Rangeland conservation and management

OSU Extension provides research-based information to help land managers maintain healthy rangelands for livestock, wildlife and native plants. We offer tools and guidance on grazing practices, vegetation management and sustainable land use to support productive and resilient landscapes.

Fostering Stewardship: A How-to Guide for Trainers

By Rachel Werling and Max Bennett

This curriculum package helps natural-resource professionals train landowners on best practices in resource management. Topics include forests, fire, streams, wildlife, soil, pastures, water systems and economics — all issues facing landowners in many parts of the West.

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Photo Credit: Bob - Adobe Stock (Cropped from original)

Latest content

Episode 58: Reconstructing Fire Histories

Micah Schmidt, North East Regional Fire Specialist.

Jacob Putney, Micah Schmidt | Feb 2025 | Podcast episode Peer reviewed (Gray level)

Sagebrush wildflowers: From bloom to seed

Imperiled sagebrush ecosystems and the wildflowers they harbor support countless wildlife species. This 24"x36" poster illustrates the progression of 31 Great Basin wildflowers from bloom to seed across the growing season.

Stella Copeland, Vanessa Schroeder, Alison Agneray, Sarah Barga, Corey Gucker, Sarah Kulpa, Eugénie MontBlanc | Sep 2024 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Managing Douglas-fir–western hemlock forests of the Coast Range and Western Cascades with fire in mind

This brief provides strategies for increasing fire resilience in these forest types. It emphasizes protecting structures through home hardening, creating defensible spaces, utilizing strategic fuel breaks and fostering ...

Kayla Bordelon, Stephen Fitzgerald, Carrie Berger, Aaron Groth | Aug 2024 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

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Videos

Where and when to photo monitor rangeland health?

It is important for you to select an appropriate photo monitoring location and timeframe that will provide you information that will be useful for evaluating your management objectives. In this video, you will learn where to ...

Sergio Arispe, Dustin Johnson | Jan 2025 | Video Peer reviewed (Gray level)

Land Management Planning Addresses Ecological Threats

Wildfire and Invasive annual grasses and encroaching juniper can threaten the ecosystem and viability of rangeland-based agricultural operations. OSU Extension created an innovative, online land management planning course to equip ...

Sergio Arispe | Jan 2022 | Video

Sage Grouse Field Research

In the fall of 2017, a reporter and videographer joined a wildlife biologists from Oregon State University and the Bureau of Land Management as they spent an evening in Lake County, Oregon, capturing and tagging sage-grouse for a research project.

Andrew Olsen | Jun 2024 | Video

Digital mapping

Digital mapping tools: Part 1, the basics

Get more out of your smartphone! Free or low-cost digital mapping tools can help you track your path, measure a boundary, calculate area and pinpoint problem areas so you can find them again. You can even map vegetation via satellite imagery.

Norma Kline, Alicia Christiansen | Mar 2021 | OSU Extension Catalog

Digital mapping tools: Part 2, printing a topographic map

For a big-picture view of the landscape, sometimes nothing beats the power of a paper map. Save yourself a trip to the store and print out just the map you need from any number of free websites.

Norma Kline, Alicia Christiansen | Apr 2024 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Gray level)

Wildfire Defensible Space for the Farm and Ranch

By Jacob Powell

This is a webinar recording from May 2021 covering wildfire defensible space for homes and agricultural operations. Ariel Cowan, OSU Regional Fire Specialist for the Central Region, covers steps homeowners and agricultural producers can take on their structures to create wildfire defensible space. Jacob Powell, General Agricultural Extension Agent, covers additional steps farmers and ranchers can take to expand defensible space across their entire operation.

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Photo Credit: jryanc10 - Adobe Stock (Cropped from original)

Threat management resources

OSU builds partnerships to conserve the sagebrush ecosystem

This work is critical for the future of Oregon’s rangelands, particularly in Eastern Oregon, where sagebrush ecosystems support both wildlife and the ranching economy.

Vanessa Schroeder, Dustin Johnson | May 2025 | Impact story

OSU rangeland researchers help mitigate spread of invasive grasses

Communities in Eastern Oregon are better equipped to protect their rangelands from invasive grasses, reduce wildfire risk and restore the productivity and resilience of these vital ecosystems.

Vanessa Schroeder, Dustin Johnson | May 2025 | Impact story

Range improvements: Tools and methods to improve cattle distribution

Uneven grazing patterns on rangeland can lead to overuse of forage in some areas and no use or waste in areas not visited by cattle. Range improvements that promote more even grazing can increase pasture carrying capacity and...

David Ganskopp | May 2024 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Gray level)

Latest news

OSU builds partnerships to conserve the sagebrush ecosystem

This work is critical for the future of Oregon’s rangelands, particularly in Eastern Oregon, where sagebrush ecosystems support both wildlife and the ranching economy.

Vanessa Schroeder, Dustin Johnson | May 2025 | Impact story

Extension central to strategic action to combat invasive annual grasses in Wallowa County

Through strategic planning, community collaboration and targeted resource use, the Wallowa County Invasive Annual Grasses Partnership is creating a lasting impact.

Peter Schreder | Apr 2025 | Impact story

Workshops boosts weed control efforts in Eastern Oregon

Attendees helped strengthen the agriculture and natural resources workforce in northeast Oregon, filling critical gaps in weed management capacity.

Will Price | Mar 2025 | Impact story

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Field crops

Pasture and forages

Fire

Forest health and management

Integrated pest management

Water management and conservation

Meet Our Experts

Sergio Arispe

Associate Professor, Livestock and Rangeland

Dustin Johnson

Assistant Professor of Practice

Jacob Powell

Crops & Livestock, Associate Professor of Practice

Will Price

Assistant Professor of Practice

My Extension and research programs focus on rangeland based livestock production in Baker and Union Counties.

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How to manage tansy ragwort?

Q: We have wheat planted and along our fence line we have an infestation of tansy ragwort. Is it a good time to cut the flowers off, bag them, and leave the plant; or should I spray it? The neighbor across the road has...

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