Source: UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA submitted to
QUANTIFYING ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS DERIVED FROM IMPLEMENTING RANGELAND CONSERVATION PRACTICES WITHIN THE GREAT BASIN
Sponsoring Institution
Agricultural Research Service/USDA
Project Status
NEW
Funding Source
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0418757
Grant No.
(N/A)
Project No.
2060-13610-001-03S
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Program Code
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Feb 17, 2010
Project End Date
Sep 30, 2014
Grant Year
(N/A)
Project Director
WELTZ M A
Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA
(N/A)
RENO,NV 89557
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
(N/A)
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
50%
Applied
50%
Developmental
0%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
1120320107015%
1210720107015%
1122300205030%
1210710205040%
Goals / Objectives
The University of Nevada at Reno is undertaking a cooperative project with the Agricultural Research Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service to document the status of knowledge regarding the effect of conservation practices applied to pinyon and juniper woodlands within the Great Basin. The primary purpose is to construct the scientific foundation for the Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) by documenting what is known and what is not known about the environmental effects of conservation practices on rangelands hydrologic and plant growth processes. The work will focus on the effects of conservation practices applied to pinyon and juniper woodlands on the following environmental outcomes: water availability, water quality, soil quality, habitat, forage availability, and fuel reductions.
Project Methods
The University of Nevada at Reno will assist developing an Experimental Watershed on the Smith Creek Ranch in central Nevada near Austin, Nevada. University of Nevada will assist in installing four flumes to quantify surface runoff, monitor ground water wells, measuring interception by pinyon and junior trees, measuring evapotranspiration, and monitoring plant response after treatment.

Progress 10/01/12 to 09/30/13

Outputs
Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416): The University of Nevada at Reno is undertaking a cooperative project with the Agricultural Research Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service to document the status of knowledge regarding the effect of conservation practices applied to pinyon and juniper woodlands within the Great Basin. The primary purpose is to construct the scientific foundation for the Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) by documenting what is known and what is not known about the environmental effects of conservation practices on rangelands hydrologic and plant growth processes. The work will focus on the effects of conservation practices applied to pinyon and juniper woodlands on the following environmental outcomes: water availability, water quality, soil quality, habitat, forage availability, and fuel reductions. Approach (from AD-416): The University of Nevada at Reno will assist developing an Experimental Watershed on the Smith Creek Ranch in central Nevada near Austin, Nevada. University of Nevada will assist in installing four flumes to quantify surface runoff, monitor ground water wells, measuring interception by pinyon and junior trees, measuring evapotranspiration, and monitoring plant response after treatment. ARS researchers in Reno, Nevada, and University of Nevada, Reno, partners are developing methods to determine plant health and growth rates by studying how many leaves native shrubs produce in a year. Leaf area is a fundamental ecosystem parameter that is required to estimate plant response to drought or to grazing impacts. A direct measurement of how many leaves a shrub produces is the most accurate method, but is destructive, time-consuming, and labor-intensive. Leaf area is highly variable in time and space on sagebrush-steppe rangelands, and a rapid nondestructive method is desirable to understand ecosystem processes and quality of wildlife habitat for sage grouse. Several non-destructive techniques were evaluated to estimate light interception as a means of quickly determining leaf area in comparison to the traditional point- intercept method. The light interception techniques were unreliable in part because this technique could not separate woody stems from leaves. The point-intercept method is a non-destructive method and has been demonstrated to provide accurate data on sagebrush and is currently the most reliable method of estimating the key plant health index. Findings from this research effort have been reported in the following articles; (1) Finzel, J.A., Seyfried, M.S., Weltz, M.A., Kiniry, J.R., Johnson, M.V. ,Launchbaugh, K.L. 2012. Indirect measurements of leaf area index in sagebrush steppe. Rangeland Ecology and Management. 65: 208-212. (2) Johnson, M.V., Finzel, J.A., Spanel, D., Weltz, M., Sanchez, H., Kiniry, J.R. 2011. The Rancher's ALMANAC. Rangelands. 33: 10-16. and (3) McGwire, K. C., Weltz, M., Finzel, J.,Morris, C., Fenstermaker, L., McGraw, D. 2012. Multiscale assessment of green leaf area in a semi-arid rangeland. International Journal of Remote Sensing. 34:1615-1632. This agreement was established in support of objective 1 of the in-house project, "Assess and quantify ecological conditions and biotic processes that maintain healthy rangelands, improve forage production, and enhance recovery of degraded sagebrush, and pinyon/juniper woodlands under uncertain climatic conditions in the Great Basin". More specifically, to develop an integrated package of ground-based and remote sensing tools to quantify and assess the environmental impact of management decisions and conservation practices at hillslope and landscape scales in woodland, shrub-steppe, and desert ecosystems of the Great Basin.

Impacts
(N/A)

Publications


    Progress 10/01/11 to 09/30/12

    Outputs
    Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416): The University of Nevada at Reno is undertaking a cooperative project with the Agricultural Research Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service to document the status of knowledge regarding the effect of conservation practices applied to pinyon and juniper woodlands within the Great Basin. The primary purpose is to construct the scientific foundation for the Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) by documenting what is known and what is not known about the environmental effects of conservation practices on rangelands hydrologic and plant growth processes. The work will focus on the effects of conservation practices applied to pinyon and juniper woodlands on the following environmental outcomes: water availability, water quality, soil quality, habitat, forage availability, and fuel reductions. Approach (from AD-416): The University of Nevada, Reno will assist developing an Experimental Watershed on the Smith Creek Ranch in central Nevada near Austin, Nevada. University of Nevada will assist in installing four flumes to quantify surface runoff, monitor ground water wells, measuring interception by pinyon and junior trees, measuring evapotranspiration, and monitoring plant response after treatment. This research directly supports objective 2: Devise management guidelines, technologies, and practices for conserving and restoring Great Basin rangelands. Specifically Sub-objective 2.1: Develop an integrated package of ground-based and remote sensing tools to quantify and assess the environmental impact of management decisions and conservation practices at hillslope and landscape scales in woodland, shrub-steppe, and desert ecosystems of the Great Basin. ARS Scientists in Reno, Nevada and University of Nevada, Reno partners are developing methods to determine plant health and growth rates by studying how many leaves native shrubs produce in a year. Leaf area is fundamental ecosystem parameters that are required to estimate plant response to drought or to grazing impacts. A direct measurement of how many leaves a shrub produces is the most accurate method, but is destructive, time-consuming, and labor-intensive. Leaf area is highly variable in time and space on sagebrush-steppe rangelands, and a rapid nondestructive method is desirable to understand ecosystem processes and quality of wildlife habitat for sage grouse. Several non-destructive techniques were evaluated to estimate light interception as a means of quickly determining leaf area in comparison to the traditional point- intercept method. The light interception techniques were unreliable in part because this technique could not separate woody stems from leaves. The point-intercept method is a non-destructive method and has been demonstrated to provide accurate data on sagebrush and is currently the most reliable method of estimating the key plant health index.

    Impacts
    (N/A)

    Publications


      Progress 10/01/10 to 09/30/11

      Outputs
      Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416) The University of Nevada at Reno is undertaking a cooperative project with the Agricultural Research Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service to document the status of knowledge regarding the effect of conservation practices applied to rangelands within the Great Basin. The primary purpose is to construct the scientific foundation for the Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) by documenting what is known and what is not known about the environmental effects of conservation practices on rangelands hydrologic and plant growth processes. The work will focus on the effects of conservation practices applied to rangelands on the following environmental outcomes: water availability, water quality, soil quality, habitat, forage availability, and fuel reductions. Approach (from AD-416) The University of Nevada, Reno will assist in synthesizing the appropriate literature to document the effect of conservation practices on five basic resource concerns; (1) water availability, (2) water quality, (3) Soil quality, (4) Net Primary Productivity, and (5) habitat/landscape fragmentation for the Great Basin. They will also assist in developing an experimental watershed(s) in central Nevada where impacts of conservation practices can be quantified at both the hillslope and watershed scales. This project was established in support of Objective 2 of the in-house project: Devise management guidelines, technologies, and practices for conserving and restoring Great Basin rangelands. The USDA team working on the Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) has developed a new process based model for assessing soil erosion rates on rangeland hillslopes. The USDA team is leading the effort to develop new protocols to assess the status of soil erosion on western rangelands. This assessment was included in the USDA Resource Conservation Act Assessment that was delivered to Congress in January 2011. In addition, the team is assisting in developing an assessment of the status of rangeland health for all privately held rangelands in association with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. This will be the first comprehensive assessment of rangelands and provide USDA with a technology to assess the benefits of conservation activities that have been funded through the USDA Farm Bill. Through these national and regional assessments it is anticipated that USDA will have the necessary information to modify its conservation programs to enhance the efficacy and efficiency and increase the cost-effectiveness of these critical programs. The team has developed 2 publications that summarize water induced soil erosion on rangelands for the Nation. This model is scheduled for release by NRCS as part of its streamlining conservation initiative for use in western field offices by NRCS. The ARS Principal Investigator has monthly teleconference with his ARS and NRCS partner�s to discuss the status of the project. The ARS, University of Nevada, Reno, and NRCS partners met four times in FY 2011 to review progress on the project and make adjustments as required to achieve milestones and obtain project goals.

      Impacts
      (N/A)

      Publications


        Progress 10/01/09 to 09/30/10

        Outputs
        Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416) The University of Nevada at Reno is undertaking a cooperative project with the Agricultural Research Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service to document the status of knowledge regarding the effect of conservation practices applied to rangelands within the Great Basin. The primary purpose is to construct the scientific foundation for the Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) by documenting what is known and what is not known about the environmental effects of conservation practices on rangelands hydrologic and plant growth processes. The work will focus on the effects of conservation practices applied to rangelands on the following environmental outcomes: water availability, water quality, soil quality, habitat, forage availability, and fuel reductions. Approach (from AD-416) The University of Nevada at Reno will assist in synthesizing the appropriate literature to document the effect of conservation practices on five basic resource concerns; (1) water availability, (2) water quality, (3) Soil quality, (4) Net Primary Productivity, and (5) habitat/landscape fragmentation for the Great Basin. They will also assist in developing an experimental watershed(s) in central Nevada where impacts of conservation practices can be quantified at both the hillslope and watershed scales. Documents SCA with U. of Nevada. This agreement was established to support Objective 2 of the inhouse project, the goal is to quantify and provide scientific basis for evaluating benefits derived from CEAP. The USDA team working on the Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) has developed a new process based model for assessing soil erosion rates on rangeland hillslopes. The USDA team is leading the effort to develop a new west wide assessment of the status of soil erosion on western rangelands. This assessment will be included in the USDA Resource Conservation Act Assessment that will be delivered to Congress in January 2011. In addition, the team is assisting in developing an assessment of the status of rangeland health for all privately held rangelands in association with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. This will be the first comprehensive assessment of rangelands and provide USDA with a technology to assess the benefits of conservation activities that have been funded through the USDA Farm Bill. Through these national and regional assessments it is anticipated that USDA will have the necessary information to modify its conservation programs to enhance the efficacy and efficiency and increase the cost-effectiveness of these critical programs. The team is currently developing 2 publications that summarize water induced soil erosion on rangelands. This model is scheduled for release by NRCS as part of its streamlining conservation initiative for use in western field offices by NRCS. The ARS PI holds monthly teleconferences with his ARS and NRCS partners to discuss the status of the project. The ARS and NRCS partners met four times in FY 2010 to review progress on the project and make adjustments as required to achieve milestones and obtain project goals. Problem Statement A: Need for economically viable rangeland management practices, germplasm, technologies and strategies to conserve and enhance rangelands ecosystems. National Program: Pasture, Forage and Range Land Systems (NP #215) Component 1: Rangeland Management Systems to Enhance the Environment and Economic Viability.

        Impacts
        (N/A)

        Publications