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 types. Remote Sensing 11:1427. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs11121427 | Link |
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| 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, 1984-2017. Ecosphere 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 Mammalogy. https://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, USA. Ecology 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 Areas. Sustainability, 12, 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 biome. Earth’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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