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

Inland Pacific Northwest Pasture Calendar

Learn the opportunities and challenges of sustainably raising forages in a diverse environment.

Steve Fransen, Sergio Arispe, Mylen Bohle, Brendan Brazee, Scott Duggan, Richard Fleenor, Tipton Hudson, Richard Koenig, Scott Jensen, Donald A. Llewellyn, Amanda Moore, Ian McGregor, J. Shannon Neibergs, Steve Norberg, Ian Reid, Joseph Sagers, Glenn Shewmaker, Christy Tanner, Guojie Wang, Ashlee Westerhold, Carmen Willmore | Mar 2024 | Extension Catalog publication

Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center (EOARC) YouTube channel (in English)

Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center (EOARC) YouTube channel has videos on their research and educational programs. EOARC is a cooperative research effort between Oregon State University and USDA-Agricultural Research Service focusing on rangeland ecology and restoration of wildlands, environmentally compatible livestock systems, forage crops, and alternative livestock systems in the sagebrush-steppe of the Great Basin and inland coniferous forests of the Pacific Northwest. The Center's research program is unique in the integration of research about beef cattle, rangeland, wildlife, watershed, and forest management.

Dec 2023 | Online resource

Threat-based Management for Creeks, Streams and Rivers

This guide is a decision-support tool for understanding how riparian areas such as creeks, rivers and streams should function in sagebrush ecosystems. Land managers can determine whether a riparian area is functioning properly and how to restore or maintain proper function.

Dirk Renner, Jackie Cupples, Jeremy Austin, Tammy Barnes, Chad Boyd, Dustin Johnson, Vanessa Schroeder, Anya Tyson | Dec 2023 | Extension Catalog publication

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Videos

Where and When to Photo Monitor Rangeland Health? (in English)

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 (in English)

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 ...

Sergio Arispe | Jan 2022 | Video

Sage Grouse Field Research (in English)

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 a research project.

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

Latest news

Science of wildfire, provided by OSU Extension, influences art exhibition

The scientists involved were OSU Extension’s Ariel Cowan and Katie Wollstein, who spent several days with the cohort talking about wildfire on Oregon’s high desert rangelands and forests – its ecology, what drives it and the challenges to manage it.

Francesca Rossi | Apr 19, 2024 | News story

Extension partnership focuses on reduction of invasive annual grasses in Wallowa County

A suite of tools will be used to strategically address the problem of annual invasive grasses in Wallowa County through conservation, restoration and management.

Peter Schreder | Apr 2024 | Impact story

Extension collaboration helps develop first-of-its-kind stream assessment tool

The stream assessment tool is now in use across all sage-grouse conservation plans on private lands in Oregon, totaling over 600,000 acres.

Vanessa Schroeder, Dustin Johnson | Apr 2024 | Impact story

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Field crops

Pasture and forages

Fire

Forest health and management

Integrated pest management

Water management and conservation

Meet Our Experts

Sergio Arispe

Associate Professor, Livestock and Rangeland

Dustin Johnson

Assistant Professor of Practice

Jacob Powell

Crops & Livestock, Assistant Professor of Practice

Will Price

Assistant Professor of Practice

My Extension and research programs focus on rangeland based livestock production in Baker and Union Counties.

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How to manage Tansy Ragwort?

P: We have wheat planted and along our fence line we have an infestation of tansy ragwort. Is it a good time to cut the flowers off, bag them, and leave the plant; or should I spray it? The neighbor across the road has...

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