This paper discusses developments in our understanding about rangeland ecology and rangeland dynamics in the last 20 years. Before the late 1980’s, the mainstream view in range ecology was that livestock and vegetation were in equilibrium, and too much grazing (overstocking) caused the range to lose productivity. This, in turn, meant fewer livestock could be supported on those pastures in the future. Thus our management practices and policy focused on making sure that livestock numbers stayed below the carrying capacity of the range to prevent overstocking. Carrying capacity is the upper limit of forage (grass, shrubs) that livestock can graze and still sustain the productivity of the range for the range for the subsequent seasons.
Articles, citations, reports, websites, and multimedia resources focused on rangeland ecology, management, restoration, and other issues on American rangelands.