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NRCS Ecosystem Indicators Report - Appendix C — Example Uses of the Indicator Selection Model in Relationship to the FOTG

Framing Question No. 1. - Are precipitation and ground water resources captured, stored, used and released in a safe and stable manner?

Ecosystem Component - Soil Stability

Assessment Question - Are the soils stable?

RESOURCE: SOIL FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

CONSIDERATION: SOIL EROSION FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

INDICATOR: Sheet and Rill Erosion FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

EXAMPLE TARGET VALUE: Soil loss FOTG - Section III (Quality Criteria)

less than "T"

INDICATOR: Wind Erosion FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

EXAMPLE TARGET VALUE: Soil loss FOTG - Section III (Quality Criteria)

less than "T"

Assessment Question - Are water losses to runoff and evaporation in balance with soil and plant resources?

RESOURCE: SOIL FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

CONSIDERATION: SOIL EROSION FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

INDICATOR: Concentrated Flow FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

Erosion

EXAMPLE TARGET VALUE: Less than FOTG - Section III (Quality Criteria)

125% of incised
flow channels in
relation to reference site(s)

CONSIDERATION: SOIL CONDITION FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

INDICATOR: Infiltration FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

EXAMPLE TARGET VALUE: 75% of FOTG - Section III (Quality Criteria)

reference site(s)
infiltration rate

RESOURCE: WATER

CONSIDERATION: WATER QUANTITY FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

INDICATOR: Vegetative Cover FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

EXAMPLE TARGET VALUE: 75% or FOTG - Section III (Quality Criteria)

more cover in relation
to reference site

Framing Question No. 1 and Assessment Question Continued:

LAND USE*: CROPLAND

RESOURCE: PLANTS

CONSIDERATION: PLANT CONDITION FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

INDICATOR: Plant productivity FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

EXAMPLE TARGET VALUE: 90% of FOTG - Section III (Quality Criteria)

crop production in
relation to reference levels

Assessment Question - Are irrigation waters efficiently and timely applied?

RESOURCE: SOIL FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

CONSIDERATION: SOIL EROSION FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

INDICATOR: Irrigation Induced FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

Erosion

EXAMPLE TARGET VALUE: Soil loss FOTG - Section III (Quality Criteria)

less than "T"

RESOURCE: WATER

CONSIDERATION: WATER QUANTITY FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

INDICATOR: Irrigation Efficiency FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

EXAMPLE TARGET VALUE: Irrigation FOTG - Section III (Quality Criteria)

efficiency of 90% of
system capability

Assessment Question - Are perennial stream base flows, and ground water aquifer and water storage reservoir volumes, stable (within the natural or acceptable range of variability)?

RESOURCE: SOIL FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

CONSIDERATION: SOIL EROSION FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

INDICATOR: Amount of Eroded FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

Streambank

EXAMPLE TARGET VALUE: 90% of FOTG - Section III (Quality Criteria)

streambank with
suitable cover

RESOURCE: WATER

CONSIDERATION: WATER QUANTITY FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

INDICATOR: Damage to land, crops, or FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

or structures resulting from
overland flow

EXAMPLE TARGET VALUE: No damage FOTG - Section III (Quality Criteria)

within normal range of
climatic variability

* Indicators may change with differing land uses.

Framing Question No. 1 and Assessment Question Continued:

INDICATOR: Available storage capacity FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

in relation to potential storage capacity

EXAMPLE TARGET VALUE: 75% of FOTG - Section III (Quality Criteria)

potential (within the range
of climatic variability)

INDICATOR: Water Table Level FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

EXAMPLE TARGET VALUE: 90% of FOTG - Section III (Quality Criteria)

reference levels

RESOURCE: PLANTS

CONSIDERATION: PLANT FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

SUITABILITY

INDICATOR: Species Composition of FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

Streambank Vegetation

EXAMPLE TARGET VALUE: 80% FOTG - Section III (Quality Criteria)

similarity of vegetation in

Framing Question No. 2. - Are kinds and flows of nutrients, minerals and energy in balance and optimized with ecosystem production requirements?

Assessment Question - What is the spatial distribution of nutrients and energy?

RESOURCE: SOIL FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

CONSIDERATION: SOIL CONDITION FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

INDICATOR: Soil Organic Matter content FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

EXAMPLE TARGET VALUE: 90% or FOTG - Section III (Quality Criteria)

more of reference soil(s).

INDICATOR: Soil Chemical/Nutrient FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

Content

EXAMPLE TARGET VALUE: Within FOTG - Section III (Quality Criteria)

10% of reference soil(s).

LAND USE*: RANGE

RESOURCE: PLANTS

CONSIDERATION: PLANT CONDITION FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

INDICATOR: Ecological Condition FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

EXAMPLE TARGET VALUE: 60% of FOTG - Section III (Quality Criteria)

species composition and
productivity relative to
reference conditions

* Indicators may change with differing land uses.

Framing Question No. 2 and Assessment Question Continued:

LAND USE*: CROPLAND

INDICATOR: Plant Productivity FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

EXAMPLE TARGET VALUE: 90% of FOTG - Section III (Quality Criteria)

crop production relative to
reference level(s)

LAND USE*: CROPLAND

RESOURCE: PLANTS

CONSIDERATION: PLANT CONDITION FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

INDICATOR: Cropping System - Crops, FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

Cropping Sequence, and
Crop Residue Use

EXAMPLE TARGET VALUE: Soil FOTG - Section III (Quality Criteria)

condition rating less than
or greater than 1

LAND USE*: RANGE

RESOURCE: ANIMALS

CONSIDERATION: MANAGEMENT FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

INDICATOR: Utilization of Key Forage FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

Species

EXAMPLE TARGET VALUE: 50% use FOTG - Section III (Quality Criteria)

of current seasons growth

Assessment Question - What is the temporal distribution of nutrients and energy?

LAND USE*: CROPLAND

RESOURCE: PLANTS

CONSIDERATION: PLANT CONDITION FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

INDICATOR: Cropping System - annual FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

vs. perennial crops/crop sequence
(crop growth period relative to
growing season length)

EXAMPLE TARGET VALUE: % of FOTG - Section III (Quality Criteria)

reference level(s)

LAND USE*: RANGE

INDICATOR: Species Composition FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

(active growth period for
present vegetation relative
to growing season length)

EXAMPLE TARGET VALUE: 100% of FOTG - Section III (Quality Criteria)

growing season

* Indicators may change with differing land uses.

Framing Question No. 2 Continued:

Assessment Question - Are nutrients and/or minerals being lost from the system?

RESOURCE: WATER

CONSIDERATION: WATER QUANTITY FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

INDICATOR: Vegetative Cover FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

EXAMPLE TARGET VALUE: 90% of FOTG - Section III (Quality Criteria)

reference site(s)

LAND USE*: CROPLAND

CONSIDERATION: WATER QUALITY FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

INDICATOR: Amount of Nutrient Organic FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

Materials in runoff water

EXAMPLE TARGET VALUE: Meet FOTG - Section III (Quality Criteria)

Water Quality Standard

OR

INDICATOR: Rates and timing of FOTG - Section III (Quality Criteria)

nutrient applications

EXAMPLE TARGET VALUE: Amount and timing

within range of reference site(s)

LAND USE*: CROPLAND (Irrigated)

INDICATOR: Depth of Percolation FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

EXAMPLE TARGET VALUE: 90% of FOTG -Section III (Quality Criteria)

reference site(s)

Assessment Question - Are nutrients and/or minerals accumulating in the system?

RESOURCE: SOIL FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

CONSIDERATION: SOIL CONDITION FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

INDICATOR: Organic Waste Content FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

on/in soil

EXAMPLE TARGET VALUE: Less than FOTG - Section III (Quality Criteria)

110% of reference site(s).

OR

INDICATOR: Rates and Timing of organic FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

waste applications on/in soil

EXAMPLE TARGET VALUE: Amount FOTG - Section III (Quality Criteria)

and Timing within range
that is appropriate for reference site(s)

* Indicators may change with differing land uses.

Framing Question No. 2. and Assessment Question Continued:

INDICATOR: Soil Chemical/Nutrient FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

Content

EXAMPLE TARGET VALUE: Within FOTG - Section III (Quality Criteria)

10% of reference soil(s)

Framing Question No. 3. - Are annual cash flows and conservation incentives timely and optimized for desired community(ies) and landuser incomes?

Assessment Question - Are production efficiencies (inputs vs. outputs) sufficient to sustain system enterprises?

LAND USE*: RANGE

RESOURCE: PLANTS

CONSIDERATION: PLANT CONDITION FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

INDICATOR: Plant species composition FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

and productivity

EXAMPLE TARGET VALUE: 90% of FOTG - Section III (Quality Criteria)

reference conditions

LAND USE*: RANGE

RESOURCE: ANIMAL FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

CONSIDERATION: MANAGEMENT FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

INDICATOR: Calving Percentage and FOTG - Section V (CPPE)

calf weaning weights

EXAMPLE TARGET VALUE: 90% of reference herds

LAND USE*: RANGE

RESOURCE: HUMAN

CONSIDERATION: STANDARD OF LIVING

INDICATOR: Beef Cattle Prices

EXAMPLE TARGET VALUE: 90% of local prices

LAND USE*: RANGE

INDICATOR: Production Costs (fixed plus variable)

per pound of beef produced

EXAMPLE TARGET VALUE: 90% of reference costs/production ratio

* Indicators may change with differing land uses.

Framing Question No. 3 Continued:

Assessment Question - Are levels of landowner participation in government sponsored resource conservation programs consistent with production potentials/limitations of system?

RESOURCE: HUMAN

CONSIDERATION: CONSERVATION PROGRAMS

INDICATOR: Number of Conservation District Cooperators

EXAMPLE TARGET VALUE: 75% of total operating units


Continue to Appendix D



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