How do I decide where to monitor?
For many, this seems to be the hardest part of monitoring: deciding where to establish monitoring plots. Fortunately, there are some basic guidelines we can follow to ensure that our monitoring locations are in line with our goals and objectives and will provide information that truly reflects what we want to monitor.
Start with the big picture: Not all rangeland is created equal, and we should compare apples to apples. There are several ways to classify land areas: by land use, vegetation (current or historic), soils, and climate, among others. The most current and widely used rangeland classification system is the ecological site. An ecological site — also referred to as "range site" — is an area with similar soil and climate conditions. These conditions determine the kind and amount of vegetation produced on that site. Monitoring sites should be selected to represent the different types of ecological sites on the unit.
Now we have to ask the more specific question of where within these ecological sites we are going to establish the monitoring plot. The selection of study site should clearly reflect the management or monitoring objectives. For example, if monitoring riparian vegetation, the monitoring site should be located in a riparian area.
Criteria used for selecting sites are generally based on:
- seral state of plant community
- topography
- location of water, fences, and natural boundaries
- areas of animal concentration
- presence of species of interest
- kinds of statistical comparisons or interpretations intended
All these criteria help us to identify key and critical areas to monitor.
Key areas are a portion of land which, because of location, grazing or browsing value, or topography, serve as an indicator of land conditions, trend, or degree of seasonal use by animals. These key areas are considered indicators of what is happening on a larger area as a result of on-the-ground management actions.
Critical areas are units that contain unique or special values, such as fragile watersheds, sage-grouse nesting grounds, riparian areas, and habitats with rare plants.
Remember: Monitoring sites must always be clearly mapped and documented. In other words, explain somewhere in your survey notes why and how you selected the sites for evaluation.