Management Implications of Climate Impacts on Southwestern Grasslands
Channel: Conservation and Adaptation Resources Toolbox
Date: 2023-06-26

This webinar features presentations from Joel Biederman (USDA-ARS)  00:02:48 and Martha Sample (NAU) 00:27:21 followd by a Q&A 00:42:36

Joel Biederman – The Rainfall Manipulation experiment (RainManSR) is a three-year field experiment in a semiarid grassland where researchers measured the response of plants and soil to 3.5 – 21 day droughts and inversely varying rainfall magnitudes of 5 – 60 mm. Fewer, larger storms 1) delayed peak photosynthesis without changing magnitude; 2) Reduced root density by 40% in the top 10 cm while increasing roots by 30% at 45 cm depth; 3) increased perennial bunchgrass biomass by 30%; 4) confirmed that deeper-rooted perennial plants have access to deeper moisture.

Martha Sample – Researchers at the Center for Adaptable Western Landscapes at Northern Arizona University worked with a collaborative group of scientists, managers, and adaptation specialists to develop a set of six core strategies and 17 nested approaches for climate adaptation in arid grasslands. Supported by both the scientific literature and combined decades of management experience, the “Arid Grassland Menu” compiles a broad spectrum of adaptation possibilities to match an equally diverse set of management scenarios. Teams of managers have successfully used the menu as a tool to identify strategies and approaches appropriate to their specific goals, climate impacts, and institutional mandates. 

Presented by Joel Biederman (United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service) and Martha Sample (Northern Arizona University) on June 8th, 2023