Application of ecological classification and predictive vegetation modeling to broad-level assessments of ecosystem health

The Little Missouri National Grasslands (LMNG) of western North Dakota supp ort the largest permitted cattle grazing use within all lands administered by the USDA, Forest Service, as well as critical habitat for many wildlife species. This fact, coupled with the need to revise current planning direct ion for range allotments of the LMNG, necessitated that a broad-level chara cterization of ecosystem integrity and resource conditions be conducted acr oss all lands within the study area (approximately 800,000 hectares) in a r apid and cost-effective manner. The approach taken in this study was based on ecological classifications, which effectively utilized existing field pl ot data collected for a variety of previous inventory objectives, and their continuous spatial projection across the LMNG by maps of both existing and potential vegetation. These two map themes represent current and reference conditions (existing vs. potential vegetation); their intersection allowed us to assign various ecological status ratings (i.e., ecosystem integrity and resource condition) based on the degree of departure between current an d reference conditions. In this paper, we present a brief review of methodo logies used in the development of ecological classifications, and also illu strate their application to assessments of rangeland health through selecte d maps of ecological status ratings for the LMNG.