Monitoring residual dry matter on rangelands with remote sensing
Saturday, January 17, 2015 at 11:36AM Tsalyuk, M., M. Kelly, K. Koy, W. M. Getz, and H. S. Butterfield. 2015. Monitoring the Impact of Grazing on Rangeland Conservation Easements Using MODIS Vegetation Indices. Rangeland Ecology and Management 68(2): 173–185
Residual dry matter (RDM), the dry grass biomass left on the ground in the fall, is a widely used proxy for rangeland conditions. We developed a method to efficiently monitor RDM using time series of three Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite-based vegetation indices (VIs). We found a significant correlation between RDM and the VIs, especially the Leaf Area Index (LAI), which predicts compliance with RDM conservation easement terms. Our rangeland management model uses time series of MODIS VIs to predict forage quantities, manage stocking rates, and monitor rangeland easement compliance, efficiently, rapidly, and reliably. Journal Link