A long-term, operational-scale, true experiment on woody plant removal treatment effects revealed limits to grassland restoration that direct future investments esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Large‐scale experimental evaluation of woody plant removal in desert grassland: Restoration, novelty, or degradation?

Woody plant encroachment into grassy ecosystems is a worldwide phenomenon that radically transforms ecosystem services. Billions of dollars have been spent to remove woody plants, but there is great ....

esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Vegetation state change in #drylands strongly controls dust emissions, leading to orders of magnitude changes in sediment flux. Perennial grass loss increases dust, but we show grass #restoration can reduce it. agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...

Magnitude Shifts in Aeolian Sediment Transport Associated With Degradation and Restoration Thresholds in Drylands

Aeolian sediment transport rates changed over four orders of magnitude across grassland to shrubland ecological states Critical perennial grass cover thresholds for magnitude shifts in transport ...

agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

For those at the Society for Range Management meeting in Spokane, we will be have a short workshop on state-and-transition models/ecological sites in #rangelands , Wednesday February 12 at 2:20PM. Come join us! @mduniway.bsky.social #soils

Jornada scientists and collaborators enjoyed giving a field tour to USDA ARS leadership on several research programs including vegetation and carbon dynamics, precision ranching, wind erosion modeling, nutrient circularity, drought adaptation, and science education

75 mm of rain over the last 17 months, grazed, but with some reproduction, high diversity. Loamy soils over a calcium carbonate hardpan helps. An amazingly resilient Chihuahuan desert grassland.

Precision ranching is a very promising approach to solving grazing management problems in extensive arid rangelands and represents an option for sustainable/regenerative ag that’s gaining lots of interest. See our test on the Jornada Experimental Range here: youtu.be/9P9kiUh_Cts

Precision Ranching Technology for Adaptive Management

YouTube video by The Jornada

youtu.be

Grassland to shrubland state change in the Chihuahuan Desert reduces predation risk for rabbits, and rabbits (and rodents) contribute to state change. Two new papers show this underappreciated and complex feedback in drylands #LTER doi.org/10.1111/1365... doi.org/10.1002/ecy....

Effects of multiple mammalian herbivores and climate on grassland–shrubland transitions in the Chihuahuan Desert

The replacement of grasses by shrubs or bare ground (xerification) is a primary form of landscape change in drylands globally with consequences for ecosystem services. The potential for wild herbivor...

doi.org