Get reliable science

In the USA, rangeland health assessments follow Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health (IIRH) protocols, while pasturelands are usually assessed using the Pasture Condition Score (PCS) system. The IIRH method provides a way of detecting changes in ecological attributes relative to a site's ecological potential while PCS informs managers about the utility of an area for livestock production or factors that could be keeping the area from operating at its full or optimized productive potential. There is a need for an improved grazingland assessment tool that merges the relevant elements of both the rangeland and pastureland assessment methods while taking into account the differing ecosystem attributes and management objectives of the grazinglands where these methods are usually applied. We use IIRH and PCS data collected at two locations in the Northern Great Plains of the USA to describe our proposed approach and demonstrate its usefulness. We present an improved grazingland assessment protocol that is applicable to range and pasturelands and allows evaluators to assess site conditions, and to make interpretations regarding management based on site-specific attributes that can potentially optimize the ecological potential and livestock carrying capacity of a site.