Research

There is a growing need for science-informed management and planning of Western ranches. With increasing threats from invasive species, catastrophic wildfires, forest insect epidemics, and recurring droughts, ranchers face new challenges to their livelihoods every day. As part of the Western Ranch Management and Ecosystem Stewardship Program, students have the opportunity to lead or participate in small-scale research projects designed to help ranchers make informed management decisions.

Research needs are identified by ranchers, and projects are typically aimed at improving practices and guiding real-world decisions. For example, students might examine how different grazing practices affect soil health through lab analyses, use camera traps to conduct wildlife inventories, or monitor vegetation response to fire using satellite remote sensing. While these projects take place on individual ranches, the questions they address often have broader implications for the larger ranching community.

Each project is overseen by a research scientist at the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory. Students are hired as research assistants and play a central role in research design, data collection, analysis, and reporting. This not only gives students hands-on experience in applied research, but also supports their professional development, creates networking opportunities, and advances their career goals. In return, ranchers gain valuable information on the effectiveness of management practices, the impacts of natural events, and opportunities to enhance the economic and ecological sustainability of their operations.

Testing Applications of Virtual Fencing Technologies for Livestock Management

Virtual fencing is an emerging technology that several Colorado ranches began adopting in 2021. These systems offer a flexible, real-time way to manage livestock by using sensory cues—like sound or a mild electric stimulus—delivered through a collar (pictured above) when animals approach virtual boundaries set on a tablet or computer. Virtual fencing has the potential to make ranching operations more efficient and profitable, while also reducing costs compared to traditional fencing and minimizing wildlife injuries caused by barbed wire. Its flexibility can support both economic and environmental goals.

While the possibilities are exciting, virtual fencing is still a new tool with limited research behind it. Our team is working with ranchers, researchers, and nonprofit organizations to:

1. Test how virtual fencing systems are installed and used
2. Assess the economic costs and benefits to ranchers
3. Understand the impacts on livestock condition, performance, and welfare
4. Explore how it can help meet ecological goals—like reducing invasive species or responding to climate-related challenges.

The technology is evolving quickly, ranchers are eager to learn more, and research is just beginning to catch up.

Evaluating interactions between forest management and burn severity in the Spring Fire

The Spring Creek Fire, which began on June 27, 2018, is the fifth-largest wildfire in Colorado’s history. It burned more than 108,000 acres of pinyon-juniper, sagebrush, Gambel oak, ponderosa pine, and mixed conifer forests. The fire spread rapidly due to extremely dry conditions, fueled by a combination of historic land management practices and recent insect outbreaks. What makes the Spring Creek Fire especially notable is that most of the burned area was located on ranches and smaller private lands, in addition to some state, U.S. Forest Service, and BLM-managed areas.

Some ranches in the area had already implemented fuel mitigation efforts, such as forest thinning, to reduce fire severity and impacts. We partnered with the NASA DEVELOP program to map burn severity following the fire, and are now working with local ranches to study how those pre-fire treatments influenced outcomes. This research evaluates how the fire and forest treatments affected wildlife habitat, understory vegetation, soil erosion, invasive species, and tree survival, mortality, and regeneration. The results will offer valuable insight to the ranching community on which forest management strategies are most effective at reducing wildfire impacts.

The Rio Grande cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii virginalis) has experienced a significant decline over the past century, largely due to habitat loss as well as competition and hybridization with non-native trout species. In 2002, the subspecies was considered for listing under the Endangered Species Act. Since then, coordinated conservation efforts—led by ranching communities in Colorado and New Mexico, along with federal, state, and tribal partners—have helped stabilize populations through habitat restoration, non-native trout removal, and breeding programs. The trout has also been reintroduced to key watersheds as part of one of the largest native trout restoration efforts in North America. These actions led the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine in 2014 that listing under the Endangered Species Act was no longer warranted.

Today, ranchers continue to play a vital role in conserving Rio Grande cutthroat trout habitat by partnering with state and federal agencies to restore wetlands and riparian zones. These areas are critical for maintaining the cool water temperatures, water quality, and habitat that the trout depend on. In partnership with NASA DEVELOP, students are working with ranches to map and classify wetland and riparian areas using satellite imagery. This work is focused on watersheds in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico, and will help characterize trout habitat and identify potential threats to these sensitive ecosystems.

Forest carbon markets offer both financial and ecological benefits for ranches. By valuing the non-consumptive use of forest resources, these markets can generate revenue, support long-term conservation goals, and contribute to climate change mitigation through increased forest carbon storage. In essence, carbon markets provide a way to reward landowners for delivering a vital ecosystem service: carbon sequestration.

Expanding access to forest carbon markets could benefit landowners while promoting the many ecosystem services that resilient forests provide. With support from a USDA McIntire-Stennis Capacity Grant, we are exploring potential opportunities for western ranchers to participate in these markets. This includes testing both traditional and satellite-based methods for estimating aboveground forest carbon.

As part of this work, we are developing a user’s guide for ranches interested in learning more about forest carbon markets—helping them assess whether participation aligns with their long-term management strategies. Students are actively involved in forest assessments, data collection, analysis, carbon market research, and sharing results with stakeholders.