rangeland Soil Quality written by and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 2 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Soil compaction occurs when moist or wet soil aggregates are pressed together and the pore space between them is reduced. Compaction changes soil structure, reduces the size and continuity of pores, and increases soil density (bulk density). Wheel traffic or pressure (weight per unit area) exerted on the soil surface by large animals, vehicles, and people can cause soil compaction. In areas of rangeland, compacted soil layers are generally at the soil surface or less than 6 inches below the surface, although they can be as deep as 2 feet under heavily used tracks and roads. Increases in density can be small to large.

Download or read book Rangeland Soil Quality written by and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 2 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A physical crust is a thin layer with reduced porosity and increased density at the surface of the soil. A biological crust is a living community of lichen, cyanobacteria, algae, and moss growing on the soil surface and binding it together. A chemical crust or precipitate is white or pale colored and forms in soils with a high content of salts. Both chemical and biological crusts can form on and extend into a physical crust. This information sheet deals only with physical and biological crusts.

Download or read book Forest and Rangeland Soils of the United States Under Changing Conditions written by Richard V. Pouyat and published by Springer. This book was released on 2021-09-03 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This open access book synthesizes leading-edge science and management information about forest and rangeland soils of the United States. It offers ways to better understand changing conditions and their impacts on soils, and explores directions that positively affect the future of forest and rangeland soil health. This book outlines soil processes and identifies the research needed to manage forest and rangeland soils in the United States. Chapters give an overview of the state of forest and rangeland soils research in the Nation, including multi-decadal programs (chapter 1), then summarizes various human-caused and natural impacts and their effects on soil carbon, hydrology, biogeochemistry, and biological diversity (chapters 2–5). Other chapters look at the effects of changing conditions on forest soils in wetland and urban settings (chapters 6–7). Impacts include: climate change, severe wildfires, invasive species, pests and diseases, pollution, and land use change. Chapter 8 considers approaches to maintaining or regaining forest and rangeland soil health in the face of these varied impacts. Mapping, monitoring, and data sharing are discussed in chapter 9 as ways to leverage scientific and human resources to address soil health at scales from the landscape to the individual parcel (monitoring networks, data sharing Web sites, and educational soils-centered programs are tabulated in appendix B). Chapter 10 highlights opportunities for deepening our understanding of soils and for sustaining long-term ecosystem health and appendix C summarizes research needs. Nine regional summaries (appendix A) offer a more detailed look at forest and rangeland soils in the United States and its Affiliates.

Download or read book Rangeland Systems written by David D. Briske and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-04-12 with total page 664 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is open access under a CC BY-NC 2.5 license. This book provides an unprecedented synthesis of the current status of scientific and management knowledge regarding global rangelands and the major challenges that confront them. It has been organized around three major themes. The first summarizes the conceptual advances that have occurred in the rangeland profession. The second addresses the implications of these conceptual advances to management and policy. The third assesses several major challenges confronting global rangelands in the 21st century. This book will compliment applied range management textbooks by describing the conceptual foundation on which the rangeland profession is based. It has been written to be accessible to a broad audience, including ecosystem managers, educators, students and policy makers. The content is founded on the collective experience, knowledge and commitment of 80 authors who have worked in rangelands throughout the world. Their collective contributions indicate that a more comprehensive framework is necessary to address the complex challenges confronting global rangelands. Rangelands represent adaptive social-ecological systems, in which societal values, organizations and capacities are of equal importance to, and interact with, those of ecological processes. A more comprehensive framework for rangeland systems may enable management agencies, and educational, research and policy making organizations to more effectively assess complex problems and develop appropriate solutions.

Download or read book Semi arid Rangeland Soil Health Forage and Grazing written by Timm Gergeni and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 167 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Soil scientists and rangeland ecologists are increasingly making range management decisions based upon projected impacts to soil health but disagreement persists regarding the direction, magnitude, and rate of potential soil health changes. According to the United States Department of Agriculture - Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA NRCS), soil health is defined as the continued capacity of soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals, and humans. Thus, it is important for soils to be managed sustainably for future generations. Soil health is complex and measured by its physical, chemical, and biotic properties all of which interact. Examples of these soils properties are: structure, nutrient content, and microbial activity. All are closely related to organic matter - an excellent indicator of soil health. Grazing lands represent ~40% of the earth’s terrestrial surface and have tremendous potential to sequester carbon while cattle, numbering ~1 billion head worldwide are one of the main grazers upon them. Within the state of Wyoming USA, cattle outnumber people 2.5:1 and anthropogenic management of their grazing likely has an effect on soil health. Unfortunately, the majority of research and data obtained from grazing studies have not occurred at working cattle ranches and may be hindering producer adoption. Furthermore, soil monitoring, soil health criteria, and expectations have generally been constrained to row cropping systems in mesic climates, not the semi-arid rangelands of the western US, and have been secondary to forage quality and animal performance. We conducted field research at two physical sites in Wyoming supplemented by systematically reviewed literature at the global scale to identify any research “gaps” with the intention of providing credible information and advice to regional producers seeking input. At our physical sites, located in McFadden and Lingle, Wyoming, different Animal Day pasture categories, grazing regimes, and densities are being utilized to understand the effects of cattle grazing on Wyoming’s native rangelands. The McFadden site is a working ranch located on a high-elevation steppe that rotationally grazes three herds of ~300 Angus/Simmental/Gelbvieh crossbred cows. Eleven native upland pastures of 167 to 367 acres (68 to 149 ha) were sampled in order to understand the relationship between grazing time per pasture and soil and plant quality. The Lingle site is a traditional research design at the University of Wyoming’s James C. Hageman Sustainable Agriculture Research Facility (UW SAREC) on a northern mixed-grass prairie, consisting of twelve 1 acre (0.405 ha) paddocks and three grazing densities; notably ‘not grazed’ (NG), ‘moderate rotationally grazed’ (MRG), and ‘ultra-high density rotationally grazed’ (UHD), replicated spatially four times each in a randomized complete block design. Our Chapter 1 global literature review resulted in 42 studies with an average publication date of 2010 from four continents. Cattle were utilized as the main grazer in North America while sheep were the main grazer in Asia. The majority of the research was conducted at research facilities, and organic matter’s response to grazing was generally neutral. Chapter 2 ranch-scale research conducted at Sims Ranch in McFadden, Wyoming determined that organic matter may be an indicator of time in pasture and established a soil health baseline for future research. Chapter 3 grazing density research at UWSAREC revealed time of sampling and environment interactions and established a soil health baseline for continued research.

Download or read book Economic Evaluation of Conservation Practices and Management for Rangeland Soil Health written by Savannah M. Warwick and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 87 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Soil health is a key factor in sustaining life, an important resource for sustainable production on rangelands (Bünemann et al., 2018). State and federal land management agencies have developed conservation management practices for land managers to implement to increase soil health. The state of California has 38 million acres of publicly and privately managed rangelands. This study examines the economic implications of increasing forage production due to changes in soil health in three regions of California, the Coast, Sacramento Valley, and the San Joaquin Regions. Soil data from two sources is analyzed to determine relationships between soil characteristics and production. A recursive multi-period linear program is used to assess how increasing forage affects the value of a ranch over a 35-year period. Correlations were found between Soil Organic Carbon and Organic Matter and forage production. The Coast region increased in herd size by 23 brood cows and the Net Present Value increased an average of $695 lb/ac of additional forage, Sacramento Valley region increased in herd size by 35 brood cows and the Net Present Value increased an average of $988 lb/ac of additional forage, and the San Joaquin Valley region increased in herd size by 36 brood cows and the Net Present Value increased an average of $877 lb/ac of additional forage.