Rangelands最新文献

{"title":"Using automatic feeders to change pasture usage in horses","authors":"Rebecca A. Thompson, Morgan L. Velez, Erica N. Feuerbacher","doi":"10.1016/j.rala.2026.07.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rala.2026.07.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><ul><li><span>•</span><span><div>Horses often graze certain areas of a pasture leaving areas undergrazed and other areas overgrazed. The ability to change grazing patterns without having to erect fencing could be an economical strategy to prevent overgrazing.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>We evaluated whether the strategic placement of automatic feeders could change the most frequently used grazing area of 2 three-horse herds.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>We divided a 1.2 ha (3 acre) pasture into four quadrants and observers recorded the quadrant location of each horse every minute for 2-hour observation periods. After establishing a baseline of quadrant usage, we acclimated the horses to automated feeders mounted on the fence next to where the horses were normally fed. Once the horses were consistently eating from the feeders, we moved the feeders to the least used quadrant of the pasture, as determined in the baseline.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>Horses changed their spatial usage of the pasture based on the feeder location. Our results suggest that the placement of automatic feeders could change where horses graze.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>Additionally, during the observation periods, we also measured the rate of interhorse aggression before and after the feeders were introduced. While we observed an increase in aggression during acclimation, aggression between horses decreased when the feeders were moved to the least used quadrant.</div></span></li></ul></div></div><div><ul><li><span>•</span><span><div>Horses often graze certain areas of a pasture leaving areas undergrazed and other areas overgrazed. The ability to change grazing patterns without having to erect fencing could be an economical strategy to prevent overgrazing.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>We evaluated whether the strategic placement of automatic feeders could change the most frequently used grazing area of 2 three-horse herds.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>We divided a 1.2 ha (3 acre) pasture into four quadrants and observers recorded the quadrant location of each horse every minute for 2-hour observation periods. After establishing a baseline of quadrant usage, we acclimated the horses to automated feeders mounted on the fence next to where the horses were normally fed. Once the horses were consistently eating from the feeders, we moved the feeders to the least used quadrant of the pasture, as determined in the baseline.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>Horses changed their spatial usage of the pasture based on the feeder location. Our results suggest that the placement of automatic feeders could change where horses graze.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>Additionally, during the observation periods, we also measured the rate of interhorse aggression before and after the feeders were introduced. While we observed an increase in aggression","PeriodicalId":101057,"journal":{"name":"Rangelands","volume":"48 5","pages":"Pages 184-194"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149233651","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"","authors":"Matthew Germino","doi":"10.1016/j.rala.2026.09.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rala.2026.09.004","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":101057,"journal":{"name":"Rangelands","volume":"48 5","pages":"Pages 211-212"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149234274","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Virtual fence: A tool for achieving conservation goals in USDA and NRCS programs","authors":"Hanifi Otgun, Rory C. O’Connor, Elliott Dennis, Mitchell Stephenson, Kristin Dickinson","doi":"10.1016/j.rala.2026.06.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rala.2026.06.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><ul><li><span>•</span><span><div>Grazing management on rangelands traditionally relies on physical fences to control the timing, intensity, and duration of livestock grazing, but these systems require substantial initial investment and ongoing maintenance.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>Although effective, physical fencing can create environmental challenges by disrupting landscape connectivity, increasing the risk of wildlife entanglement, and concentrating grazing pressure in ecologically sensitive areas.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>Virtual fencing (VF) uses GPS-enabled collars with auditory and electrical cues to contain livestock within user-defined boundaries, allowing producers to manage animal distribution dynamically without installing physical fences.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>VF can redistribute grazing pressure to reduce localized rangeland degradation and create flexible exclusion zones that help to protect sensitive areas across grazing landscapes and may facilitate crop-livestock integration, such as managed cover-crop grazing.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>By supplementing or replacing physical fences, VF has the potential to improve wildlife movement and connectivity while supporting adaptive livestock-grazing management, though additional field-based evaluation is needed to assess long-term effectiveness.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>Federal agencies, including the USDA Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and US Fish and Wildlife Service, are actively utilizing VF on public lands, and several USDA programs offer financial assistance for VF adoption on private rangelands.</div></span></li></ul></div></div><div><ul><li><span>•</span><span><div>Grazing management on rangelands traditionally relies on physical fences to control the timing, intensity, and duration of livestock grazing, but these systems require substantial initial investment and ongoing maintenance.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>Although effective, physical fencing can create environmental challenges by disrupting landscape connectivity, increasing the risk of wildlife entanglement, and concentrating grazing pressure in ecologically sensitive areas.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>Virtual fencing (VF) uses GPS-enabled collars with auditory and electrical cues to contain livestock within user-defined boundaries, allowing producers to manage animal distribution dynamically without installing physical fences.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>VF can redistribute grazing pressure to reduce localized rangeland degradation and create flexible exclusion zones that help to protect sensitive areas across grazing landscapes and may facilitate crop-livestock integration, such as managed cover-crop grazing.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>By supplementing or replacing physical fences, VF has the potential to improve wildlif","PeriodicalId":101057,"journal":{"name":"Rangelands","volume":"48 5","pages":"Pages 195-202"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149233652","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rekindling fire: The resurgence and challenges of prescribed fire culture in Texas","authors":"David Brooke, Charles A. “Butch” Taylor, Morgan L. Treadwell","doi":"10.1016/j.rala.2026.07.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rala.2026.07.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><ul><li><span>•</span><span><div>Catastrophic wildfires in Texas, from the 2011 Bastrop Complex Fire to the 2024 Panhandle megafires, have accelerated a fundamental shift in public attitudes, demonstrating that proactive prescribed burning is not optional but essential for protecting communities, rural economies, and fire-adapted ecosystems.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>A growing network of Prescribed Burn Associations and the Prescribed Burn Alliance of Texas is rebuilding fire culture through neighbor-to-neighbor training, equipment sharing, and legislative advocacy, but uneven geographic coverage, liability concerns, insurance gaps, and limited access to cost-share funding still prevent many landowners from burning as often or as broadly as ecological conditions warrant.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>Expanded educational pathways, including AgriLife Extension’s online Prescribed Burn School, the Certified and Insured Prescribed Burn Manager credentialing program, and new interagency coordinator positions, have substantially lowered the barriers to entry for aspiring practitioners, yet an aging practitioner workforce and a shrinking pipeline of new candidates for Certified and Insured Prescribed Burn Managers represent the most consequential long-term threat to Texas’s prescribed fire culture.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>Sustaining Texas’s prescribed fire revival requires a deliberate next-generation strategy: structured mentorship programs, municipally embedded wildland fire coordinators modeled on Borger’s success, expanded Texas Department of Transportation right-of-way burning partnerships, and continued federal farm bill advocacy, all that are concrete steps that will determine whether the gains of the past decade outlast the practitioners who achieved them.</div></span></li></ul></div></div><div><ul><li><span>•</span><span><div>Catastrophic wildfires in Texas, from the 2011 Bastrop Complex Fire to the 2024 Panhandle megafires, have accelerated a fundamental shift in public attitudes, demonstrating that proactive prescribed burning is not optional but essential for protecting communities, rural economies, and fire-adapted ecosystems.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>A growing network of Prescribed Burn Associations and the Prescribed Burn Alliance of Texas is rebuilding fire culture through neighbor-to-neighbor training, equipment sharing, and legislative advocacy, but uneven geographic coverage, liability concerns, insurance gaps, and limited access to cost-share funding still prevent many landowners from burning as often or as broadly as ecological conditions warrant.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>Expanded educational pathways, including AgriLife Extension’s online Prescribed Burn School, the Certified and Insured Prescribed Burn Manager credentialing program, and new interagency coordinator positions, have substantially lowered the barriers to entr","PeriodicalId":101057,"journal":{"name":"Rangelands","volume":"48 5","pages":"Pages 203-210"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149234273","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"UN and FAO designated 2026 International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP): Time to tell our story and amplify voices","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.rala.2026.09.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rala.2026.09.003","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":101057,"journal":{"name":"Rangelands","volume":"48 5","pages":"Page 165"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149234275","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An integrated framework to detect soil degradation under Brazilian rangelands","authors":"Renato Farias do Valle Junior,&nbsp;Tiago Henrique Schwaickartt Feitosa,&nbsp;Fernando António Leal Pacheco,&nbsp;Luís Filipe Sanches Fernandes,&nbsp;Carlos Alberto Valera","doi":"10.1016/j.rala.2026.07.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rala.2026.07.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><ul><li><span>•</span><span><div>Detection of degraded rangelands is crucial for managing livestock areas but is complex as degradation is inherently related to soil quality, which in turn depends on the parent geologic material.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>Complexity applies both to field and remote-sensing parameters used as indicators of degradation.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>The vast majority of methods used to detect rangeland degradation ignore the role of geology and, hence, produce misleading results.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>We propose an integrated approach based on various field and remotely sensed parameters, with a segmented application to different geologic types, which produced high-accuracy detection of degraded pastures in a region of Minas Gerais state, Brazil.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>Besides this novel and significant advance in the accurate detection of degraded rangelands, our study is justified because of its application to a country where degraded pastures reach nearly 100 Mha and is also a world livestock producer.</div></span></li></ul></div></div><div><ul><li><span>•</span><span><div>Detection of degraded rangelands is crucial for managing livestock areas but is complex as degradation is inherently related to soil quality, which in turn depends on the parent geologic material.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>Complexity applies both to field and remote-sensing parameters used as indicators of degradation.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>The vast majority of methods used to detect rangeland degradation ignore the role of geology and, hence, produce misleading results.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>We propose an integrated approach based on various field and remotely sensed parameters, with a segmented application to different geologic types, which produced high-accuracy detection of degraded pastures in a region of Minas Gerais state, Brazil.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>Besides this novel and significant advance in the accurate detection of degraded rangelands, our study is justified because of its application to a country where degraded pastures reach nearly 100 Mha and is also a world livestock producer.</div></span></li></ul></div>","PeriodicalId":101057,"journal":{"name":"Rangelands","volume":"48 5","pages":"Pages 166-183"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149234017","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"","authors":"Matthew J. Germino","doi":"10.1016/j.rala.2026.07.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rala.2026.07.004","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":101057,"journal":{"name":"Rangelands","volume":"48 4","pages":"Pages 159-163"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148810761","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Field-based soil characterization in AIM monitoring: A case study of reliability challenges in North‑Central Montana","authors":"Hunter S. Stier,&nbsp;Michael Borgreen,&nbsp;Heather Nenninger,&nbsp;Anthony S. Hartshorn,&nbsp;Lance B. McNew","doi":"10.1016/j.rala.2026.05.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rala.2026.05.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><ul><li><span>•</span><span><div>Accurate soil assessments are essential for identifying ecological sites, which underpin effective rangeland monitoring and management decisions.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>Our study found poor agreement between two field crews and laboratory measurements of soil texture, with discrepancies contributing to misclassification of ecological sites.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>Over 80% of ecological site classifications differed between two trained field crews, highlighting challenges in standardizing field-based protocols.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>Some soil properties, like effervescence and structure, showed higher interrater reliability, suggesting a potential for more consistent field evaluation.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>Improving technician training, incorporating calibration with lab data, and refining plot-characterization strategies could enhance the accuracy and reliability of ecological site assessments across rangelands.</div></span></li></ul></div></div>","PeriodicalId":101057,"journal":{"name":"Rangelands","volume":"48 4","pages":"Pages 130-137"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148810758","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impacts of livestock grazing and prescribed fire on rangeland seedbanks: A review","authors":"Grant Snider,&nbsp;Hannah Schrock,&nbsp;A. Sophie Westbrook","doi":"10.1016/j.rala.2026.06.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rala.2026.06.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><ul><li><span>•</span><span><div>Rangeland soil seedbanks are crucial to stabilizing plant community composition and maintaining biodiversity, although they can also harbor problematic weeds.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>The effects of rangeland management practices on soil seedbanks are associated with, yet distinct from, the effects of these practices on aboveground plant communities.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>Livestock grazing impacts seed rain from nearby plants, seed dispersal from neighboring ecosystems, seed persistence in the seedbank, and seed germination.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>Prescribed fire impacts seed production, mortality, and germination.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>Advances in seedbank measurement and modeling will enable managers to account for seedbank dynamics in the development of precision rangeland management strategies.</div></span></li></ul></div></div>","PeriodicalId":101057,"journal":{"name":"Rangelands","volume":"48 4","pages":"Pages 148-158"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148810760","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The relative productivity index for assessing local impacts on rangeland condition: Refinement and evaluation","authors":"Guy A. Lomax,&nbsp;Thomas W.R. Powell,&nbsp;Timothy M. Lenton,&nbsp;Andrew M. Cunliffe","doi":"10.1016/j.rala.2026.06.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rala.2026.06.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><ul><li><span>•</span><span><div>The relative productivity index (RPI) compares observed vegetation productivity with the potential productivity of healthy, undegraded rangelands, estimated from climate, soils, and topography using a machine learning model. This provides a dynamic, data-driven baseline against which vegetation condition can be assessed.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>We present an improved RPI version that convincingly outperforms a widely used alternative method (i.e., residual trends analysis) in distinguishing local management impacts from background climate variability in East African rangelands. This improves confidence that detected trends reflect land condition rather than short-term climatic variation.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>RPI does not replace ground monitoring but can reveal underlying changes in vegetation condition that are otherwise masked by rainfall and temperature fluctuations. Case studies help clarify how RPI outputs should be interpreted alongside field indicators.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>RPI shows limited sensitivity to invasive <em>Neltuma</em> (<em>Prosopis</em>) shrubs, highlighting both the robustness of the metric and the importance of interpreting satellite-based assessments alongside local ecological knowledge.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>Because RPI dynamically estimates expected productivity for given climatic and soil conditions, the resulting standardized metric enables direct comparison of rangeland condition across regions and through time, supporting more consistent large-scale monitoring and evaluation of land management.</div></span></li></ul></div></div>","PeriodicalId":101057,"journal":{"name":"Rangelands","volume":"48 4","pages":"Pages 114-129"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148810757","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}