Biological Capabilities of Selected Ecological Sites in the Western Dakotas

Abstract

The study was conducted on the Dakota Prairie National Grasslands (DPG) within the Little Missouri National Grassland (LMNG) of North Dakota and Grand River National Grassland (GRNG) of South Dakota during the summer and fall of 2012. The objectives of this study was to 1) determine if three ecological sites (loamy, thin loamy, and claypan) are biologically capable of producing an 8.89 cm visual obstruction reading (VOR) at the end of the grazing season when cattle are excluded and 2) establish a relationship between VOR and standing crop. Vegetative structure was determined using a modified Robel pole. Standing crop was collected by clipping to ground level using a 0.178m2 hoop. Based on our results from one year of data, only the loamy sites on the LMNG were biologically capable of producing 8.89 cm of structure at the end of the grazing season in the DPG.