TY - JOUR T1 - An integrated grazingland assessment approach for range and pasturelands JF - Journal of Soil and Water Conservation SP - 450 LP - 459 DO - 10.2489/jswc.71.6.450 VL - 71 IS - 6 AU - D. Toledo AU - M. Sanderson AU - S. Goslee AU - J. Herrick AU - G. Fults Y1 - 2016/11/01 UR - http://www.jswconline.org/content/71/6/450.abstract N2 - In the United States, rangelands and pasturelands have traditionally been assessed using different methods and indicators. The most commonly used rangeland health assessment protocol on US rangelands is the Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health (IIRH) assessment, while pasturelands are usually assessed using the Pasture Condition Score (PCS) system. The IIRH method provides a way of detecting changes in ecological attributes relative to a site's ecological potential. PCS informs managers about the utility of an area for livestock production or factors that could be keeping the area from operating at its full or optimized productive potential. There is a need for an improved grazingland assessment tool that merges the relevant elements of both the rangeland and pastureland assessment methods while taking into account the differing ecosystem attributes and management objectives of the grazinglands where these methods are usually applied. We use IIRH and PCS data collected at two locations in the Northern Great Plains of the United States to describe our approach and demonstrate its usefulness. We present an improved grazingland assessment protocol that is applicable to range and pasturelands that highlights the complementarity of the IIRH and PCS approaches. This improved assessment and monitoring protocol allows evaluators to assess site conditions and to make interpretations regarding management based on site-specific attributes. Standardized grazingland assessment and monitoring protocols based on ecological and land management principles will ultimately improve national level assessments and will provide a valuable and efficient tool for assessing, managing, and monitoring grazinglands. ER -