This course is designed to give an overview of vegetation measurement techniques for grasslands, shrublands, woodlands, and savannahs. Students will gain a solid understanding of how to evaluate and monitor vegetation attributes relative to wildlife habitat, livestock forage, fire fuel characteristics, watershed function, and many other wildland values. Recommended Preparation: A basic statistics course and understanding of how to use computer spreadsheets such as Excel.
Objectives
A solid understanding of vegetation structure and composition is necessary to determine how activities on rangelands and forested lands will affect wildlife habitat, livestock forage, fire behavior, watershed characteristics, and many other wildland values. This course will help you gain a foundation of knowledge necessary to:
- Recognize the rangeland and forest vegetation indicators that can be measured and quantified.
- Make decisions about which indicators to assess or monitor based on the limitations or values associated with specific attributes.
- Be familiar with major field protocols for measuring vegetation characteristics and be able to select a protocol is relevant for meeting objectives.
- Summarize, interpret, discuss, and present vegetation monitoring and assessment results.
Learning Outcomes
- Learn and integrate – Understand how to measure and assess indicators of plant communities and apply information to explore differences in plant communities across a landscape.
- Think and create – Consider a variety of vegetation measurement approaches for plant communities and select indicators and methods that most effectively meet a monitoring goal.
- Communicate – Clearly describe the results of vegetation assessment and support comments regarding changes or differences with effectively presented tables and figures.
- Clarify purpose and perspective – Explore perspectives on appropriate land management goals while adhering to the necessary principles for objective for monitoring or scientific research.
- Practice citizenship – Clarify the importance of assessing land management activities using regular assessments to accomplish adaptive land management to meet project goals.
