The USA has about 336 Mha of grazing lands of which rangelands account for 48%. Changes in rangeland soil C can occur in response to a wide range of management and environmental factors. Grazing, fire, and fertilization have been shown to affect soil C storage in rangelands, as has converting marginal croplands into grasslands. Carbon losses due to soil erosion can influence soil C storage on r...

Rangelands play a critical role in the global carbon cycle. However, the eco-physiological mechanisms associated with the effects of grazing on leaf photosynthesis and soil respiration remain poorly understood. To examine the impacts of grazing on leaf photosynthesis and soil respiration, we measured the photosynthetic parameters of the dominant species (Trifolium repens) and the soil respirati...

People in the rural, communal areas of South Africa rely on live fuel wood for more than 90% of their energy requirements. Using airborne lidar from the Carnegie Airborne Observatory (CAO) we compared tree canopy cover and height distributions between communal landscapes with heavy utilization to fully protected public and private reserves in the Lowveld of South Africa. Rangelands and fields i...

_______________________________________ The 11 papers in this document address issues and needs in the development and stewardship of Central Asia rangelands, and identify directions for future work. With its vast rangelands and numerous pastoral populations, Central Asia is a region of increasing importance to rangeland scientists, managers, and pastoral development specialists. Five of the pa...

The pastoral nomads of Iran, who had been able to achieve a “sustainable balance” between their environment and their economy throughout their history, are being held responsible for the degradation of the rangelands by the experts and state officials. The government of Iran has placed considerable resources into provision of advice and services to improve the natural resource status of Iranian...

The potential for high severity fires to affect changes in rangelands is considerable, and for this reason, assessing fire severity is critical. We explored fire severity modeling in rangelands by applying post-fire field observations to Satellite Pour l'Observation de la Terre 5 (SPOT 5) imagery using Classification Tree Analysis (CTA) techniques at two 2005 burns. The results of these analyse...

Low profitability of hardwood rangeland manage­ ment, and oak tree harvesting for firewood markets and forage enhancement has led to concern about the long-term sustainability of the oak resource on rangelands. New markets for recreational hunting may give value to oaks for the habitat they provide for game species, and broaden the economic base for managers. A ranch level optimal control model...