Trend Studies
Trend studies are utilized to record and compare data on the landscape. Each study is typically read every five years and usually involves an area that was treated for vegetation overgrowth, such as an overpopulation of juniper trees that is chained down and seeded with different native grasses. We read a few dozen trend studies this season. Above is a picture of my crewmember and I working our way down a line of vegetation and reading the vegetation along it. From this information we are able to determine the successes of the treatments and overall growth of species in the area. |
Trend Studies
A typical trend study measures 10 twenty-five yard tape measures. This can be very meticulous work, and is best done in teams of three. One person records the data that the other two yell out as they leap from their way down a tape, setting a fork down every .5 meters and reading the vegetation within certain sections of the fork. This monitoring system has been utilized by the BLM for over twenty years, and it is truly astounding to see some of the differences in the landscape over time. |
AIM Monitoring
AIM stands for Assessment Inventory Monitoring, and is an extremely precise way of taking exact measurements in vegetation and soil profiles. Each year, we must attend a week long training and brush up on calibration techniques, the monitoring system itself, and other important landscape and data information. The training is critical to the success and accuracy of the information we collect, and as such AIM provides the most accurate landscape data that is currently available in the United States. It is utilized by different land management agencies and also by several university agricultural programs. Our AIM crew could accomplish just about one plot per day, and involved a standard team of 4 crewmembers. We monitored and recorded vegetation height, canopy gaps, species per site, and also collected soil data. The soil data included soil horizons, stability, effervescence, and profiles based on color and clay content. AIM monitoring is time consuming and demands extreme articulation and patience. |