Review for Certification Exam

1. Soils
   Holechek, Chapter 3- Rangeland Physical Characteristics
   Miller & Donahue, Soils in Our Environment
   Heady & Child, Chapter 26
   
   1. Texture
   2. Structure
   3. Fertility / Colloids and Chemical Properties
   4. Water holding capacity
2. Hydrology / Watershed Management
   Holechek, Chapter 12- Range Management for Multiple Use
   Heady & Child, Chapter 26, and Chapter 28
   
   1. Hydrologic cycle
   2. Infiltration / percolation
   3. Runoff / erosion / sedimentation
   4. Land treatments to manipulate water yield.
   5. Riparian areas / Watershed function (Proper functioning condition)
3. Plant Physiology
   Holechek, Chapter 5- Range Plant Physiology;
   Heitschmidt & Stuth, Chapter 4
   
   1. Plant morphology / growth
   2. Photosynthesis / transpiration / nutrient uptake
   3. Carbon, Nitrogen cycles
   4. Water relations
4. Rangeland Plant ID / Rangeland Regions (Plant Communities)
   Holechek, Chapter 4- Description of Rangeland Types
   Stubbendieck, plant groups p.7-21
   
   1. Plant types / life forms / structures (parts)
   2. Rangeland types / plant communities
5. Rangeland Vegetation Measurements
   Holechek, Chapter 7- Range Inventory and Monitoring
   Bonham, Measurements of Terrestrial Vegetation
   
   1. Vegetation attributes - biomass (weight), cover, condition, trend
   2. Sampling - methods, production, cover, density, species richness
   3. Data analysis (statistics) - mean, variability, inference
6. Rangeland Vegetation Management
   Holechek, Chapter 15- Manipulation of Range Vegetation
   Heady & Child Part 3-Vegetation Management
   
   1. Vegetation manipulation - fire, mechanical, chemical, biocontrol
   2. Seeding / seed ecology
   3. Invasive species
   4. Restoration ecology
7. Rangeland Animal Management
   Holechek, Chapter 8- Considerations Concerning Stocking Rate, 9- Grazing Methods, 10- Methods of Improving Livestock Distribution, 11- Range Animal Nutrition, and 13- Range Livestock Production Heady & Child Part 2- Grazing Management
   Heitschmidt & Stuth, Chapter 2, 3, and 7
   
   1. Nutrition / forage quality
   2. Grazing systems
   3. Grazing management - stocking rate, distribution, production
8. Rangeland Ecology
   Holechek, Chapter 6- Rangeland Ecology
   Heady & Child, Chapter 6 and 10
   Heitschmidt & Stuth, Chapter 1 and 5
   
   1. Ecosystem components and function
   2. Autecology (individuals) / Synecology (communities)
   3. Succession theories
   4. Competition
9. Range and Natural Resource Economics
   Workman, Range Economics
   Holechek, Chapter 17- Rangeland Economics, 18- Planning, Technology, and the Future
   
   1. Supply and demand
   2. The production function
   3. Discounting
   4. Present net worth / benefit cost ratio / internal rate of return
10. Rangeland Resource Policy and Planning
    Davis, Chapter 4- Emerging Triumph of Ecosystem Management - The Transformation of Federal Forest Policy.
    Chapter 5- Politics and Public Rangeland Policy.
    
    1. Multiple use
    2. Ecosystem management
    3. Landscape Ecology
    4. Holistic resource management
    5. Coordinated resource management planning

The questions are general range management questions related to the above areas and review of all the listed resources should provide the candidate with the needed info to answer them.

References

1. Barbour, M. G., J. H. Burk, W. D. Pins, F. S. Gilliam, and M. W. Schwartz. 1999. Terrestrial Plant Ecology. Third Edition. Benjamin/Cummings, an imprint of Addison Wesley Longman, Inc. Menlo Park, CA.
2. Bedunah, D. J. and R. E. Sosebee. (eds). 1995. Physiological Ecology and Developmental Morphology. Society or Range Management Denver, CO.
3. Bonham, C. D. 1989. Measurement Techniques for Terrestrial Vegetation. John Wiley & Sons. New York, NY.
4. Buol, S. W., F. D. Hole, and R. J. McCracken. 1980. Soil Genesis and Classification. Second Edition. Iowa State University Press. Ames, 10.
5. Davis, C. 2001. Western Public Lands and Environmental Politics. 2nd Edition. Westview Press, Boulder CO. (Chapter 4 and 5 can be accessed through Google Scholar)
6. Heady, H. F. and R. D. Child. 1994. Rangeland Ecology and Management. Westview Press. Boulder, CO USA.
7. Heitschmidt, R. K.. and J. W. Stuth. 1991. Grazing Management: An Ecological Perspective. Timber Press. Portland, OR.
8. Holechek, J. L., R. D. Pieper, and C. H. Herbel. 2010. Range Management Principles and Practices. Sixth Edition. Prentice-Hall Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ.
9. Krausman, P. R. 1996. (ed.). Rangeland Wildlife. Society for Range Management. Denver, CO.
10. Miller, R. W. and R. L. Donahue. 1995. Soils, An Introduction to Soils and Plant Growth. Seventh Edition. Prentice Hall. Englewood Cliffs, NJ.
11. National Resource Council/National Academy of Sciences. 1984. Developing Strategies for Rangeland Management: A report prepared by the Committee on Developing Strategies for Rangeland Management. Westview Press. Boulder, CO.
12. Stoddart, L. A., A. D. Smith, and T. W. Box. 1975. Range Management. Third Edition. McGraw-Hill, Inc. New York, NY.
13. Stubbendieck, J., S.L. Hatch, and L.M. Landholdt. 2003. North American Wildland Plants: A Field Guide. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, NE
14. Tueller, P. T. (ed.). 1988. Vegetation Science Application for Rangeland Analysis and Management. Kluwer Academic Publishers. Dordrecht, Netherlands.
15. Vavra, M., W. A. Laycock, and R. D. Pieper (eds.). Ecological Implications of Livestock Herbivory in the West. Society for Range Management Denver, CO.
16. Vallentine, J. F. 1989. Range Development and Improvements. Third Edition. Academic Press. San Diego, CA.
17. Vallentine, J. F. 1990. Grazing Management. Academic Press, Inc. San Diego, CA.
18. Workman, J. P. 1986. Range Economics. Macmillan Publishing Company. New York, NY.