ARS | Publication request: What is EBIPM and how can it help you?

Submitted to: Society for Range Management Meeting Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: October 25, 2012
Publication Date: February 9, 2012
Citation: Svejcar, A.J. 2012. What is EBIPM and how can it help you? [abstract]. 65th Annual Society for Range Management Meeting Proceedings. Paper No. 0100.

Technical Abstract: First the easy part, EBIPM stands for Ecologically-Based Invasive Plant Management. At its base level, EBIPM is really a framework for organizing information and making decisions about invasive species. The principles that provide the basis for this system are those associated with plant succession, thus the “ecologically based”. Keep in mind that there is a great deal of information associated with rangelands and invasive species. We humans tend to make better decisions when we have a sound way to organize information about a particular topic. If we don’t have a sound system for organizing and making decisions, there is a risk we miss steps and don’t adequately analyze the entire range of options. One thing EBIPM can do for you is to make sure you have considered multiple options for managing invasive species before you expend time and capital. To test and refine the concept of EBIPM a multi-state project was initiated by the USDA-Agricultural Research Service program in Burns, OR. The effort involved a combination of best management practices, gap-filling research and economic analysis at five watersheds across the Great Basin. The focus was on restoring annual grass invaded rangelands using a systematic approach that would result in decision tools which could be passed along to others in the region. The other presentations in this symposium will highlight the activities of the wide-scale EBIPM effort.