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INTEGRATING GEOSPATIAL TECHNOLOGIES TO MONITOR AND MANAGE INVADER SPECIES IN RANGELANDS.
Author
Perotto, Humberto L.
Walther, Chase
Labrador-Rodriguez, Karelys N.
Mata, Jose M.
Ortega-S., J. Alfonso
Rideout-Hanzak, Sandra
Wester, David B.
Jung, Jinha
Chang, Anjin
Yeom, Junho
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
2017
Body

The explosion of geospatial technologies is providing new opportunities to explore and study rangelands at spatial and temporal scales that were not possible a few years ago. One area where these technologies are playing a fundamental role is in the monitoring of invader species and how they can potentially affect the distribution of cattle in pastures. The objective of this presentation is to provide a summary of multiple projects aimed at one common goal: the control of an invader species through management. We are integrating habitat management, fire ecology, and landscape ecology with geospatial technologies to better understand the effects of different management strategies to minimize the impact of tanglehead in South Texas pastures. �Prescribed fires are used to remove above-ground biomass and decadent growth creating palatable growth that can be consumed by cattle. Cattle are being used as a management tool, and are fitted with GPS collars (10-minute interval between locations) to assess their movement and habitat use. Unmanned aerial systems are being used to map prescribed burned areas and to quantify the changes in species and aboveground biomass resulting from the fire and pasture use by cattle. We are also using remote sensing to classify the spatial distribution of vegetation types and their temporal dynamics. All data and information are collected and integrated in a geographic information system and that are analyzed to generate new information on the spatial and temporal dynamics of tanglehead and its potential impact on pasture use by cattle.

Language
English
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Conference Name
SRM St. George, UT
Collection
SRM Annual Meeting Abstracts