Abstract Accurate determination of the condition and trend of the plant cover and soil mantle, site by site, is considered the key to satisfactory range-watershed management. Many unsatisfactory range-watershed situations are attributed largely to an inadequate understanding of conditions and trend, including a tendency to rely upon single-factor indices rather than to consider all of the observable site factors. As a solution, the author advocates further research in ecology and soils, a fuller use of range condition and trend in surveys and inspections, and higher professional qualifications for range-watershed managers.
Reed W. Bailey (Mon,) studied this question.