Landscape disturbance such as fire or woody plant encroachment on rangelands can have major impacts on the hydrological and erosion responses. As canopy and ground cover are reduced, soil sediments become available and can be detached by rain splash and overland flow. Disturbance can also increase the formation of concentrated flow paths that accelerate runoff velocity and the ability of water to transport rain splash and overland flow sediments downslope. These disturbance-related processes are represented in the Rangeland Hydrology and Erosion Model (RHEM) using readily available vegetation and soils data. RHEM can be used to assess erosion risk following disturbance and can be used to evaluate and predict the rate of hydrologic recovery following disturbance. RHEM can also be used for quantifying environmental impacts of disturbance associated with alternative conservation practices and can be integrated with Ecological Site Concepts to inform and evaluate overall management objectives.
Oral presentation and poster titles, abstracts, and authors from the Society for Range Management (SRM) Annual Meetings and Tradeshows, from 2013 forward.