Ecological site and state-and-transition models provide a framework to interpret and guide management activities on spatially and temporally variable rangelands. Development of these models is currently being extended to riparian systems. At the Tejon Ranch in southern California, we are using ecological site theory to investigate the variable effects of cattle and feral pigs on riparian vegetation resources. Using camera traps, we have recorded time of use, behaviors, and a seasonal activity index for the two ungulates on our 15 study plots. State-and-transition models link inter-annual changes in riparian plant species composition, functional groups, and cover to varying intensities and timing of cattle and feral pig use, and catalog the potential vegetation states occurring on the spatially variable rangelands of Tejon Ranch. Results from the second year of this project highlight the spatial variation of riparian woodland vegetation communities as well as the temporally and spatially variable activity of cattle and feral pigs.
Oral presentation and poster titles, abstracts, and authors from the Society for Range Management (SRM) Annual Meetings and Tradeshows, from 2013 forward.