1.2.2.5 Rangeland

Definition: Those ecosystems dominated by grasses, grasslike plants, forbs, or shrubs and dominated by herbavors. Most of the rangelands in the United States are to the west of an irregular North/South line that cuts through the Dakotas, Nebraska, Knasas, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Definition Source: A Land Use and Land Cover Classification System for Use with Remote Sensing Data

Rangeland Categories:

1.2.2.5.1 Herbaceous Rangeland: Those ecosystems dominated by naturally occurring grasses and forbs as well as those areas that have been modified to include grasses and forbs as their principal cover. This includes the tall grass (or true prairie), short grass, bunch grass or palouse grass, and desert grass regions. (Definition Source: A Land Use and Land Cover Classification System for Use with Remote Sensing Data)

1.2.2.5.2 Mixed Rangeland: Those ecosystems where more than one-third of the land is a mixture of herbaceous and shrub or brush rangeland species. Mixtures of herbaceous and shrub or brush tundra plants are not considered Rangeland. (Definition Source: A Land Use and Land Cover Classification System for Use with Remote Sensing Data)

1.2.2.5.3 Shrub and Brush Rangeland: Those ecosystems dominated by woody vegetation, typically in arid and semiarid regions. In the east, these systems are former croplands and pasturelands that are now used primarily for grazing. Those occurrences of shrubs and brush that are part of the Tundra or are dominated by wetland species are not included under Rangeland. (Definition Source: A Land Use and Land Cover Classification System for Use with Remote Sensing Data)