Monitoring is necessary for landowners to evaluate how past land management decisions are affecting the plant, soil, and water resources of the landscape. Monitoring specifically examines the plant species present and how much area they cover. Being able to see how range conditions change over time, also known as range trend, will allow land managers to make the best management decisions as conditions change. Monitoring allows a landowner to detect problems early and adjust management practices to improve range condition. Monitoring is very important for the livestock and wildlife species that depend on the continued productivity of the land, as well as the economic sustainability for the landowner.
Many landowners may not know where to start when it comes to monitoring or feel that it takes too much time and is too complicated. Several monitoring and measurement techniques can be done quickly and easily by landowners to evaluate the condition of the wildlife habitat and grazinglands on their property. To help landowners, we have recently developed two videos that demonstrate these activities.
"Rangeland Monitoring Techniques for Livestock and Wildlife" discusses very simple ways to monitor what is happening on the land and what is causing changes. This video highlights the importance of maintaining precipitation records, photo points, and grazing exclosures.
"Rangeland Measurement Techniques for Livestock and Wildlife" demonstrates techniques to actually measure the quality of habitat or pasture condition at the present time. Nest clump surveys, cover surveys, grass stubble height surveys, and forage surveys are efficient techniques to provide the landowner with some basic data on habitat quality and forage production to affect land management decisions.
For a more thorough explanation of these techniques and examples of data sheets to get you started, read Extension publication "Habitat Monitoring for Quail on Texas Rangelands," and see numerous publications at the Ecosystem Science and Management Extension website.