Publications and Reports

Core RAP Publications

These publications describe the methods behind the core RAP datasets — vegetation cover and herbaceous biomass. Cite these papers if using RAP datasets in research projects.

2021 Allred, B.W., B.T. Bestelmeyer, C.S. Boyd, C. Brown, K.W. Davies, M.C. Duniway, L.M. Ellsworth, T.A. Erickson, S.D. Fuhlendorf, S.D., T.V. Griffiths, V. Jansen, M.O. Jones, J. Karl, A. Knight, J.D. Maestas, J.J. Maynard, S.E. McCord, D.E. Naugle, H.D. Starns, D. Twidwell, and D.R. Uden.  Improving Landsat predictions of rangeland fractional cover with multitask learning and uncertainty. Methods in Ecology and Evolution https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.13564 * Link
2021 Jones, M.O., N.P. Robinson, D.E. Naugle, J.D. Maestas, M.C. Reeves, R.W. Lankston, and B.W. Allred.  Annual and 16-day rangeland production estimates for the western United States. bioRxiv 2020.11.06.343038 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rama.2021.04.003 **
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2019 Robinson, N.P., M.O. Jones, A. Moreno, T.A. Erickson, D.E. Naugle, and B.W. Allred.  Rangeland productivity partitioned to sub-pixel plant functional typesRemote Sensing 11:1427. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs11121427 Link
2018 Jones, M.O., B.W. Allred, D.E. Naugle, J.D. Maestas, P. Donnelly, L.J. Metz, J. Karl, R. Smith, B. Bestelmeyer, C. Boyd, J.D. Kerby, and J.D. McIver.  Innovation in rangeland monitoring: annual, 30 m, plant functional type percent cover maps for U.S. rangelands, 1984-2017Ecosphere 9:e02430. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2430 *** Link

Notes:
* RAP Vegetation Cover, version 2.0
** RAP Herbaceous Biomass
*** RAP Vegetation Cover, version 1.0

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Supporting Publications

These publications support innovative and appropriate uses of the RAP datasets in rangeland management.

2022 Li, Z., Angerer, J.P., Wu, X.B. The impacts of wildfires of different burn severities on vegetation structure across the western United States rangelands Science of The Total Environment. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rala.2021.09.004 Link
2022 Twidwell, D., D.R. Uden, C.P. Roberts, B.W. Allred, M.O. Jones, D.E. Naugle, and C.R. Allen. Mapping panarchy to improve visualization of complex environmental change. In L. H. Gunderson, C. R. Allen, & A. Garmestani (Eds.), Applied Panarchy: Applications and Diffusion Across Disciplines (pp. 136-154). Washington, DC: Island Press.
2021 Allred, B.W., M.K, Creutzburg, J.C. Carlson, C.J. Cole, C.M. Dovichin, M.C. Duniway, M.O. Jones, J.D. Maestas, D.E. Naugle, T.W. Nauman, G.S. Okin, M.C. Reeves, M. Rigge, S.K. Savage, D. Twidwell, D.R. Uden, and B. Zhou. Guiding principles for using satellite-derived maps in rangeland management. Rangelands. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rala.2021.09.004 Link
2020 Naugle, D.E., B.W. Allred, M.O. Jones, D. Twidwell, and J.D. Maestas. Coproducing science to inform working lands: The next frontier in nature conservation. BioScience 70:90-96. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biz144
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2020 Jones, M.O., D.E. Naugle, D. Twidwell, D.R. Uden, J.D. Maestas, and B.W. Allred. Beyond inventories: Emergence of a new era in rangeland monitoring. Rangeland Ecology and Management 73:577-583. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rama.2020.06.009
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2019 Uden, D.R., D. Twidwell, C.R. Allen, M.O. Jones, D.E. Naugle, J.D. Maestas, and B.W. Allred. Spatial imaging and screening and regime shifts. Frontiers Ecology and Evolution 7:e407. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2019.00407
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2018 Robinson, N.P., B.W. Allred, W.K. Smith, M.O. Jones, A. Moreno, T.A. Erickson, D.E. Naugle, and S.W. Running. Terrestrial primary production for the conterminous United States derived from Landsat 30 m and MODIS 250 m. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation 4:264-280. https://doi.org/10.1002/rse2.74
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2017 Robinson, N.P., B.W. Allred, M.O. Jones, A. Moreno, J.S. Kimball, D.E. Naugle, T.A. Erickson, and A.D. Richardson. A dynamic Landsat derived normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) product for the conterminous United States. Remote Sensing 9:863. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs9080863
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Studies using RAP datasets

These publications leverage RAP datasets in some aspect of their analysis of ecological and/or social systems.

2024 Snobl, L.A., Proffitt, K.M., Hansen, C.P., Millspaugh, J.J., Autumn resource selection by female elk in a recently burned landscape in western Montana  Journal of Wildlife Managementhttps://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.22507
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2024 Mcgranahan, D.A., Wonkka, C.L. Pyrogeography of the Western Great Plains: A 40-year history of fire in semi-arid rangelands   Fire https://doi.org/10.3390/fire7010032
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2023 Maestas, J. D., Smith, J. T., Allred, B. W., Naugle, D. E., Jones, M. O., O’Connor, C., Boyd, C. S., Davies, K. W., Crist, M. R., & Olsen, A. C.Using Dynamic, Fuels-Based Fire Probability Maps to Reduce Large Wildfires in the Great Basin. Rangeland Ecology & Management. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2021.119879
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2023 Smith, J. T., Allred, B. W., Boyd, C. S., Davies, K. W., Kleinhesselink, A. R., Morford, S. L., & Naugle, D. E. Fire needs annual grasses more than annual grasses need Biologyical Conservation. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110299
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2023 Kleinhesselink, A. R., Kachergis, E. J., McCord, S. E., Shirley, J., Hupp, N. R., Walker, J., Carlson, J. C., Morford, S. L., Jones, M. O., Smith, J. T., Allred, B. W., & Naugle, D. E. Long-Term Trends in Vegetation on Bureau of Land Management Rangelands in the Western United States.  Rangeland Ecology & Management. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2021.119879
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2023 Davis, K.T., Robles, M.D., Kemp, K.B., Higuera, P.E., Chapman, T., Metlen, K.L., Peeler, J.L., Rodman, K.C., Woolley, T., Addington, R.N., Buma, B.J., Cansler, C.A., Case, M.J., Collins, B.M., Coop, J.D., Dobrowski, S.Z., Gill, N.S., Haffey, C., Harris, L.B., Harvey, B.J., Haugo, R.D., Hurteau, M.D., Kulakowski, D., Littlefield, C.E., McCauley, L.A., Povak, N., Shive, K.L., Smith, E., Stevens, J.T., Stevens-Rumann, C.S., Taylor, A.H., Tepley, A.J., Young, D.J.N., Andrus, R.A., Battaglia, M.A., Berkey, J.K., Busby, S.U., Carlson, A.R., Chambers, M.E., Dodson, E.K., Donato, D.C., Downing, W.M., Fornwalt, P.J., Halofsky, J.S., Hoffman, A., Holz, A., Iniguez, J.M., Krawchuk, M.A., Kreider, M.R., Larson, A.J., Meigs, G.W., Roccaforte, J.P., Rother, M.T., Safford, H., Schaedel, M., Sibold, J.S., Singleton, M.P., Turner, M.G., Urza, A.K., Clark-Wolf, K.D., Yocom, L., Fontaine, J.B., Campbell, J.L., Reduced fire severity offers near-term buffer to climate-driven declines in conifer resilience across the western United States.  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2208120120
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2023 Fernández-Guisuraga, J. M., Calvo, L., Fernandes, P. M., Hulet, A., Perryman, B., Schultz, B., Jensen, K. S., Enterkine, J., Boyd, C. S., Davies, K. W., Johnson, D. D., Wollstein, K., Price, W. J., & Arispe, S. A. Estimates of fine fuel litter biomass in the northern Great Basin reveal increases during short fire-free intervals associated with invasive annual grasses.   Science of The Total Environment https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160634
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2023 Tanner, E. P., Tanner, A. M., Fuhlendorf, S. D., Elmore, R. D., Davis, C. A., & Polo, J. A. Spatio-temporal dynamics in syntopy are driven by variability in rangeland conditions.   Global Ecology and Conservation https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02606
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2023 McGranahan, D. A., & Wonkka, C. L. Fuel Properties of Effective Greenstrips in Simulated Cheatgrass Fires.   Environmental Management https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-022-01659-y
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2023 Bestelmeyer, B. T., Utsumi, S., McCord, S., Browning, D. M., Burkett, L. M., Elias, E., Estell, R., Herrick, J., James, D., Spiegal, S., Webb, N. P., & Williamson, J. Managing an arid ranch in the 21st century: New technologies for novel ecosystems.   Rangelands https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rala.2023.05.002
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2023 Schultz, E. L., Filippelli, S. K., Vogeler, J. C., & Shriver, R. K.Density-dependent dynamics help explain the simultaneous expansion and decline of woodlands in the western US.  Forest Ecology and Management https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2023.121359
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2023 Reed, P. B., & Hallett, L. M.Spatiotemporal patterns of rising annual plant abundance in grasslands of the Willamette Valley, Oregon (USA).   Landscape Ecology https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-023-01754-3
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2022 Price, S., Germino, M. J. Modeling of fire spread in sagebrush steppe using FARSITE: an approach to improving input data and simulation accuracy.   Fire Ecology https://doi.org/10.1186/s42408-022-00147-2
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2022 Hansen, C. P., Kays, R., & Millspaugh, J. J. From backyard to backcountry: Changes in mammal communities across an urbanization gradient.   Journal of Mammalogy https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyad110
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2022 Berger, D. J., German, D. W., John, C., Hart, R., Stephenson, T. R., & Avgar, T. Seeing Is Be-Leaving: Perception Informs Migratory Decisions in Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis sierrae).   Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2022.742275
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2022 Dannenberg, M. P., Yan, D., Barnes, M. L., Smith, W. K., Johnston, M. R., Scott, R. L., Biederman, J. A., Knowles, J. F., Wang, X., Duman, T., Litvak, M. E., Kimball, J. S., Williams, A. P., & Zhang, Y. Exceptional heat and atmospheric dryness amplified losses of primary production during the 2020 U.S. Southwest hot drought Global Change Bioogy. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16214
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2022 Creutzburg, M. K., Olsen, A. C., Anthony, M. A., Maestas, J. D., Cupples, J. B., Vora, N. R., & Allred, B. W. A geographic strategy for cross-jurisdictional, proactive management of invasive annual grasses in Oregon   Rangelands https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rala.2021.12.007
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2022 Fick, S.E., T.W. Nauman, C.C. Brungard, M.C. Duniway. What determines the effectiveness of Pinyon-Juniper clearing treatments? Evidence from the remote sensing archive and counter-factual scenarios. Forest Ecology and Management. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2021.119879
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2022 Lundblad, C. G., Hagen, C. A., Donnelly, J. P., Vold, S. T., Moser, A. M., & Espinosa, S. P. Sensitivity to weather drives Great Basin mesic resources and Greater Sage-Grouse productivity. Ecological Indicators https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.109231 Link
2022 Roberts, C.P., R. Scholts, D.T. Fogarty, D. Twidwell, T.L. Walker Jr. Large-scale fire management restores grassland bird richness for a private lands ecoregion. Ecological Solutions and Evidence. https://doi.org/10.1002/2688-8319.12119 Link
2021 Roberts C., D.R. Uden, S.M. Cady, B.W. Allred, S. Fuhlendorf, M.O. Jones, J.D. Maestas, D. Naugle, A.C. Olsen, J. Smith, J. Tack, D. Twidwell. Tracking spatial regimes as an early warning for a species of conservation concern. Ecological Applications. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2480
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2021 Olsen, A.C., J.P Severson, B.W. Allred, M.O. Jones, J.D. Maestas, D.E. Naugle, K.H. Yates, C.A. Hagen. Reversing Tree Encroachment Increases Usable Space for Sage-Grouse during the Breeding Season. Wildlife Society Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.1214
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2021 Pilliod, D.S., J.L. Beck, C.J. Duchardt, J.L. Rachlow, K.E. Veblen. Leveraging rangeland monitoring data for wildlife: From concept to practice. Rangelands. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rala.2021.09.005
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2021 Sawalhah, M.N., H.M.E. Geli, J.L. Holechek, A.F. Cibils, S. Spiegal, C. Gifford. Water Footprint of Rangeland Beef Production in New Mexico. Water. https://doi.org/10.3390/w13141950
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2021 Taylor, S.D., D.M. Browning, R.A. Baca, F. Gao. Constraints and Opportunities for Detecting Land Surface Phenology in Drylands. Preprint bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.05.21.445173 Link
2021 Pastick, N.J., B.K. Wylie, M.B. Rigge, D. Dahal, S.P. Boyte, M.O. Jones, B.W. Allred, S. Parajuli, Z. Wu. Rapid Monitoring of the Abundance and Spread of Exotic Annual Grasses in the Western United States Using Remote Sensing and Machine Learning. AGU Advances. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020AV000298
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2021 Felton A.J., R.K. Shriver, J.B. Bradford, K.N. Suding, B.W. Allred, P.B. Adler. Biotic vs abiotic controls on temporal sensitivity of primary production to precipitation across North American drylands. New Phytologist. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.17543 Link
2021 Smith, J.T., B.W. Allred, C.S. Boyd, K.W. Davies, M.O. Jones, A.R. Kleinhesselink, D.E. Naugle.  Where there's smoke, there's fuel: predicting Great Basin rangeland wildfire. Preprint bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.06.25.449963 Link
2021 Morford, S.L., B.W. Allred, D. Twidwell, M.O. Jones, J.D. Maestas, D.E. Naugle.  Biome-scale woody encroachment threatens conservation potential and sustainability of U.S. rangelands. Preprint bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.04.02.438282 Link
2021 Scholtz, R., S.D. Fuhlendorf, D.R. Uden, B.W. Allred, M.O. Jones, D.E. Naugle, and D. Twidwell. The challenges of brush management treatment effectiveness in southern Great Plains, USA. Rangeland Ecology and Management. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rama.2021.03.007 Link
2021 Donovan, V.M., S.P.H. Dwinnell, J.L. Beck, C.P. Roberts, J.G. Clapp, G.S. Hiatt, K.L. Monteith, and D. Twidwell. Fire-driven landscape heterogeneity shapes habitat selection of bighorn sheep. Journal of Mammalogyhttps://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyab035 Link
2021 Olsen, A.C. Olsen, J.P. Severson, J.D. Maestas, D.E. Naugle, J. Smith, J.D. Tack, K.H. Yates, and C.A. Hagen. Reversing tree expansion in sagebrush steppe yields population-level benefit for imperiled grouse. Ecosphere. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3551
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2021 Bestelmeyer, B.T., S. Spiegal, R. Winkler, D. James, M. Levi, J. Williamson.  Assessing Sustainability Goals Using Big Data: Collaborative Adaptive Management in the Malpai Borderlands. Rangeland Ecology and Management 77:17-29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rama.2021.03.002 Link
2021 Smith, J.T., B.W. Allred, C.S. Boyd, K.W. Davies, M.O. Jones, J.D. Maestas, S.L. Morford, and D.E. Naugle.  The elevational ascent and spread of exotic annual grasslands in the Great Basin, USA.  Diversity and Distributions. https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.13440
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2021 Lazenby, K. D., P.S. Coates, S.T. O’Neil, M.T. Kohl, and D.K. Dahlgren. Nesting, brood rearing, and summer habitat selection by translocated greater sage‐grouse in North Dakota, USAEcology and Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rama.2021.03.002 Link
2020 Fogarty, D.T., C.P. Roberts, D.R. Uden, V.M. Donovan, C.R. Allen, D.E. Naugle, M.O. Jones, B.W. Allred, B.W., and D. Twidwell.  Woody Plant Encroachment and the Sustainability of Priority Conservation AreasSustainability12, 8321. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12208321 Link
2020 Donovan, V.M., D. Twidwell, D.R. Uden, T. Tadesse, B.D. Wardlow, C.H. Bielski, M.O. Jones, B.W. Allred, D.E. Naugle, and C.R. Allen. Resilience to large, “catastrophic” wildfires in North America’s grassland biomeEarth’s Future, 8, e2020EF001487 https://doi.org/10.1029/2020EF001487 Link
2020 Bestelmeyer B.T., G. Marcillo, S.E. McCord, S. Mirski, G. Moglen, L.G. Neven, D. Peters, C. Sohoulande, and W. Tewodros.  Scaling up agricultural research with artificial intelligence. IT Professional; 22:33–38. https://doi.org/10.1109/MITP.2020.2986062 Link
2019 Robinson, N.P., B.W. Allred, D.E. Naugle, and M.O. Jones. Patterns of rangeland productivity and land ownership: Implications for conservation and management. Ecological Applications 29:e01862. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.1862
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2019 Chambers, J.C., M.L. Brooks, M.J. Germino, J.D. Maestas, D.I. Board, M.O. Jones, and B.W. Allred.  Operationalizing resilience and resistance concepts to address invasive grass-fire cycles. Front. Ecol. Evol. 7:185. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2019.00185 Link
2018 Roberts, C.P., D. Twidwell, J.L. Burnett, V.M. Donovan, C.L. Wonkka, C.L. Bielski, A.S. Garmestani, D.G. Angeler, T. Eason, B.W. Allred, M.O. Jones, D.E. Naugle, S.M. Sundstrom, and C.R. Allen. Early warnings for state transitions. Rangeland Ecology and Management 71:659-670. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rama.2018.04.012
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Reports

These reports describe applications of RAP datasets in rangeland management.

2023 Reeves, M., M. Krebs, S. E. McCord, M. Fitzpatrick, R. Claassen, E. Kachergis, L. J. Metz, B. B. Hanberry.   Rangeland Resources. In: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 2023. Future of America’s Forest and Rangelands: Forest Service 2020 Resources Planning Act Assessment. Gen. Tech. Rep. WO-102. Washington, DC: 8-1 - 8-33. Chapter 8 Link
2021 Twidwell, D. and D.T. Fogarty.  A guide to reducing risk and vulnerability to woody encroachment in rangelands. Link
2021 USDA-NRCS Working Lands for Wildlife. A decade of science support in the sagebrush biome
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2021 USDA-NRCS Working Lands for Wildlife.  Framework for Conservation Action for the Great Plains Grassland Biome. Link
2021 USDA-NRCS Working Lands for Wildlife.  Framework for Conservation Action for the Sagebrush Biome. Link
2020 Western Governors' Association.  A Toolkit for Invasive Annual Grass Management in the West.
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