Rangeland
Monitoring: Seventeen Indicators of Rangeland Health (2005) Article
discussing indicators that can be used to evaluate the health and
status of a range. Produced by the NDSU Central Grasslands Research
Extension Center.
Range
Plant Responses to Competition, Clipping and Drought (2006)
greehouse study evaluating the
effects of grazing and drought . Produced by the NDSU Central Grasslands
Research Extension Center.
Estimating
Above-ground Primary Productivity Through Computer Modeling (2006)
Article analyzing the above-ground
primary productivity of grasslands using two computer models. Produced
by the NDSU Central Grasslands Research Extension Center.
Evaluation
of Ecosystem Services Provided by the Coteau Rangeland of North Dakota
(2005) Report
discussing the quantitative value of the ecosystem of the Coteau rangeland
using several indexes including: aboveground biomass production, soil
water content, and livestock gain/acre.
Produced by the NDSU Central Grasslands Research Extension Center.
Basic
Plant and Soil Process Measurements for Range Ecosystem Modeling and
Management—Updates for 2005 Report
on the second year of a three-year project entitled “Using an
Ecosystem Model for Rangeland Management”
Produced by the NDSU Central Grasslands Research Extension Center.
A
New Program at CGREC Monitoring Rangeland Health (2005)
Report on monitoring methods
including repeat photography, plant identification, and plant measurements
used to determine rangeland health. Produced by the NDSU Central Grasslands
Research Extent ion Center.
Doing
the Math: Calculating a Sustainable Stocking Rate (2006)
Useful information defining commonly
used rangeland terminology (AUM, stocking rate, and carrying capacity)
and providing formulas for calculation and practice worksheets. Produced
by the NDSU Central Grasslands Research Extension Center.
Drought
Stressed Rangeland-What to Expect for Forage Production in 2007
Report examing
the 2006 effects of weather on forage (grazing and haying) in order
to make a forecast for the 2007 production expectation. Produced
by the NDSU Central Grasslands Research Extension Center.
Transitions:
Adaptive Rangeland Health Monitoring (2006)
Report explaining the results
from the pilot year of the TRANSITIONS project helping producers manage
rangeland health monitoring. Produced by the NDSU Central Grasslands
Research Extension Center.
Using
Remote Sensing To Manage North Dakota's Rangelands(no
date) Describes using GIS (geographical information systems) as a
tool to monitor and manage rangelands. Produced by the NDSU Central
Grasslands Research Extension Center.
An
Economic Analysis of Grazing, Haying and Cropping Marginal Highly
Erodible Crop Land in Southcentral North Dakota (2002)
A study comparing input costs and net returns of cropping, grazing
and haying marginal rangelands. Produced by the NDSU Central Grasslands
Research Extension Center.
Grazing
and Haying CRP Lands
(no date) Research study on the productivity and economic potential
of grazing and haying marginal, highly erodible land, as well as issues
concerning the use of marginal lands in general. Produced by the NDSU
Central Grasslands Research Extension Center.
Biologically
Effective Grazing Management (2004)This
report discusses biological effects of grazing on grass, and recommends
grazing management practices that meet the biological requirements
of the plants and that coordinate grazing periods with grass growth
stages to stimulate beneficial processes within grass plants and the
ecosystem in order to produce greater
herbage weight, higher quality habitat for wildlife, and stronger
livestock performance with more pounds of calf per acre. Produced
by the NDSU Dickinson Research Extension Center.
Grazing
Management for Western North Dakota Rangelands
(no date) A study to evaluate changes in plant abundance,
soil organism activity, biomass, grass plant tiller development, and
livestock weight performance under twice over rotation, 4.5 month
seasonlong, a 4.0 month deferred seasonlong, and a 6.0 month seasonlong
grazing treatments, and a long term nongrazed treatment. Produced
by the NDSU Dickinson Research Extension Center.
Generalized
Average Stocking Rates
(2004) This report summarizes long-term generalized stocking rate
levels for three landscape site management units (lowland, upland,
and xeric landscape sites) in the Drift Prairie, Missouri Coteau,
and West River Regions of the Northern Plains. Produced by the NDSU
Dickinson Research Extension Center.
A
Method of Determining Stocking Rate Based on Monthly Standing Herbage
Biomass (2004) Generalized
method for estimating stocking rate (number of animals per grassland
acre for a month; factor include the amount of herbage biomass available,
the time of year, the type of grazing system used, and the amount
of forage consumed by livestock per month. Produced by NDSU Dickinson
Research Center.
Effects
of Grazing Management Treatments on Rangeland Vegetation
(2004) Research study measuring detrimental effects of early grazing
and late grazing on herbage biomass on grasslands, in contrast to
beneficial effects of grazing coordinated with grass growth stages.
Produced by the NDSU Dickinson Research Extension Center.
Interaction
of Simulated Drought and Grazing on Mixed Grass Prairie
A study to measure
the effect of drought on vegetation of properly grazed rangeland,
and to monitor the recovery period of the affected plant community
to pre-drought conditions. Produced
by the NDSU Central Grasslands Research Extension Center.
Big
Bluestem for High Quality Summer Forage (2001)
Discusses northern adapted varieties of big bluestem now available
for use in summer grazing.Produced by the NDSU Central Grasslands
Research Extension Center.
Fertilization
of Extremely Grazed and Moderately Grazed Mixed-Grass Prairie with
Slow Release Phosphorus and Urea (2002)
Study of the response grazed mixed-grass prairie vegetation to annual
applications of slow release phosphorus (P) and slow release urea
(N) Produced by the NDSU Central Grasslands Research Extension Center.
The Effect of Grazing Intensity on Soil Bulk Density
(1999) A study showing the intensity of grazing effects soil compaction,
porosity and water inflitration rates of Missouri Coteau soils. Produced
by the NDSU Central Grasslands Research Extension Center.
The
Effect of Grazing Intensity on Rangeland Hydrology
(2001) Comparison study of runoff and infiltration rates and erosion
from moderately and extremely grazed pastures. Physical soil and vegetative
characteristics are measured as well. Produced
by the NDSU Central Grasslands Research Extension Center.
Conserving
Soil Water through Grazing Management (no
date) Study of managing grasslands for water conservation, especially
soil infiltration rates as affected by grazing and rainfall intensities.
Produced by the NDSU Central Grasslands Research Extension Center.
The
Effect of Grazing Intensity on Soil Water and Rangeland Productivity
in South-Central North Dakota. (no
date) This study looks at the effect of varying grazing intensities
on available soil water and biomass production. Produced by the NDSU
Central Grasslands Research Extension Center.
Plant
Eco-physiology, Range Ecosystem Modeling and Management
(2003)
Field results from ongoing research on ecosystem dynamics and ecosystem
modeling as a range management tool. Produced by the NDSU Central
Grasslands Research Extension Center.
Modeling
to Aid Production Agriculture: Introduction to a Grassland Ecosystem
Study in the Missouri Coteau of North Dakota
(2002)
A study using an ecosystem model combined with systematic field measurements
to explain mechanisms of grazing-induced grassland changes that have
an impact on management. Produced by the NDSU Central Grasslands Research
Extension Center.
Vegetation
and ecology
Evaluation
of Perennial Herbaceous Biomass Energy Crops in North Dakota
(2006) A
10-year study initiated to evaluate the agronomic practices necessary
to maximize the production of various grass and legume crops for biomass
production, determine the effects of perennial biomass energy crops
on carbon sequestering and other soil physical properties, and to
provide an economic analysis of the production cost. Produced by the
NDSU Central Grasslands Research Extension Center
Web
Soil Survey Searchable
database providing
soil data and information online for more than 95 percent of the nation's
counties. Produced by the National Cooperative Soil Survey.
Conservation
Reserve Program Hay Quality in North Dakota in 2002
(2002) Evaluation of North Dakota
CRP hay samples to determine the nutritional quality. Produced by
the NDSU Central Grasslands Research Extension Center.
Vegetation
of the Northern Great Plains. (1989)
Discusses
the major vegetation types of the Northern Great Plains. Included
are summaries of the geology, soils and climate, and overviews of
the vegetation types: grasslands, sandhill prairies, foothill prairies,
badlands, pine savannas, mountain forests, upland woodlands, riparian
woodlands, and wetlands. Maps are included. From the North Dakota
State University Department of Animal and Range Sciences.
Selected
North Dakota and Minnesota Range Plants
(1998)
Online directory of range plants native to North Dakota and Minnesota.
The database is browsable by common name and scientific species name,
with description, range, and illustrations. From the North Dakota
State University Extension Service.
The
Index of Plant Community Integrity: An Assessment Method for Wetland
Plant Communities of the Prairie Pothole Region. (2003)
A report describing an ecological index developed to assess temporary,
seasonal and semi-permanent wetland plant communities within the Prairie
Pothole Region. Utilizes a classification system to categorize wetlands
(Very poor to Very good) by vegetative composition in response to
disturbance type and degree. Produced by the North Dakota State University
Dept. of Animal and Range Sciences.
Native
Wildflowers of the North Dakota Grasslands
(1995) Online collection of articles originally published
in newspapers throughout the state. Includes the life history of each
species, its identifying traits, where in North Dakota it can be found,
and its nomenclatural history. When available, a picture of each species
is included. From the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center of
the U.S. Geological Survey, Jamestown, ND.
Ecoregions
of North Dakota and South Dakota
(no date) Ecological maps of the scale 1:250,000 of the region with
detailed data for each ecological area including a general description,
physiography, geology, soil, climate, natural vegetation, and land
use/land cover. From the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
of the U.S. Geological Survey, Jamestown, ND
America's
Northern Plains: An Overview and Assessment of Natural Resources
Provides a general overview of the basic natural land
resources in the Northern Plains region and their sustainability over
time. It also describes the primary external forces (both natural
and human caused) which are likely to affect those resources and it
identifies projected changes in the resource base. From the Northern
Prairie Wildlife Research Center Online.
Prehistorical
Conditions of Rangelands in the Northern Great Plains A
description of prehistoric northern grassland environmental forces
and plant/animal ecosystem processes including climate, vegetation,
herbivores, and humans. From the NDSU Dickinson Research Extension
Center.
Status
and Trends of the Nation's Biological Resources--Grasslands Highlights
the main bodies of North American grasslands: the tall-grass prairie,
the mixed-grass prairie, and the short-grass prairie. Featured are
the animals and plants dependent on native grassland, and the relationship
between remaining native grassland and biological resources. From
the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Online
Grassland
Ecosystem Monitoring: A Nonquantitative Procedure for Assessing Rangeland
Performance Status (2002) This report describes
a simple nonquantitative grassland ecosystem monitoring method with
three sections: plot photographs, major plant species present list,
and rangeland health status assessment. From the NDSU Dickinson Research
Extension Center.
Range
Sites Grouped into Generalized Landscape Management Units (2004)This
report simplifies the range site identification in North Dakota by
grouping categories of sites into landscapes with similar management
requirements and similar stocking rates. From the NDSU Dickinson Research
Extension Center.
Seasonal
Changes in Forage Quality (2000)
A study of changes in forage quality of plant species throughout the
year and in different years due to growth stage of the plant, climate,
available water and soil temperature. Produced
by the NDSU Central Grasslands Research Extension Center.
Environmental
Factors that Affect Range Plant Growth, 1892-2003
(2004) A research project conducted to describe the three most important
environmental factors in western North Dakota (light, temperature,
water) and to identify some of the conditions and variables that limit
range plant growth. Produced by the NDSU Dickinson Research Extension
Center.
Quantifying
Plant Water Use in the Native Coteau Rangelands of North Dakota
(2001) A study
to quantitatively describe plant water use under a real soil and climate
situations, and develop a model to provide realistic predictions.
Produced by the NDSU Central Grasslands Research Extension Center
Plant
Water Relations and Gas Exchange in a Grassland with Cattle Grazing
in the Missouri Coteau of North Dakota.(2003)
A study to compares leaf water potential and evaluate severity of
seasonal drought stress under different grazing intensities between
Kentucky bluegrass and western wheatgrass, two of the dominant grasses
growing in the Missouri Coteau of North Dakota. Produced by the NDSU
Central Grasslands Research Extension Center
Effects
of Fire in the Northern Great Plains (1989)
Provides information concerning fire effects on the grassland biome
of the Northern Great Plains, with special emphasis on the use of
fire for wildlife management. Produced by the Northern Prairie Wildlife
Research Center.
Bison
use of fire-managed remnant prairies. (Not
available online. Contact
Mario E. Biondini or your local library to request a copy)
Study designed to: 1) compare the landscape distribution patterns
of bison on fire-managed prairie remnants in the tallgrass (Oklahoma),
and mixed prairie (Nebraska); and 2) identify the extent to which
fire and range site affect bison distribution patterns. Article published
in Journal of Range Management, v. 52, pgs 454-461, 1999.
A
three-dimensional spatial model for plant competition in an heterogeneous
soil environment. (access for authorized users only or consult
your local library) Describes a model developed to
explore how the growth and competitive ability of plants is affected
by the interactions between the size and scaling properties of their
root systems and the spatial properties of the resources they consume.
Article published in the journal Ecological Modelling, v. 142 no.
3, pgs 189-225, 2001.
