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Factsheet 2 of 6 in the
Pasture and Range Assessment Series

The majority of Factsheets 2, 3, 4 have been modified from the publication developed by the Montana State University Extension Service, titled “Monitoring Montana Rangeland” and the United States Department of Agriculture’s “National Range and Pasture Handbook” and “Guide to Pasture Condition Scoring”. In addition, where practicable, these Factsheets have also incorporated information from other more intensive methodologies referred to in the reference section.

Assessing your Grazinglands

The assessments in Factsheets 3 and 4 consist of a group of indicators that can be used to determine the pasture and range health of a representative area.

The first assessment in Factsheet 3 titled Native Range Assessment, is for grazinglands dominated by native plant species (e.g. forested grazinglands and grasslands dominated by native grasses including bluebunch and slender wheatgrass, Idaho and rough fescue, naturalized Kentucky bluegrass grasslands etc.).

The second one in Factsheet 4, Tame Pasture Assessment, is for pastures dominated by domestic species (e.g. bromegrasses, orchardgrass, crested wheatgrass, etc.). Note that the questions found in these assessments are slightly different.

Both of these assessments provide a snapshot in time of the apparent trend and health of the pasture selected. Follow-up assessments can also be used to determine the trend of your grazinglands. Trend indicates whether your grazinglands are improving, remaining static, or getting worse under current management and climatic conditions. This is useful in providing some insight on future grazing management decisions.

The indicators, presented in the form of a question, in these assessments (Table 1 below) were selected because they provide a general idea as to the status of the three ecological processes (nutrient cycle, water cycle, and energy flow) that are otherwise too difficult, expensive, or inconvenient to measure. Moreover, these assessments provide an opportunity to look at grazing lands differently and outline concerns that can be discussed with other interested parties such as the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection, and Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

Table 1. Indicators Used to Assess Pasture or Range
  1. Do desirable plants make up more than one-half of the vegetation cover or weight?
  2. Are desirable plant species abundant in all age and size classes?
  3. Does leaf length, seed production, colour, and overall productivity of desirable plants indicate strong vigour?
  4. Is there any evidence of overuse (hedging caused by livestock browsing) on shrubs and trees?
  5. Is litter and plant residue fairly abundant and some composed of desirable plants?
  6. Is the area free of evidence indicating soil compaction, soil movement including its loss?
  7. Are plant roots exposed or are there other signs of pedestalling?

THE THREE-STEP PROCESS

Further

Step 1 Assessing Your Pasture or Range

The assessment of a pasture or range involves answering a series of questions which differ depending on whether a native range (grasslands and forests) or tame (domestic) pastures is being assessed.

Use the Native Range Assessment for forested grazinglands and grasslands dominated by native grasses including bluebunch and slender wheatgrass, Idaho and rough fescue and naturalized Kentucky bluegrass grasslands.........................................................................................Factsheet 3

Use the Tame Pasture Assessment for grazinglands dominated by tame species (crested wheatgrass, brome grasses, orchard grass etc.)....................Factsheet 4

The results of the assessment are then tallied. A score of 5 or greater indicates that the grazing land is in fair to good shape. Scores of 7 or greater indicates that the pasture is most-likely in excellent shape. Scores of less than 5 may indicate a problem with your current grazing management practices and thus warrants further investigation.
 
Step 2 Identify Any Concerns from the Assessment and Select Revised Management Practices as Required

If the assessment scored is less than 5, consider further investigating the questions that caused reductions in the score. Scores between 5 and 7 may also warrant further investigation.

These investigations should try and determine whether:

  1. livestock management changes need to be made
  2. the assessment occurred during a period of climatic extremes (e.g., drought)
  3. the pasture is subjected to excessive wildlife numbers or recreational activities (e.g., off road vehicle use etc.)
  4. current conditions are based on past or current management activities

If management changes are required, refer to factsheets 5-11 and/or the “Rangeland Handbook for BC” (available from the British Columbia Cattlemen’s Association) for management options and ideas.
 
Step 3 Develop a Grazing Management Plan, Monitor Results, and Adjust Practices as Required

ASSESSING YOUR PASTURE OR RANGE

Before completing the assessment(s), divide the pasture into units that are obviously different. That is, separate deciduous forest (poplar, birch) from open coniferous forest (Douglas fir, lodgepole pine, Ponderosa pine) and from closed coniferous areas (forests that livestock absolutely avoid) and, tame pasture from native grassland.

All riparian areas should be treated as separate units and assessed (if needed) using the Riparian Management Publication of the BC Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) Series.

Now decide whether the assessment is needed to determine the average health of a pasture or the health of a specific problem area, especially those areas that may require monitoring over time.

Assessment Location

All grazing management plans should identify key areas that allow grazing use to be monitored. A key area is defined as a relatively small portion of a pasture that is selected because of its location, use, or grazing value as a monitoring point for grazing use. It is assumed that key areas, if properly selected, will reflect the overall acceptability of current grazing management over the entire pasture. A key area should not include areas of livestock concentration, such as stream crossings, bridges, fence lines, and driveways. That is, these areas should be located at least 100m from fence lines and accessible water. Although it is preferable to have a key area for every pasture, it is also important to limit the number of areas so that monitoring can occur in a timely and acceptable manner. Overall, a key area should serve as an indicator of grazing use for the pasture and not include areas of livestock concentration.

Assessment Timing

Health assessments should occur when plants are easily identifiable. If possible, avoid sampling immediately after grazing. Common health assessment windows are as follows:

  • In the lower elevations of the Southern Interior (grasslands and open forests), from late May to late June

  • In the Northern Interior, Peace River Region and the higher elevations of the Rocky Mountain Trench and Southern Interior, from July to mid August

  • Timing may change in wetter or drier years

  • Follow-up assessments should then be completed during similar seasons and under similar grazing conditions

For more information on this topic, please contact the following publications.

 

  
  1. Grazing Management Guide: Environmental Farm Plan Guide Series. Available online

 

 
 
  1. Rangeland Health Assessment for Grassland, Forest & Tame Pasture. Available online

 

 

 

 

 
  1. Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health. This publication provides you with a more detailed assessment of rangeland health. This publication as well as numerous others are available online: 

It is important to note that this approach was specifically designed to:

  • Be used only by knowledgeable, experienced people.
  • Provide a preliminary evaluation of soil/site stability, hydrologic function, and integrity of the biotic community (at the ecological site level).
  • Help land managers identify areas that are potentially at risk of degradation.
  • Provide early warnings of potential problems and opportunities.
  • Be used to communicate fundamental ecological concepts to a wide variety of audiences in the field.
  • Improve communication among interest groups by focusing discussion on critical ecosystem properties and processes.
  • Select monitoring sites in the development of monitoring programs.
  • Help understand and communicate rangeland health issues.
Rangeland Handbook Cover
  1. Rangeland Handbook for BC.
    Available online

 

References

Title

Publisher

Year

Monitoring Montana Rangeland

Montana State University Extension Service

1999

Rangeland Health Assessment for Grassland, Forest and Tame Pasture

Alberta Sustainable Resource Development

2003

Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health, Version 4

USDA

2000

Rangeland Handbook for BC

BCCA

1998

Guide to Pasture Condition Scoring

USDA

2001

Soil Quality Information Sheets (Set of 12)

USDA

2001

Glossary of Terms used in Range Management

Society for Range Management

2003

National Range and Pasture Handbook

USDA

2003

Riparian Management

BC Ag Council

2004

For further information contact:

Darren Bruhjell
Phone: 250 371-6058
Email: Darren.Bruhjell@gov.bc.ca

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