Rangeland health and soil health are interdependent. The capacity of the soil to function affects rangeland ecological processes, including the capture, storage, and redistribution of water; the growth of plants; and the cycling of plant nutrients.
Soil Health for Thriving Rangeland
Maintaining soil health on rangeland is key to thriving grasslands and vibrant ecosystems! Healthy soils are the foundation for nutrient cycling, water retention and erosion prevention, while also nurturing a diverse array of plants and animals. By adopting thoughtful practices like smart grazing strategies, ensuring ground cover, and reducing soil disturbance, we can boost and protect the health of these vital ecosystems.
Soil health research has determined how to manage soil in a way that improves soil function. Soil health principles are often discussed in the context of crop farming, but they can also be applied to rangeland.
Rangeland and cropland ecosystems present different challenges and opportunities, therefore, soil health principles for rangeland are a little different from cropland.
For more in-depth guidance and best practices, explore Soil Health Technical Resources for Rangeland.
The four soil health principles for rangeland are:
- Optimize Disturbance
- Optimize Soil Cover
- Maximize Biodiversity
- Maximize Continuous Living Roots
Successful land managers are using these four soil health principles to guide their grazing practices. While each of these four principles can be used in isolation, using all four of them at the same time will:
- Restore degraded soil
- Build soil organic matter and biodiversity
- Lead to healthier and more productive soil that has greater drought and flood resilient
From an ecological standpoint, a “disturbance” is not inherently bad or good. The same management action can result in negative or positive feedback depending on the timing and intensity. Non-use for extended periods of time is also considered a disturbance and often results in negative feedback.
Optimizing disturbance allows landowners to adaptively implement the tools (i.e. grazing management, brush management, etc.) in a way that enhances ecosystem processes such as energy flow, community dynamics and functioning nutrient and water cycles (Texas GLC Newsletter November 2024)
There are many kinds of disturbances, some natural and others unnatural. Mechanical tillage is not natural and should be minimized. Grazing and periodic fire are natural disturbances on rangeland. Lack of either one would be an unnatural disturbance. Grasslands evolved under a combination of fire, grazing, rest and insect influence such as dung beetles. Periodic disturbance by the hooves of grazing animals and tunneling by roots and earthworms are natural and good for soil health. This is why graziers call this principle “optimize disturbance” in lieu of minimize disturbance. (Noble Research Institute).
There are both positive and potentially negative impacts of soil cover on rangeland. That is why we prefer to call this principle “optimize soil cover” in lieu of maximize soil cover.Bare ground leads to dislodging of soil particles due to raindrop impact, which can cause rills and gully formation. If the ground is bare, more water is lost by evaporation than by transpiration which means it isn’t getting used by the plants for plant growth as temperatures get hotter. There are also negative impacts to having too much litter (soil cover).
You can have a reduction in the amount of carbon sequestered, and reduction of organic matter distribution in the profile. You can have a reduction in infiltration due to discontinuity between litter and soil surface because of the thatch layer and due to shallow, thick mat of roots near the surface. You can also have changes in root morphology, severe reduction in mycorrhizal fungi and possibly an imbalance of nitrogen in the system.
Plant diversity on our rangeland is good for livestock (larger windows of palatability) and wildlife, but it also increases biological diversity below ground. More diversity in plants and microorganisms leads to healthier systems that are more resilient and resistant to drought and pest issues while improving nutrient cycling and overall system health. Many native plants are dependent on mycorrhizal fungi. The mycorrhizal fungi extend the reach of the native plant roots tremendously, allowing them to access water and nutrients from a far greater area in the soil. But to get that service from the mycorrhizal fungi, the roots must supply food.
Animals are important for building soil health. Soil health and grassland vegetation should be managed in a manner to promote soil quality and overall rangeland quality. Proper grazing improves soil fertility by incorporating litter and standing dead vegetation into the soil, increasing organic matter.
Much of the biological activity happens on and near the root surfaces. Growing and enhancing the living root system increases and improves that activity. Remember, if we can increase photosynthesis with more leaf area, there can be an increase in rhizosphere activity and thus organic matter increases with better nutrient cycling.