The photo guides in Figures 1 and 2 can be used to accurately estimate percent utilization of individual plants and thereby help observers to identify the appropriate utilization category for mapping. Description of categories for mapping utilization. No plants grazed. Only the best forage plants were grazed. Repeat Photography Repeat photography is a quick and objective way to assess long-term changes in rangeland health.
Photographs are also very useful for communicating with others.
Family members, ranch employees, personnel from government agencies, judges and juries, and interested citizens can all readily understand information presented in photographs. One good picture usually conveys a message more effectively than voluminous amounts of numerical data. Photo monitoring is easy. Use a 35 mm camera and color print film with an exposure index of 100. At each monitoring location, take a close-up photo of the ground and a general, or landscape, view picture.