The Rancher’s ALMANAC

Abstract

The mathematical Agricultural Land Management Alternatives with Numerical Assessment Criteria (ALMANAC) Model simulates shortand longterm western rangeland vegetation response to various conservation strategies. The model was chosen by the Rangeland Conservation Effects Assessment Program to assess rangeland health across the western United States. Here we demonstrate the model’s accuracy as compared to NRCS Ecological Site Description data at sites in Nevada, Utah, and California. The model is free and available to the public. The USDA–ARS Grassland, Soil, and Water Research Lab at Temple, Texas (http://www.ars.usda.gov/spa/gswrl), conducts free seminars on input parameter development and ALMANAC simulation training. The United States’ western rangelands are a valuable national natural resource. Rangelands provide important ecological benefi t: storing carbon in the soils, mitigating soil loss, and supporting a diversity of plant, animal, and fungal species. Their economic services are comparably important; they support a vibrant and varied livestock industry, maintain wildlife habitat, and provide recreational opportunity to hikers, birders, wildlife photographers, and off-road enthusiasts. They also are valued by the scientifi c community, including geologists, hydrologists, plant and animal ecologists, and soil scientists, to name a few. However, these lands face mounting pressures from urban and suburban expansion, exotic species invasions, changing fi re dynamics, and increased human use. We must determine the best management strategies for these lands to maintain their sustainability for perpetuity, so that we can enjoy the resource now while maintaining it for future generations. Here we demonstrate the applicability of a promising decision support tool to help guide us towards sustainable management decisions: the ALMANAC model.