6. Name: Qassifying Rangeland Riparian Areas: The Nevada Task Force Approach. 



Authors: Sherman Swanson, Ray Miles, Steve Leonard, and Kenneth Genz. 



Reference: Swanson S., R. Miles, S. Leonard, and K. Genz. 1988. Qassifying rangeland 

 riparian areas: the Nevada task force approach. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 

 1988. 43:3. 



Objectives: Develop a system that is interdisciplinary, hierarchical, simple yet reliable, 

 useful for management, related to ecological potential, and mappable. 



Designed Users: Biologists, soil scientists, hydrologists, managers. 



Area of Applicability: Rangelands, but concepts are applicable everywhere. 



Classification Units, Description, and Data: 



Classification Units Description 



Physiographic 

 Region 



Major Riparian 

 Areas 



Stream Type 



Nonstream Type 



Ecosystem - 



Riparian, 



Aquatic 



Subsystem 



Structure Qass, 

 Subclass 



Major land classes as defined by Brown and Kerr (1979). 



Delineates between stream and nonstream types. 



Stream types are classified using a geomorphic based system 

 developed by Rosgen (1985). 



Nonstream types include lake, reservoir, pond, pool, spring, 

 seep, and irrigation conveyance. 



Ecosystem is separated into either aquatic or riparian based 

 effectiveness of the open water column. Aquatic ecosystems 

 include nonpersistent emergent, aquatic beds, and areas not 

 vegetated (bars). Cowardin et al. (1979) can be used to 

 describe aquatic ecosystems at this point. 



Only the riparian ecosystem is described in the subsystem. 

 This includes moisture regime classes as suggested by 

 Johnson et al. (1984): hydroriparian, mesoriparian, and 

 xeroriparian. 



Structural class is similar to the Cowardin et al. (1979) 

 class, but is related to perceived potential natural commu- 

 nity. Structural classes include: forest, woodland, shrub, 

 herb, nonvegetated. As with class, subclass attributes are 

 based on potential natural community and include: ever- 

 green, deciduous, mixed, tall, low, nonvegetated. 



21 



