Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) grazing lands assessments quantify the effects of voluntary conservation efforts across the nation’s non-federal grazing lands, including private pastureland and rangeland.
About Grazing Lands Assessments
Grazing land is a collective term for rangeland, pastureland, grazed forestland, native and naturalized pasture, hayland, and grazed cropland. Through CEAP, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) quantifies trends in voluntary conservation practices across the nation’s private grazing lands.
CEAP assessments inform management decisions for a diversity of land managers and partners by highlighting the effects of conservation practices – and identifying where they are needed – with respect to factors such as plant productivity, soil erosion, and water quality. CEAP also provides tools, interpreted data layers, and other products for conservation planners, ranchers, and partners to use when considering the best solutions for healthy, productive grazing lands. Details on the methods for grazing land assessments are available on the CEAP Frequently Asked Questions page.
Grazing Lands Publications and Tools
Reports, Articles, and Bibliographies
Reports, Articles, and Bibliographies
The below publications provide data and associated insights on the effects of voluntary conservation across the nation's grazing lands. Categories include reports and articles and bibliographies. Within each category publications are organized in descending order by date.
Reports and Articles
- Multi-Temporal LiDAR and Hyperspectral Data Fusion for Classification of Semi-Arid Woody Cover Species, 2022, Remote Sensing
- Quantifying Watershed Scale Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) Evapotranspiration Effects on Streamflow Using the Long-term Water Balance, 2021 (6.4 MB)
- Accounting for Nature's Value with USDA-NRCS Conservation Practices in the Central Great Plain 2020 (26.8 MB)
- Simulating Spatial Complexity in Dry Conifer Forest Restoration: Implications for Conservation Prioritization and Scenario Evaluation, 2020, Landscape Ecology
- Grazing Lands: Progress & Impacts of Efforts Toward a Grazing Lands National Assessment, 2019, Rangelands
- An Effects Assessment Framework for Dry Forest Conservation, 2019
- Assessing Conservation Practice Effects on Grazing Lands, 2019
- CEAP Quantifies Conservation Outcomes for Wildlife and People on Western Grazing Lands, 2019
- Collaborative Approaches to Strengthen the Role of Science in Rangeland Conservation, 2019
- Evaluation of Ecological Site Classes and Community Classes for Regional Scale Modeling of Conservation Effects on Grazing Lands:
- MLRA 53B, 2018 (0.8 MB)
- MLRA 54, 2018 (0.9 MB)
- MLRA 60A, 2018 (0.8 MB)
- MLRA 67B, 2017 (2.1 MB)
- MLRA 69, 2017 (1.8 MB)
- MLRA 74, 2016 (0.7 MB)
- MLRA 77C, 2016 (1.3 MB)
- MLRA 77E, 2017 (1.4 MB)
- Process-based Simulation of Prairie Growth, 2017, Ecological Modelling
- Incorporating Hydrologic Data and Ecohydrologic Relationships into Ecological Site Descriptions, 2016, Rangeland Ecology & Management
- The National Wind Erosion Research Network: Building a Standardized Long-term Data Resource for Aeolian Research, Modeling and Land Management, 2016, Aeolian Research
- Development of an Integrated Multiplatform Approach for Assessing Brush Management Conservation Efforts in Semiarid Rangelands, 2015, Journal of Applied Remote Sensing
- Rangeland CEAP: An Assessment of Natural Resources Conservation Service Practices, 2013, Rangelands
- A Rangeland Hydrology and Erosion Model, 2011, Transactions of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers
- AGWA: The Automated Geospatial Watershed Assessment Tool to Inform Rangeland Management, 2011, Society for Range Management
- Pastureland Conservation Effects Assessment Project: Status and Expected Outcomes, 2011, Journal of Soil and Water Conservation
- Techniques for Assessing the Environmental Outcomes of Conservation Practices Applied to Rangeland Watersheds, 2011, Journal of soil and Water Conservation
- Wildfire and Invasive Plants in American Deserts, 2011, Rangeland Ecology and Management
- National Ecosystem Assessments Supported by Scientific and Local Knowledge, 2010, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
- A New Splash and Sheet Erosion Equation for Rangeland, 2009, Soil Science Society of America Journal
- Pasture Monitoring at a Farm Scale with the USDA NRCS Pasture Condition Score System, 2009, Journal of Soil and Water Conservation
- Assessing the Benefits of Grazing Land Conservation Practices, 2008, Journal of Soil and Water Conservation
- Responses of Plant Communities to Grazing in the Southwestern United States, 2006 (1.7 MB)
- Sustainable Rangeland Roundtable Core Indicators, 2006 (0.6 MB)
- Grazing Lands Assessment Fact Sheet, 2006 (1.5 MB)
Bibliographies
Fact Sheets: Conservation Insights and Science Notes
Fact Sheets: Conservation Insights and Science Notes
The below fact sheets include Conservation Insights and Science Notes on the effects of voluntary conservation on grazing lands. Fact sheets within each category are organized in descending order by date.
Conservation Insights
- Rotational vs. Continuous Stocking Comparisons: Environmental and Wildlife Responses, 2015, (0.5 MB)
- Modern Sustainable Production Needs for Pasture and Forage Systems, 2014, (0.6 MB)
- National Trends and Resource Concerns in Managing Grazing Land Ecosystem Services, 2014, (0.1 MB)
Science Notes
- Livestock Concentration Areas on Intensively Managed Pastures, 2014, (0.2 MB)
- Water Quality Effects and Placement of Pasture Best Management Practices in the Spring Creek Watershed (Centre County, PA), 2014, (0.3 MB)
- Simulating the Effects of Brush Management on Runoff and Erosion on the ARS Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed, 2012, (0.4 MB)
- Simulating the Effects of Fire on the ARS Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed, 2012, (0.3 MB)
Webinars
Webinars
The below Conservation Outcomes Webinar recordings feature scientists and other subject matter experts speaking on the effects of voluntary conservation across the nation's grazing lands. Webinar recordings are organized in descending order by date.
- February 23, 2023 – Sustaining Southeastern Forests: The Economic and Water Use Impacts of Privately-Owned Pine Woodlands and Restored Longleaf Pine Forests: Webinar Recording (Captions Available), Presentation Slides, and Additional Resources One-Pager
- December 8, 2022 – Reducing Woody Encroachment to Conserve Rangeland Production in the Great Plains: Webinar Recording (Captions Available), Presentation Slides, and Additional Resources One-Pager
- February 25, 2021 – Rangeland Analysis Platform: Integrating Production and Economics into Area-Wide Planning: Webinar Recording
- November 12, 2020 – Linking Ecosystem Service Values to Rangeland Practices in the Central Great Plains: Webinar Recording
- July 23, 2020 – Quantifying Restoration Outcomes in Frequent-Fire Forests: Webinar Recording
- April 23, 2020 – Conservation Outcomes on America’s Western Grazing Lands with NRCS’s Working Lands for Wildlife: Webinar Recording
Tools
Tools
The below tools provide site-specific information and support management decisions across a wide range of working lands, including grazing lands.
- SSURGO-Query Tool: Conservationists, soil scientists, ecological site specialists, and land owners or managers may use the SSURGO-Query Tool, or SSURGO-QT, to query specific soil properties or characteristics within an ecological region, at the soil mapping scale. This tool includes the most pertinent soil characteristics that influence vegetation and water dynamics for uses including vegetation and livestock management, cropping or yield limitations, and ecological modeling for any land use. Users may select from one or more of the 151 specific soil physical, chemical, hydrological, and climate regime characteristics for all soils mapped by the Natural Resources Conservation Service to populate the map and understand how their soils may affect their goals and objectives.
- VGS – Vegetation GIS Data System: VGS is a data system designed for both field data collectors and data managers that offers standard protocols supported by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Forest Service, and others. Users may leverage VGS to interpret indicators of rangeland health, assess pasture conditions, or a suite of other applications on any type of land, including rangeland, cropland, and forests. VGS handles both qualitative and quantitative data, photos, geocoordinates, and support documents and performs background calculations for instant display of results, including the ability to compare past and present data and imagery.
Additional Resources
Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP)
USDA’s Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) is a multi-agency effort led by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to quantify the effects of conservation practices across the nation’s working lands.
Learn MoreFrequently Asked Questions | Conservation Effects Assessment Project
This webpage provides answers to frequently asked questions about the Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP).
Last Updated: February 28, 2023
Learn MorePublications | Conservation Effects Assessment Project
USDA’s Conservation Effects Assessment Project, CEAP, provides a suite of publications highlighting the effects of voluntary conservation across the nation’s working lands.
Learn MoreConservation Outcomes Webinar Series
The bi-monthly Conservation Outcomes Webinar Series provides key findings, data, and tools to support producers and partners in pursuing voluntary conservation efforts across the nation's working lands.
Learn More