Appendix C
BLM Standards

1. Standards for Rangeland Health

The Standards for Rangeland Health, as applied in the State of Idaho, are to be used as the Bureau of Land Management's management goals for the betterment of the environment, protection of cultural resources, and sustained productivity of the range They are developed with the specific intent of providing for the multiple use of the public lands. Application of the standards should involve collaboration between the authorized offices, interested publics, and resource users.

Rangelands should be meeting the Standards for Rangeland Health or making significant progress toward meeting the standards. Meeting the standards provides for proper nutrient cycling, hydrologic cycling, and energy flow.

Monitoring of all uses is necessary to determine if the standards are being met. It is the primary tool for determining rangeland health, condition, and trend. It will be performed on representative sites.

Appropriate to soil type, climate, and landform, indicators are a list of typical physical and biological factors and processes that can be measured and/or observed (e.g., photographic monitoring). They are used in combination to provide information necessary to determine the health and condition of the rangelands. Usually, no single indicator provides sufficient in-formation to determine rangeland health. Only those indicators appropriate to a particular site are to be used. The indicators listed below each standard are not intended to be all-inclusive.

The issue of scale must be kept in mind in evaluating the indicators listed after each standard. It is recognized that individual isolated sites within a landscape may not be meeting the standards, however, broader areas must be in proper functioning condition. Furthermore, fragmentation of habitat that reduces the effective size of large areas must also be evaluated for its consequences.

Watersheds provide for the proper infiltration, retention, and release of water appropriate to soil type, vegetation, climate; and landform to provide for proper nutrient cycling, hydrologic cycling, and energy flow.

Indicators may include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. The amount and distribution of ground cover; including litter, for identified ecological site(s) or soil-plant associations are appropriate for site stability.

2. Evidence of accelerated erosion in the form of rills and/or gullies, erosional pedestals, flow patterns, physical soil crusts/surface sealing, and compaction layers below the soil surface is minimal for soil type and landform.

Riparian-wetland areas are in properly functioning condition appropriate to soil type, climate, geology, and landform to provide for proper nutrient cycling, hydrologic cycling, and energy flow.

Indicators may include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. The riparian/wetland vegetation is controlling erosion, stabilizing streambanks, shading water areas to reduce water temperature, stabilizing shorelines, filtering sediment, aiding in floodplain development, dissipating energy, delaying flood water; and increasing recharge of groundwater appropriate to site potential.

2. Riparian/wetland vegetation with deep strong binding roots is sufficient to stabilize streambanks and shorelines. Invader and shallow rooted species are a minor component of the floodplain.

3. Age class and structural diversity of riparian/wetland vegetation is appropriate for the site.

4. Noxious weeds are not increasing.

Stream channels and floodplains are properly functioning relative to geomorphology (e.g., gradient, size, shape, roughness, confinement, and sinuosity) and climate to provide for proper nutrient cycling, hydrologic cycling, and energy flow.

Indicators may include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Stream channels and floodplains dissipate energy of high -water flows and transport sediment. Soils support appropriate riparian-wetland species, allowing water movement, sediment filtration, and water storage. Stream channels are not entrenching.

2. Stream width/depth ratio, gradient, sinuosity, and pool, riffle and run frequency are appropriate for the valley bottom type, geology, hydrology, and soils.

3. Streams have access to their floodplains and sediment deposition is evident.

4. There is little evidence of excessive soil compaction on the floodplain due to human activities.

5. Streambanks are within an appropriate range of stability according to site potential.

6. Noxious weeds are not increasing.

Healthy, productive, and diverse native animal habitat and populations ₉f native plants are maintained or promoted as appropriate to soil type, climate, and landform to provide for proper nutrient cycling, hydrologic cycling, and energy flow.

Indicators may include, but are not limited to the following:

1. Native plant communities (flora and microbiotic crusts) are maintained or improved to ensure the proper functioning of ecological processes and continued productivity and diversity of native plant species.

2. The diversity of native species is maintained.

3. Plant vigor (total plant production, seed and seedstalk production, cover, etc.) is adequate to enable reproduction and recruitment of plants when favorable climatic events occur.

4. Noxious weeds are not increasing.

5. Adequate litter and standing dead plant material are present for site protection and for decomposition to replenish soil nutrients relative to site potential.

Rangelands seeded with mixtures, including predominately non-native plants, are functioning td maintain life form diversity, production, native animal habitat, nutrient cycling, energy flow, and the hydrologic cycle.

Indicators may include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. In established seedlings, the diversity of perennial species is not diminishing over time.

2. Plant production, seed production, and cover are adequate to enable recruitment when favorable climatic events occur.

3. Noxious weeds are not increasing.

4. Adequate litter and standing dead plant material are present for site protection and for decomposition to replenish soil nutrients relative to site potential.

Exotic plant communities, other than seedlings, will meet minimum requirements of soil stability and maintenance of existing native and seeded plants. These communities will be rehabilitated to perennial communities when feasible cost effective methods are developed.

Indicators may include; but are not limited to the following

1. Noxious weeds are not increasing.

2. The number of perennial species is not diminishing over time.

3. Plant vigor (production, seed and seedstalk production, cover; etc.) of remnant native or seeded (introduced) plants is maintained to enable reproduction and recruitment when favorable climatic or other environmental events occur.

4. Adequate litter and standing dead plant material is present for site protection and for decomposition to replenish soil nutrients relative to site potential.

Surface and ground water on public lands comply with the Idaho Water Quality Standards.

Indicators may include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Physical, chemical, and biologic parameters described in- the Idaho Water Quality Standards.

Habitats are suitable to maintain viable populations of threatened and endangered, sensitive, and other special status species

Indicators may include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Parameters described in the Idaho Water Quality Standards.

2. Riparian/wetland vegetation with deep, strong, binding roots is sufficient to stabilize streambanks and shorelines. Invader arid -shallow rooted species are a minor component of the floodplain.

3. Age class and structural diversity of riparian/wetland vegetation are appropriate for the site.

4. Native plant communities (flora and microbiotic crusts) are maintained or improved to ensure the proper functioning of ecological processes and continued productivity and diversity of native plant species.

5. The diversity of native species is maintained.

6. The amount and distribution of groundcover; including litter; for identified ecological site(s) or soil-plant associations are appropriate for site stability.

7. Noxious weeds are not increasing.

Guidelines direct the selection of grazing management practices, and where appropriate, livestock management facilities to promote significant progress toward, or the attainment and maintenance of the standards. Grazing management practices are livestock management techniques. They include the manipulation of season, duration (time), and intensity of use, as well as numbers, distribution and kind of livestock. Livestock management facilities are structures such as fences, corrals, and water developments (ponds, springs, pipelines, troughs, etc.) used to facilitate the application of grazing management practices. Livestock grazing management practices and guidelines will be consistent with the Idaho Agricultural Pollution Abatement Plan.

Grazing management practices and facilities are implemented locally, usually on an allotment or watershed basis. Grazing management programs are based on a combination of appropriate grazing management practices and facilities developed through consultation, coordination, and cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management, permittees, other agencies, Indian tribes and interested publics.

These guidelines were, prepared under the assumption that regulations and policies regarding grazing on the public lands will be implemented and will be adhered to by the grazing permittees and agency personnel. Anything not covered in these guidelines will be addressed by existing laws, regulations, Indian treaties, and policies.

The BLM will identify and document within the local watershed all impacts that affect the ability to meet the standards. If a standard is not being met due to livestock grazing, then allotment management will be adjusted unless it can be demonstrated that significant progress toward the standard is being achieved. This applies to all subsequent guidelines.

1. Use grazing management practices and/or facilities to maintain or promote significant progress toward adequate amounts of ground cover (determined on an ecological site basis) to support infiltration, maintain soil moisture storage, and stabilize soils.

2. Locate livestock management facilities away from riparian areas wherever they conflict with achieving or maintaining riparian-wetland functions.

3. Use grazing management practices and/or facilities to maintain or promote soil conditions that support water infiltration, plant vigor, and permeability rates and minimize soil compaction appropriate to site potential.

4. Implement grazing management practices that provide periodic rest or deferment during critical growth stages to allow sufficient regrowth to achieve and maintain healthy, properly functioning conditions, including good plant vigor and adequate vegetative cover appropriate to site potential.

5. Maintain or promote grazing management practices that provide sufficient residual vegetation to improve, restore, or maintain healthy riparian-wetland functions and structure for energy dissipation, sediment capture, ground water recharge, streambank stability, and wildlife habitat appropriate to site potential.

6. The development of springs, seeps, or other projects affecting water and associated resources shall be designed to protect the ecological functions, wildlife habitat, and significant cultural and historical/archaeological/paleontological values associated with the water source.

7. Apply grazing management practices to maintain, promote, or progress toward appropriate stream channel and streambank morphology and functions. Adverse impacts due to livestock grazing will be addressed.

8. Apply grazing management practices that maintain or promote the interaction of the hydrologic cycle, nutrient cycle, and energy flow that will support the appropriate types and amounts of soil organisms, plants, and animals appropriate to soil type, climate, and Iandform.

9. Apply grazing management practices to maintain adequate plant vigor for seed production, seed dispersal, and seedling survival of desired species relative to soil type, climate, and landform.

10. Implement grazing management practices and/or facilities that provide for complying with the Idaho Water Quality Standards.

11. Use grazing management practices developed in recovery plans, conservation agreements, and Endangered Species Act, Section 7 consultations to maintain or improve habitat for federally listed threatened, endangered, and sensitive plants and animals.

12. Apply grazing management practices and/or facilities that maintain or promote the physical and biological conditions necessary to sustain native plant populations and wildlife habitats in native plant communities.

13. On areas seeded predominantly with non-native plants, use grazing management practices to maintain or promote the physical and biological conditions to achieve healthy rangelands.

14. Where native communities exist, the conversion to exotic communities after disturbance will be minimized. Native species are emphasized for rehabilitating disturbed rangelands. Evaluate whether native plants are adapted, available, and able to compete with weeds or seeded exotics.

15. Use non-native plant species for rehabilitation only in those situations where: