An Ecological and Economic Risk Avoidance Drought Management Decision Support System

Ecologists have long recognized the fundamental impacts of drought on rangeland structure and function. Simulation models have been developed to increase our understanding of these impacts as they relate to forage production, particularly for predictive purposes. Although the capacity of these models to accurately predict quantity and quality of forage produced under varying climatic conditions is often quite good, their ability to serve as an effective and proactive drought management decision support system is often limited. This is in large part because their complexity impedes their use by on-the-ground managers. The objective of this research was to develop a very simple and user-friendly drought management decision support system for rangeland managers in the Northern Great Plains of North America