Woody biomass dynamics are an expression of ecosystem function, yet biomass estimates do not provide information on the spatial distribution of woody vegetation within the vertical vegetation subcanopy. We demonstrate the ability of airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) to measure aboveground biomass and subcanopy structure, as an explanatory tool to unravel vegetation dynamics in struct...

First posted July 10, 2023 For additional information, contact: Director, Colorado Water Science CenterU.S. Geological SurveyBox 25048, Mail Stop 415Denver, 80225 Salinity control efforts in the River Basin have focused on mobilization of salts from irrigated land, but nonirrigated rangelands are also a source salinity. In particular, lands where soils formed Late Cretaceous Mancos Shale under ...

There is growing evidence of escalating wildlife losses worldwide. Extreme wildlife losses have recently been documented for large parts of Africa, including western, Central and Eastern Africa. Here, we report extreme declines in wildlife and contemporaneous increase in livestock numbers in Kenya rangelands between 1977 and 2016. Our analysis uses systematic aerial monitoring survey data colle...

To document trends in land use and herbaceous production, 71 field sites sampled among cropped fields, fallow fields and rangelands in the Fakara region (Niger) were monitored from 1994 to 2006. The overall trend in land use confirmed the historical increase of the cropped areas since mid 20th century, at an annual rate of 2% from 1994 to 2006. This trend is the result of changes in the relativ...

Around the world rangelands that have been degraded, such as historical desert grasslands now dominated by woody shrubs, are resistant to restoration efforts. The goal of this descriptive research was to examine the potential for black grama (Bouteloua eriopoda [Torr.] Torr.) recovery by remnant plants in a degraded area as a function of plant location across a landscape. Our objectives were 1)...

Although cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) has been widely distributed across western rangelands for >70 years, the full ecologic and economic impacts of this non-native invasive plant have not yet occurred. Unfortunately, several independent lines of evidence indicate that the rate at which acreage becomes infested with cheatgrass is increasing rapidly. Furthermore, the invasion and spread of a num...

Maintaining or enhancing the productive capacity and resilience of rangeland ecosystems is critical for the continued support of people who depend on them for their livelihoods, especially in the face of climatic change. This is also necessary for the continued delivery of ecosystem services derived from rangelands for the broader benefit of societies around the world. Multi-paddock grazing man...