Get reliable rangeland science

The health of rangeland vegetation can be influenced by numerous factors including grazing, fire, drought and other disturbances.� It is often a combination of disturbances over time and space that result in a gradual change to the landscape. However, in some cases, continuous annual photo monitoring can capture astounding changes that can be directly associated or related to an event of specific disturbance. From an evaluation of numerous spring and fall annual monitoring using repeat photography on the Uinta Mountains, Utah, the relationship between drought and the spread of cheatgrass has been dramatic and relatively abrupt.� The photos in this study identify two periods of drought that appear to have initiated a conversion of once native perennial grasses to nearly 100 percent cover of cheatgrass in a matter of a few years. Annual monitoring using simple repeat photography, especially when it comes to capturing the outcomes of annual events, will tell a story that can sometimes change our thinking or shed light on an improved management idea. This annual monitoring can assist managers to more effectively�make changes, if needed,�during drought conditions to maintain the preferred perennial vegetation.