RANGELAND HEALTH -- Copyright -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Contents -- Executive Summary -- STATE OF RANGELAND ECOSYSTEMS -- Questions About Methods -- Lack of Reliable Data -- Need to Know is Urgent -- PURPOSES OF NATIONAL ASSESSMENTS -- Standards for National Assessments -- DEFINITION OF RANGELAND HEALTH -- MINIMUM ECOLOGICAL STANDARD -- USE AND MANAGEMENT -- Categories for National Assessments -- METHODS TO ASSESS RANGELAND HEALTH -- Defining Boundaries -- Criteria and Indicators -- SOIL STABILITY AND WATERSHED FUNCTION -- NUTRIENT CYCLING AND ENERGY FLOW -- RECOVERY MECHANISMS -- Research Needed -- NATIONAL INVENTORYING AND MONITORING SYSTEM -- Minimum Data Set -- Standardize Indicators and Methods -- National Sampling System -- Periodic Sampling Needed -- TRANSITION TO RANGELAND HEALTH ASSESSMENTS -- Intermediate Steps -- Preserving Continuity During the Transition -- CHALLENGE TO RANGE SCIENTISTS AND MANAGERS -- 1 Rangelands are Important -- RANGELAND MANAGEMENT AND USES -- CONCERN ABOUT THE STATE OF U.S. RANGELANDS -- Federal Management of U.S. Rangelands -- Present State of Rangelands -- ASSESSMENTS OF RANGELANDS -- DEFICIENCIES OF ASSESSMENTS -- UTILITY OF CURRENT METHODS AND DATA -- URGENT NEED FOR NATIONAL ASSESSMENTS -- 2 Rangeland Health -- GOALS FOR NATIONAL ASSESSMENTS -- STANDARDS FOR RANGELAND ASSESSMENTS -- Rangeland Health -- Categories for Rangeland Assessments -- DEFINING BOUNDARIES -- THRESHOLDS BETWEEN ECOLOGICAL STATES -- PROCESSES OF CHANGE -- THRESHOLD OF RANGELAND HEALTH -- EARLY WARNING LINE -- MULTIPLE STATES AND TRANSITIONS -- ROLE OF RANGELAND HEALTH IN RANGELAND MANAGEMENT -- Goal of Range Management -- Additional Information Needed to Determine Appropriate Management -- Rangeland in Extreme Environments -- 3 Current Methods of Rangeland Assessment.

DEVELOPMENT OF CURRENT THEORY AND PRACTICE OF RANGELAND ASSESSMENTS -- Early Development Of Survey Methods -- Standardization of Rangeland Surveys -- New Theoretical Foundation for Rangeland Surveys -- SUCCESSION AND CLIMAX COMMUNITIES -- SUCCESSIONAL STAGES AND RANGELAND ASSESSMENT -- SUCCESSIONAL STAGES AS CONDITION CLASSES -- ADOPTION OF THE SUCCESSION-RETROGRESSION MODEL BY FEDERALAGENCIES -- APPLICABILITY OF THE SUCCESSION-RETROGRESSION MODEL -- LINKS BETWEEN OTHER BRANCHES OF ECOLOGY AND RANGELAND SCIENCE -- CURRENT AGENCY RANGELAND ASSESSMENT THEORY AND PRACTICE -- Site Classification -- RANGE SITE CLASSIFICATION -- ECOLOGICAL SITES AND TYPES -- Evaluation of Range Condition and Ecological Status -- RANGE CONDITION (SCS) -- ECOLOGICAL STATUS (USFS AND BLM) -- Trend and Apparent Trend -- NEW METHODS NEEDED TO ASSESS RANGELAND HEALTH -- Site Classification -- CLASSIFICATION BASED ON CLIMAX CONCEPT -- Alternative Approaches to Site Classification -- SITE CLASSIFICATION FOR ASSESSING RANGELAND HEALTH -- Range Condition: Ecological Status -- STANDARDS FOR ACCEPTABLE CONDITIONS -- LIMITATIONS OF SUCCESSION-RETROGRESSION MODEL -- MULTIPLE INDICATORS ARE NEEDED -- Site Potential and Resource Values -- DESIRED PLANT COMPOSITION -- RESOURCE VALUE RATING -- DISTINCTION BETWEEN RANGELAND HEALTH, SITE POTENTIAL, AND RESOURCE VALUES -- Apparent Trend -- 4 Criteria and Indicators of Rangeland Health -- SOIL STABILITY AND WATERSHED FUNCTION -- Soil Degradation -- SOIL EROSION BY WIND AND WATER -- EFFECTS OF SOIL DEGRADATION -- OTHER EFFECTS OF SOIL DEGRADATION -- SOIL STABILITY AND THE ENVIRONMENT -- EFFECTS OF SOIL DEGRADATION ON WATERSHEDS -- Criteria and Indicators of Soil Stability and Watershed Function -- THE A-HORIZON -- RILLS AND GULLIES -- SHEET AND SCOUR EROSION -- PEDESTALS -- DEPOSITION OF ERODED MATERIAL.

Multiple Indicators of Soil Surface Condition Needed -- Better Soil Survey Needed -- Many Rangelands Need Soil Surveys -- DISTRIBUTION OF NUTRIENTS AND ENERGY -- Nutrient Cycling -- Energy Flow -- DISTRIBUTION OF ENERGY FLOW OVER TIME -- SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF ENERGY FLOW -- Criteria and Indicators of Nutrient Cycling and Energy Flows -- COMMUNITY STRUCTURE -- DISTRIBUTION OF LITTER AND PLANTS -- JUDGMENT REQUIRED -- RECOVERY MECHANISMS -- Criteria and Indicators of Recovery Mechanisms -- AGE-CLASS DISTRIBUTION -- PLANT VIGOR -- MICROSITES FOR SEED GERMINATION AND SEEDLING ESTABLISHMENT -- RESEARCH NEEDED -- MEASUREMENT AND EVALUATION OF INDICATORS OF RANGELAND HEALTH -- Identification of Boundaries -- SOIL STABILITY AND WATERSHED FUNCTION -- DISTRIBUTION OF NUTRIENTS AND ENERGY -- RECOVERY MECHANISMS -- Preponderance of Evidence from Measured Indicators -- New Models of Rangeland Change Needed -- Better Understanding of Rangeland Soils Needed -- Field Evaluation of Proposed Indicators -- SOIL STABILITY AND WATERSHED FUNCTION ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT CRITERIA -- Uncertainty in Interpreting Indicators -- 5 Inventorying and Monitoring Rangeland Health -- PAST INVENTORIES OF RANGELANDS -- The First Surveys -- FOREST RESERVE SURVEYS -- STATE EXPERIMENT STATION SURVEYS -- BLM GRAZING DISTRICT SURVEYS -- SURVEYS OF NONFEDERAL RANGELANDS -- CONGRESS MANDATES SURVEY OF WESTERN RANGELANDS -- More Recent Surveys -- Environmental Legislation Increases Information Needs -- NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT -- CLEAN WATER ACT -- ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT -- Legislation Spurs Development of National Inventories -- RESOURCES PLANNING ACT -- FOREST AND RANGELAND RENEWABLE RESOURCES PLANNING ACT -- SOIL AND WATER RESOURCES CONSERVATION ACT -- NATIONAL RESOURCES INVENTORY -- ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT PROGRAM.

Inventory Mandates for Land Management and Planning -- FEDERAL LAND POLICY AND MANAGEMENT ACT -- SOIL-VEGETATION INVENTORY METHOD -- NATIONAL FOREST MANAGEMENT ACT -- PUBLIC RANGELANDS IMPROVEMENT ACT -- Statutory Requirements for Inventories and Monitoring -- CURRENT INVENTORYING AND MONITORING SYSTEMS -- Nonfederal Rangelands -- Federal Rangelands -- BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT -- U.S. FOREST SERVICE -- Current Inventories are Inadequate -- NATIONAL SYSTEM OF INVENTORYING AND MONITORING RANGELAND HEALTH IS NEEDED -- Convene an Interagency Task Force -- National Sampling System Needed -- Periodic Sampling Needed -- Transition to Rangeland Health -- NOTES -- References -- Appendix -- About the Authors -- Index -- Recent Publications of The Board On Agriculture -- POLICY AND RESOURCES -- NUTRIENT REQUIREMENTS OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS SERIES AND RELATED TITLES.