Rangeland monitoring often requires extensive travel across diverse terrain. A cost-effective, safe vehicle facilitates data collection. Synergy Resource Solutions, Inc., travels tens of thousands of miles each year to collect rangeland data. We currently use side-by-side UTVs to access remote sites on rough roads and off road. UTVs provide data collectors with a safer and more comfortable way to access difficult sites and transport gear while minimizing disturbance to the environment. We have found UTVs to be more safe, more comfortable, and more effective than trucks, SUVs, ATVs, and motorcycles. Time savings are an important part of cost-effectiveness. UTVs travel faster on bad roads and over rough terrain reducing travel time to sample sites. UTVs are cheaper to purchase than full-size vehicles (trucks and SUVs) and hold up better when traveling on rough terrain. Safety can be analyzed as a cost savings but more importantly, we believe the presence of rollover protection structures and seat belts provide a safer mode of travel than ATVs or motorcycles. This poster will analyze the pros and cons of using UTVs for rangeland monitoring.
Oral presentation and poster titles, abstracts, and authors from the Society for Range Management (SRM) Annual Meetings and Tradeshows, from 2013 forward.