Project Number: 6206-13610-007-27
Project Type: Reimbursable

Start Date: Oct 01, 2011
End Date: May 31, 2015

Objective:
Work with USDA-NRCS Plant Materials Centers and various USDA-ARS researchers to develop plant parameters for simulating plant function groups in the western and central U.S. These will be used in the ALMANAC, SWAT, and APEX models as part of the CEAP national assessment for range and pastures.

Approach:
Field measurements at representative sites are continuing in order to develop relevant parameters for plant functional groups. NRCS ecological site data and soils data are being used for model validation and calibration. Model simulation runs are evaluated for reasonableness by comparing with NRCS production values for representative ecological sites.