Rangeland Conservation and Management

Fostering Stewardship: A How-to Guide for Trainers

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

Pace 180° and Repeat Photography: Monitoring Methods for Documenting Vegetation Trend in Sagebrush Rangelands

Monitoring trends in vegetation is an important component of effective rangeland management. The best monitoring program is the one that not only provides needed information, but also fits within time and resources constraints over ...

Dustin Johnson, Rob Sharp | Oct 2012 | Article Peer reviewed (Gray level)

Reduce wildfire risk and improve fire response: Coordinating planning, funding and implementation

Wildfire risk reduction typically must occur at a scale beyond individual parcels. Learn how one rangeland fire protection association assembled a coalition to create a fire prevention and management plan.

Katherine Wollstein | Jun 2022 | Article Peer reviewed (Gray level)

Ecological site descriptions can improve rangeland management

Eastern Oregon’s rangelands are diverse due to different soils, topography and climate. Ranchers and land managers who view the landscape as a collection of ecological sites can better predict how vegetation and other resources ...

Vanessa Schroeder, Dustin Johnson | Dec 2022 | Article Peer reviewed (Gray 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 | Nov 2017 | Video

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 ...

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...

Andrew Olsen | Sep 2018 | 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 | Article

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 | Mar 2021 | Article

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 Sagebrush Habitat Team responds to threats to vast ecosystem

Created in 2016, the team works in general themes related to its mission, including: sagebrush ecosystem management, wildlife conservation and management, and related trainings and outreach.

Vanessa Schroeder, Dustin Johnson | Jun 2021 | Impact story

Rangeland faculty help mitigate spread of invasive grasses

Research is incorporated into the Harney County Cooperative Weed Management Area, which will restore 20,000 acres that have been invaded by medusahead in western Harney County.

Dustin Johnson | Aug 2020 | 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 | Jan 2019 | Article Peer reviewed (Gray level)

Latest News

OSU Extension outreach results in special issue of Rangelands journal

The special issue is an urgent call to action among rangeland managers and practitioners.

Kym Pokorny | Jul 4, 2022 | News story

Sage grouse studies find mixed results from hunting restrictions in West

Conservation of the birds prompted research led by the Oregon State University Extension Service to determine whether hunting affects the birds’ population.

Kym Pokorny | Oct 11, 2021 | News story

Insect data from OSU research helps assess habitat quality for sage-grouse

The information allows the Bureau of Land Management to correlate sagebrush steppe vegetation data and insect populations to better assess the condition of sage-grouse habitat.

Fara Brummer | Mar 2021 | Impact story

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Field Crops

Pasture and Forages

Fire

Forest Health and Management

Integrated Pest Management

Water Management and Conservation

Upcoming Events

Feb 11

Planting Forest Tree Seedlings

9:00 am - 2:00 pm Oregon City, OR

Mar 9

Managing Forests in a Changing Climate

6:30 pm - 8:00 pm PST Online

Jun 30

Tree School East 2023

Baker City, OR

Meet Our Experts

Sergio Arispe

Associate Professor, Livestock and Rangeland

Tammy Barnes

Assistant Professor (Practice), Animal & Rangeland Sciences

Dustin Johnson

Assistant Professor of Practice

Jacob Powell

Crops & Livestock, Assistant Professor of Practice

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