Monitoring Manual for Grassland, Shrubland, and Savanna ecosystems: Volume II: Design, Supplementary Methods and Interpretation
Herrick JE, Van Zee JW, Havstad KM, Burkett LM, Whitford WG. 2005. Monitoring Manual for Grassland, Shrubland, and Savanna ecosystems: Volume II: Design, Supplementary Methods and Interpretation. USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range. Las Cruces, New Mexico
The Monitoring Manual for Grassland, Shrubland and Savanna Ecosystems is divided into two volumes: Quick Start (Vol. I) and Volume II. This two-volume document is intended to assist a wide range of users, including technicians (data collectors), field crew leaders, ranchers and landowners, land managers, rangeland professionals, and researchers. Quick Start (Vol. I) includes basic methods and instructions for establishing photo points and completing four basic measurements. Volume II provides more detailed guidance on monitoring program design, data analysis and interpretation. It also includes a number of supplementary methods. Section I describes how to design a monitoring program in six steps. Section II includes eight supplementary monitoring methods and alternatives to the Linepoint intercept method. Section III describes how to organize, analyze and interpret monitoring data. Section IV provides specific recommendations for designing monitoring programs to address the following issues: - Riparian - Livestock production - Wildlife habitat - Off-road vehicle use and other recreational land uses - Fire - Invasive species - State and transition models - Remote sensing - Soil carbon Section IV also explains how state and transition models can help you design monitoring programs that are more sensitive to significant changes, including thresholds. It also describes how to improve monitoring, using remote sensing. Finally, it discusses the relationship between soil carbon and monitoring.