Information needs
The objectives of the resource assessment, which are to provide
information for general planning, are:
· To determine the general nature and condition of the
resource base in the project region;
· To identify the areas within the
region that are of special concern;
· To establish the relative
importance of each area according to the objectives of the project;
and
· To develop a realistic plan of action based on the assessment.
Maps and supplementary reports are the products of the resource
assessment. The maps show the location and extent of different types of land in
relation to other lands. Because a general overview is required, map scales are
commonly smaller than 1:100,000.
In the mapping phase of a resource assessment, the region is
surveyed and divided into areas that are relatively homogeneous in some property
such as vegetation, soil, or land use. At the scales considered here, however,
only broad patterns can be mapped. Mapping units will be somewhat heterogeneous
and will contain a number of different site types. An important purpose of the
report is to relate this diversity by describing the nature and composition of
the mapping units.
Mapping units are not necessarily predefined and may be designed
to meet the needs of a project. These mapping units will become the physical
units around which the study project is organized and probably will become the
units used for many future land management decisions. Thus, criteria used to
define basic mapping units must be carefully selected. In a resource assessment
for range improvement, units should contain areas that (1) have about the same
capacity to sustain one or a set of land uses, and (2) require similar kinds of
management. This characteristic of land is generally called "land capability"
and is determined by a number of factors, such as climate, vegetation, wildlife,
and soil.
Climate
Climate is perhaps the most important factor in determining land
capability because of its direct impact on the immediate resource, such as
forage, and its role in determining the types of vegetation and soil found in a
region.
The climatic data required for a resource assessment are those
that influence the development of soil and the distribution of vegetation.
Average annual temperature, seasonal extremes, frost-free period, evaporation,
and precipitation amounts and their seasonal distribution are the most important
considerations because they help determine soil type, water availability,
vegetation type, and potential plant productivity.
Although climate is important in determining land capability,
only broad generalizations are expected at the resource assessment level. The
purpose is to identify relatively homogeneous climatic zones that could support
one or a limited set of vegetation types.
Vegetation
Since climate cannot be observed directly, vegetation patterns
often are mapped and interpreted as indicators of climate. Many assessments
produce a composite map of climate and vegetation. Intended to serve as an
indicator of climate, it is also an important management tool. An examination of
the environmental history of the region and previous resource assessments, as
well as an interpretation of the information generated during the mapping phases
of the resource assessment, allows the development of a profile of the type of
vegetation that might be found in different parts of the region under "natural"
conditions. This model of potential or climax vegetation ultimately may serve as
a guide for range improvement by suggesting what might be achieved.
It is also necessary to inventory actual vegetation patterns
currently found within the region. A vegetation inventory includes maps and
descriptions of associations, at a minimum, and could also include information
on cover, production, and numbers of plants. Special attention should be given
to determining the value of component species for forage, fuel, and other uses.
At this level of study, the goal is to provide information on
the distribution of resources and, by comparing the results with the estimate of
potential or climax vegetation, to identify areas where there are opportunities
for range improvement, and to indicate areas where problems exist. Perhaps most
important, the inventory of actual vegetation provides a picture of conditions
at the beginning of the project that can serve as a benchmark for measuring
general progress during the course of the project.
Geology
At the resource assessment level, geology is described in
general terms. Primary consideration is given to identifying rock type and
structure within the region. Geologic information provides a structural
framework for the region and also is used to help form a general understanding
of regional hydrology and the evolution of landforms and soils by providing
clues to the origin, age, and mineralogical composition of surface materials.
Landform
Landform is the feature commonly used to unify or provide a
framework for the mapping aspects of the resource assessment. In most cases,
landform is the most readily mapped feature of the landscape, and it is
frequently correlated with other, less easily observed features, such as
hydrology or soil. Not surprisingly, some vegetation types within the region may
be consistently associated with a particular soil. Thus, an understanding of
regional landform-soil-vegetation relationships is a powerful and necessary tool
in developing the physical base of a resource assessment. An analysis of
information on landform provides a general framework for survey while indicating
some of the areas that might be especially susceptible to erosion. These areas
would warrant special attention in a range improvement project.
Soils
Along with climate, soil type ultimately determines land
capability. At the resource assessment level, however, only general soil
information is gathered. This includes soil texture, soil morphology (that is,
depth and presence of limiting horizons), general soil chemistry, and
susceptibility to flooding or erosion. Ideally, many soil properties can be
inferred from climate, landform, slope, and existing land use.
Soil types are not mapped at the resource assessment level
unless the environment of the region is very simple. More typically, natural
groupings of soil types, such as soil associations, are mapped. Although soil
types are not mapped, descriptions of them are acquired to portray the range of
conditions that will be found within the broader mapping unit.
Water
Delineation of watershed boundaries, major drainage lines, and
other hydrologic features (for example, dry lakes) can help develop a general
hydrologic framework of the region; it can also help facilitate the
interpretation of landforms and soils, and can provide a general view of the
likely distribution of water resources.
In most arid and semiarid regions, the distribution and quality
of surface and near-surface water in an area will restrict the number of options
for range improvement and subsequent management, and will have a major influence
on the course of the project. Thus, a resource assessment must locate sources of
surface water such as springs, streams, lakes, ponds, impoundments, and
irrigation works, as well as average seasonal flows or volumes. Proven
subsurface resources also must be reported by noting the location, depth, and
yield of wells.
Current and Historical Land Use
Descriptions of land use are important for at least three
reasons. First, one of the primary purposes of the resource assessment is to
provide an overview of the mix of regional land uses. A comprehensive
description of land uses will provide a general reference and may suggest
functional economic linkages between land uses, such as irrigated agriculture
and animal grazing systems. Any range improvement project must consider the
relationships that exist between adjacent land uses.
Second, the land uses and management practices found within a
region give some indication of variations in land capability. For example,
pastures that are used only seasonally may be limited in their productivity
because of cold winters or spring flooding. Such lands would require special
consideration.
Third, some range improvement problems are associated with
specific land uses, such as urban developments and woodcutting in many places,
and should be identified for special treatment.
Like climate, some land uses are difficult to observe. Because
of the ambiguous distinctions between some types of vegetation and land use
(rangeland, for example), they are sometimes mapped together. A common
compromise is to map "land cover," which includes all observable features that
cover the land surface, such as vegetation, surface water, and various land uses
(urban development or agriculture, for example).
Information on current land use should include maps and
descriptions of all land uses, settlements, infrastructure (roads, canals, rail
lines, fences, wells, and other watering points), and population estimates.
Descriptions of regional land tenure practices may also be useful in explaining
some land use patterns and management problems.
The patterns observed now may not be directly attributed to
current land use practices. Historical events or land uses that are no longer
observable may have left profound impacts on the land.
For example, highly saline rangelands may have been irrigated at
one time and later abandoned because of salt accumulation. Thus, a general
description of previous land uses, land use practices, and their locations may
be useful in understanding current problems. Moreover, the successes and
failures of the past may provide good evidence of what might be expected and how
changes in management alternatives might be developed during the project.
Livestock and Wildlife
At the resource assessment level, it is necessary to produce a
general census of animal herds within the region. Information gathered might
include herd location, size, composition, general condition, and seasonal
movement. In addition, the forage preferences and consumption patterns of the
largest groups and their place in the local economy should be noted. With this
information, range resources can be described in terms of forage demand, and the
general economic and social impacts of alternative animal management plans can
be
projected.
