Announcement of Availability and Request for Review and Testing of Provisional Draft Version 5 of Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health Technical Reference (1734-6)

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240

https://www.blm.gov

May 21, 2018

In Reply Refer To:

1734 (200/220) P

EMS TRANSMISSION 05/24/2018

Instruction Memorandum No. 2018-064

Expires:  09/30/2021

To:                                   All Field Office Officials

From:                              Assistant Director, Resources and Planning

Subject:                          Announcement of Availability and Request for Review and Testing of Provisional Draft Version 5 of Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health Technical Reference (1734-6)

DD:  08/31/2018

Program Area:  Inventory and Monitoring Coordination.

Purpose:  This Instruction Memorandum (IM) announces the availability of a provisional copy of Version 5 of Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health (IIRH) Technical Reference [(TR) 1734-6] for review and testing during the 2018 field season, provides guidance for using the protocol for 2018 field assessments, and requires BLM users to complete the new Functional/Structural Groups worksheet for each field assessment.  Comments received following the 2018 field season will be incorporated into the final Version 5 of the IIRH TR.

Policy/Action:  The IIRH protocol is designed for assessing ecosystem function on rangelands and woodlands, which compose a majority of BLM lands.  Changes incorporated in the Version 5 provisional copy (Attachment 1) are designed to further improve the ease of using the protocol in the field and further refine the instructions for additional clarity. Some key changes and clarifications in Version 5 include:

• Slight modifications to several indicator names to improve the consistency between field users. 
• Changes to the protocol to assess the Functional/Structural Groups indicator to better reflect the complexity of this indicator and improve consistency of the rating process.
• Emphasis on use of quantitative measurements to support evaluations. BLM is particularly encouraged to use standardized core methods consistent with the Assessment, Inventory and Monitoring (AIM) Strategy. 
• Inclusion of a Reference Sheet Checklist to ensure that Reference Sheets contain the breadth of information in each indicator narrative required to improve consistency of the indicator rating process.
• A new requirement to complete the reference portion of the updated Functional/Structural (F/S) worksheet when developing or updating ecological site reference sheets.

The provisional copy of Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health TR, V 5 will be distributed at three BLM and one NRCS-sponsored training sessions of Measuring and Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health (MIIRH).  The dates and locations of the MIIRH trainings in 2018 are below:

Date                                               Location

May 1-4                                     Reno, Nevada (BLM)

May 21-24                                 Grand Junction, Colorado (BLM)

June 11-14                                  Manhattan, Kansas (NRCS)

June 19-22                                  Cheyenne, Wyoming (BLM)

The MIIRH instructor cadre will use the Version 5 provisional copy of the technical reference for teaching the classes, and solicit feedback from class participants.  Review and comments are requested from all users of this technical reference by August 31, 2018.  Comments should be submitted using the attached comment form (Attachment 2) to:  Nika Lepak at dlepak@blm.gov.

Consultation and Coordination:  Changes incorporated in the Version 5 provisional copy were identified through 12 years of experience in teaching and applying the methods outlined in Version 4, and were developed in coordination with the interagency author cadre.  Annually, the BLM National Training Center sponsors three MIIRH trainings, with 100-180 students trained in the protocol each year.  These trainings are taught by the authors of the technical reference and provide a valuable forum for user feedback and identifying refinements to the protocol and revisions for the technical reference.  The authors have coordinated with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) on changes that affect reference information that is incorporated into Ecological Site Descriptions.  During the review and testing period outlined in this IM, the provisional draft of Version 5 will also go through concurrent peer review led by United States Geologic Survey (USGS). 

Timeframe: This IM is effective immediately.  Comments are due by August 31, 2018.

Background:  The IIRH protocol has been developed by an interagency cadre comprised of technical experts from the BLM, NRCS, Agricultural Research Service (ARS), USGS and United States Forest Service (USFS), and has been in use by multiple federal agencies for two decades.  The protocol is well accepted and is a valuable tool for communicating rangeland conditions with stakeholders.  It is the primary protocol used for rapidly assessing the condition of rangelands to support the evaluation of the Standards for Rangeland Health across the BLM.  Technical Reference 1734-6 Version 4, which describes the IIRH protocol, was published in 2005.  Refinements and improvements identified through 12 years of experience with class participants and field office personnel applying the methods outlined in Version 4 are incorporated into the provisional draft of Version 5 of the technical reference.  Indicators and attributes used in previous versions of the technical reference are largely the same, and following instructions in the Version 5 provisional copy is not expected to result in differing attribute ratings as compared to assessments completed using Version 4 of TR 1734-6 assuming that the same reference information is used.

Budget Impact:  Publishing the provisional draft and subsequent final draft will require funding for printing and distribution.  In the short-term, field office staff may require additional training to implement the changes in Version 5.  However, over the long-term, the improvements and clarifications in the protocol are expected to result in more consistent, defensible rangeland health assessments, which can provide cost and time savings when completing National Environmental Policy Act for planning, projects, and authorizations.

Manual/Handbook Sections Affected:  Handbook 4180-1 Rangeland Health Standards.

Coordination:  This IM has been coordinated with the Division of Resource Services at the National Operations Center, the Washington Office Resources and Planning Directorate (WO-200), and the BLM National Science Committee.

Contact:  If you have any questions, please contact Kimberly Hackett, Senior Natural Resource Specialist, Division of Forest, Rangeland, Riparian and Plant Conservation (WO-220) at 202-912-7216 or by email at khackett@blm.gov. 

Signed by:                                                        Authenticated by:

Steve Tryon                                                      Robert M. Williams

Acting,  Assistant Director                              Division of IT Policy and Planning

Resources and Planning

2 Attachments

     1 – Provisional Draft Version 5 of Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health Technical Reference (1734-6)

     2 - Comment Form for Provisional Version 5 Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health Technical Reference (1p)