6 Conservation Practices for Forest, Range, and Wildlands
6 Conservation Practices for Forest, Range, and Wildlands
Colby Moorberg
Abbreviations
BMP – Best Management Practice
DOI – US Department of the Interior
ESD – Ecological Site Description
ESI – Ecological Site Inventory
ESIS – Ecological Site Information System
FSGD – Forage Suitability Group Designation
PDF – Portable Document Format
NESH – National Ecological Site Handbook
NRCS – Natural Resources Conservation Service
TVA – Tennessee Valley Authority
US – United States
USDA – US Department of Agriculture
USFWS – US Fish and Wildlife Service
USFS – USDA Forest Service
URL – Universal Resource Locator
Ecological Site Descriptions
Caudle, D., H. Sanchez, J. DiBenedetto, C. Talbot, and M. Karl. 2013. The Interagency Ecological Site Handbook for Rangelands. 110. Washington, DC: The USDA NRCS, USFS, and DOE BLM. http://directives.sc.egov.usda.gov/OpenNonWebContent.aspx?content=33943.wba.
The Interagency Ecological Site Handbook for Rangelands was developed by the BLM, USFS, and USDA NRCS to standardize how to describe and identify rangeland ecological sites to support inventory and how to monitor, evaluate, and manage rangelands in the US. The handbook is extensive, 112 pages in total. It is the preeminent information source for ecological site development. The handbook outlines ecological site classification concepts; classification, differentiation, and descriptions of ecological sites; delineation and mapping of ecological sites; and content of ecological site descriptions.
The Jornada Rangeland Research Programs. 2019. Ecological Site Descriptions Development Resources. https://jornada.nmsu.edu/esd/development-resources.
This web page from the Jornada Rangeland Research Program includes links and downloads for resources useful for developing ecological site descriptions. It includes data forms, methods, and additional resources useful for developing ecological site descriptions.
USDA NRCS. 2019a. Ecological Sites. https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/national/landuse/rangepasture/?cid=stelprdb1068392.
This web page provides a concise summary of ecological sites and related concepts. On this page, the USDA NRCS defines ecological sites as “the basic component of a land-type classification system that describes ecological potential and ecosystem dynamics of land areas.” The page includes further information on the background of ecological sites, forage suitability groups, soils and ecological sites, and state and transition models. Links to associated web pages are included throughout. The URL offers a direct download of a PDF of this resource.
USDA NRCS. 2019b. Ecological Site Information System. https://esis.sc.egov.usda.gov/.
This web page provides links to and short descriptions of the primary tools associated with ecological sites. These include the ESIS, the ESD database, FSGD, ESI, the Interagency Ecological Site Handbook for Rangelands, and the NESH.
Forestry Best Management Practices
Aber, J., N. Christensen, I. Fernandez, J. F